Evaluation of single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance technology for usage in geosciences

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External Research Organisations

  • Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)
  • Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG)
  • BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number015112
JournalMeasurement science and technology
Volume34
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

Because of its mobility and ability to investigate exposed surfaces, single-sided (SiS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology enables new application fields in geosciences. To test and assess its corresponding potential, we compare longitudinal (T 1) and transverse (T 2) data measured by SiS NMR with those of conventional geoscientific laboratory NMR. We use reference sandstone samples covering a broad range of pore sizes. Our study demonstrates that the lower signal-to-noise ratio of SiS NMR data generally tends to slightly overestimated widths of relaxation time distributions and consequently pore size distributions. While SiS and conventional NMR produce very similar T 1 relaxation data, unbiased SiS NMR results for T 2 measurements can only be expected for fine material, i.e. clayey or silty sediments and soils with main relaxation times below 0.05s . This limit is given by the diffusion relaxation rate due to the gradient in the primary magnetic field associated with the SiS NMR. Above that limit, i.e. for coarse material, the relaxation data is strongly attenuated. If considering the diffusion relaxation time of 0.2 s in the numerical data inversion process, the information content >0.2s is blurred over a range larger than that of conventional NMR. However, our results show that principle range and magnitudes of the relaxation time distributions are reconstructed to some extent. Regarding these findings, SiS NMR can be helpful to solve geoscientific issues, e.g. to assess the hydro-mechanical properties of the walls of underground facilities or to provide local soil moisture data sets for calibrating indirect remote techniques on the regional scale. The greatest opportunity provided by the SiS NMR technology is the acquisition of profile relaxation data for rocks with significant bedding structures at the μm scale. With this unique feature, SiS NMR can support the understanding and modeling of hydraulic and diffusional anisotropy behavior of sedimentary rocks.

Keywords

    geosciences, nuclear magnetic resonance, single-sided NMR

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Evaluation of single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance technology for usage in geosciences. / Costabel, Stephan; Hiller, Thomas; Dlugosch, Raphael et al.
In: Measurement science and technology, Vol. 34, No. 1, 015112, 01.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Costabel S, Hiller T, Dlugosch R, Kruschwitz S, Müller-Petke M. Evaluation of single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance technology for usage in geosciences. Measurement science and technology. 2023 Jan;34(1):015112. doi: 10.1088/1361-6501/ac9800
Costabel, Stephan ; Hiller, Thomas ; Dlugosch, Raphael et al. / Evaluation of single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance technology for usage in geosciences. In: Measurement science and technology. 2023 ; Vol. 34, No. 1.
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T1 - Evaluation of single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance technology for usage in geosciences

AU - Costabel, Stephan

AU - Hiller, Thomas

AU - Dlugosch, Raphael

AU - Kruschwitz, Sabine

AU - Müller-Petke, Mike

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

PY - 2023/1

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AB - Because of its mobility and ability to investigate exposed surfaces, single-sided (SiS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology enables new application fields in geosciences. To test and assess its corresponding potential, we compare longitudinal (T 1) and transverse (T 2) data measured by SiS NMR with those of conventional geoscientific laboratory NMR. We use reference sandstone samples covering a broad range of pore sizes. Our study demonstrates that the lower signal-to-noise ratio of SiS NMR data generally tends to slightly overestimated widths of relaxation time distributions and consequently pore size distributions. While SiS and conventional NMR produce very similar T 1 relaxation data, unbiased SiS NMR results for T 2 measurements can only be expected for fine material, i.e. clayey or silty sediments and soils with main relaxation times below 0.05s . This limit is given by the diffusion relaxation rate due to the gradient in the primary magnetic field associated with the SiS NMR. Above that limit, i.e. for coarse material, the relaxation data is strongly attenuated. If considering the diffusion relaxation time of 0.2 s in the numerical data inversion process, the information content >0.2s is blurred over a range larger than that of conventional NMR. However, our results show that principle range and magnitudes of the relaxation time distributions are reconstructed to some extent. Regarding these findings, SiS NMR can be helpful to solve geoscientific issues, e.g. to assess the hydro-mechanical properties of the walls of underground facilities or to provide local soil moisture data sets for calibrating indirect remote techniques on the regional scale. The greatest opportunity provided by the SiS NMR technology is the acquisition of profile relaxation data for rocks with significant bedding structures at the μm scale. With this unique feature, SiS NMR can support the understanding and modeling of hydraulic and diffusional anisotropy behavior of sedimentary rocks.

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