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 angstrom) and that the majority (80%) of these micropores remain inaccessible to CO2 at reservoir pressures.