Noble Gas Adsorption Measurement via LIBS for Wettability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining wettability in porous materials are unreliable, slow, and provide only relative, bulk values, making it difficult to assess hydrocarbon flow and production in geological reservoirs, as they struggle with opaque samples, surface roughness, and varying wettability within the pore space.
Innovation Solution
A method using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to measure noble gas adsorption on the surface of porous materials, providing absolute and spatially resolved wettability values by correlating noble gas adsorption with pore structure information, allowing for the determination of hydrophobicity and wettability properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional wettability testing methods (Amott-Harvey, USBM) are used, then wettability can be determined through fluid imbibition measurements, but the results are only relative measures and cannot provide absolute wettability values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, or xenon) as intermediary substances to indirectly measure wettability. These gases adsorb to hydrophobic pore surfaces, and their adsorption behavior serves as a mediator to determine absolute wettability values without requiring direct fluid contact angle measurements in porous media.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical imbibition-based measurement systems with a spectroscopic analysis system. LIBS technology detects noble gas adsorption through optical emission spectroscopy, substituting the mechanical fluid imbibition process with an optical detection method that provides absolute wettability quantification.
2Measurement precision
If NMR methods are used to estimate wettability by observing fluid relaxation rates, then wettability can be determined through fluid-surface interaction measurements, but the NMR signal from noble gases is too weak for practical commercial use without expensive equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes NMR spectroscopy with LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) technology. LIBS uses laser ablation and optical emission detection to analyze noble gas adsorption, replacing the complex magnetic resonance equipment with a more commercially viable spectroscopic system that achieves similar or better measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from NMR signal intensity (which is weak for noble gases) to LIBS spectral emission intensity. This parameter change enables detection of noble gas adsorption with sufficient signal strength for commercial applications without requiring hyperpolarization equipment or superconducting magnets.
3Ease of operation
If contact angle testing is performed on opaque porous samples, then wettability can be measured on accessible surfaces, but direct observation of fluid contact angle is not possible due to sample opaqueness and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces noble gases as intermediary tracers that can be detected through spectroscopic methods. These gases penetrate and adsorb within the porous structure, serving as mediators that enable wettability measurement throughout the entire sample volume rather than just on accessible surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct visual observation methods with LIBS spectroscopic detection. This substitution enables measurement of noble gas adsorption within opaque porous samples by detecting optical emissions from laser-induced plasma, bypassing the limitation of visual contact angle observation.
4Productivity
If standard wettability testing methods are used on samples with varying mineral composition and pore sizes, then bulk wettability can be determined, but wettability variation throughout the pore space is averaged and cannot be resolved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the porous sample into discrete measurement locations using LIBS. By rastering the laser beam across the sample surface and performing measurements at multiple locations, the continuous porous medium is divided into measurable segments, each providing local wettability information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from bulk averaging (0D or 1D) to spatially resolved measurements (2D or 3D). LIBS enables wettability mapping across the sample surface by adding spatial dimensions to the measurement, allowing visualization of wettability distribution patterns throughout the pore space.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach offers a rapid, reliable, and absolute method for determining wettability, enabling the production of spatially resolved maps and 3D models of wettability, improving hydrocarbon flow simulations and reducing the need for expensive equipment and lengthy testing processes.
Implementation Method 1
Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) uses a laser to ablate a tiny portion of sample
Implementation Method 2
The laser ablates a small amount of sample at this spot, turning it into a high temperature plasma. The excited atoms then return to a ground state, giving off light of characteristic frequencies
Implementation Method 3
Noble gases are hydrophobic and will preferentially adsorb onto hydrophobic surfaces
Implementation Method 4
Noble gases are hydrophobic and will preferentially adsorb onto hydrophobic surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A method allowing for rapidly determining wettability of porous materials or other materials by measurement of the absorption of noble gases to pore surfaces through laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is provided. The method can provide an absolute method of quantifying wettability and a method which is a spatially resolved method. A system for performing the method also is provided.