Quantitative determination of heterogeneity in samples of rock type plug using X-ray computerized tomography

The X-ray computed tomography (CT), is a technique that allows inspection of the internal structure of the rock in a non-destructive way from images of cuts obtained from the scanning of the samples. This method offers an alternative for the Quantitative determination of heterogeneity in the analysis of samples of rock type plug in terms of porosity, a fundamental property to define hydrocarbons volume present in the reservoir and determining it is one of the basic applications of the CT. Where, using the attenuation coefficients of the CT images the heterogeneity is determined, in order to define how representative the sample is and guarantee the veracity of the results in subsequent tests. In this case, a high heterogeneity was determined for the synthetic samples and a low heterogeneity for the native sample. The significant contribution of this innovative methodology is related to the visualization inside of the rock in a non-intrusive way, this being a unique method that allows to quantify the homogeneity and calculate the porosity of the total volume of the rock without altering the integrity of the sample.