Determination of closed porosity in rocks by small-angle neutron scattering

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) have been used to study a carbonate rock from a deep saline aquifer that is a potential candidate as a storage reservoir for CO₂ sequestration. A new methodology is developed for estimating the fraction of accessible and inaccessible pore volume using SANS/USANS measurements. This method does not require the achievement of zero average contrast for the calculation of accessible and inaccessible pore volume fraction. The scattering intensity at high Q increases with increasing CO₂ pressure, in contrast with the low-Q behaviour where the intensity decreases with increasing pressure. Data treatment for high-Q scattering at different pressures of CO₂ is also introduced to explain this anomalous behaviour. The analysis shows that a significant proportion of the pore system consists of micropores (<20 Å) and that the majority (80%) of these micropores remain inaccessible to CO₂ at reservoir pressures. A new methodology has been developed to determine the fraction of open and closed porosity in rocks, without reaching the zero average contrast condition, using (ultra-)small-angle neutron scattering.