Effect of quartz overgrowth precipitation on the multiscale porosity of sandstone: A (U)SANS and imaging analysis
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
In this paper, we have performed a series of experiments to understand the effects of quartz overgrowths on nanometer to centimeter scale pore structures of sandstones. Blocks from two samples of St. Peter Sandstone with different initial porosities (5.8% and 18.3%) were reacted from 3 days to 7.5 months at 100 and 200 °C in aqueous solutions supersaturated with respect to quartz by reaction with amorphous silica. Porosity in the resultant samples was analyzed using small and ultrasmall angle neutron scattering and scanning electron microscope/backscattered electron (SEM/BSE)-based image-scale processing techniques. Significant changes were observed in the multiscale pore structures. By 3 days much of the overgrowth in the low-porosity sample dissolved away. The reason for this is uncertain, but the overgrowths can be clearly distinguished from the original core grains in the BSE images. At longer times the larger pores are observed to fill with plate-like precipitates. As with the unreacted sandstones, porosity is a step function of size. Grain boundaries are typically fractal, but no evidence of mass fractal or fuzzy interface behavior was observed suggesting a structural difference between chemical and clastic sediments. After the initial loss of the overgrowths, image scale porosity (>~1 cm) decreases with time. Submicron porosity (typically ~25% of the total) is relatively constant or slightly decreasing in absolute terms, but the percent change is significant. Finally, fractal dimensions decrease at larger scales, and increase at smaller scales with increased precipitation.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic CO2 (NCGC); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- Contributing Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DMR-0944772; AC52-06NA25396; 93ER14389; AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1193676
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1251961; OSTI ID: 1286701
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-15-20533; PII: S0016703715000538
- Journal Information:
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 158, Issue C; ISSN 0016-7037
- Publisher:
- Elsevier; The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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