Classification and quantification of pore shapes in sandstone reservoir rocks with 3-D X-ray micro-computed tomography

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the characterization of the pore morphologies of reservoir rocks and how the spatial organization of pore traits affects the macro behaviour of rock-fluid systems. With the availability of 3-D high-resolution imaging (e.g. μ-CT), the detailed quantification of particle shapes has been facilitated by progress in computer science. Here, we show how the shapes of irregular rock particles (pores) can be classified and quantified based on binary 3-D images. The methodology requires the measurement of basic 3-D particle descriptors and a shape classification that involves the similarity of artificial objects, which is based on main pore network detachments and 3-D sample sizes. The results were validated for three sandstones (S1, S2 and S3) from distinct reservoirs, and most of the pore shapes were found to be plate- and cube-like. Furthermore, this study generalizes a practical way to correlate specific particle shapes, such as rods, blades, cuboids, plates and cubes, to characterize asymmetric particles of any material type with 3-D image analysis.