Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of water content in the subsurface
Previous theoretical and experimental studies indicated that surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has the potential to provide cost-effective water content measurements in the subsurface and is a technology ripe for exploitation in practice. The objectives of this investigation are (a) to test the technique under a wide range of hydrogeological conditions and (b) to generalize existing NMR theories in order to correctly model NMR response from conductive ground and to assess properties of the inverse problem. Twenty-four sites with different hydrogeologic settings were selected in New Mexico and Colorado for testing. The greatest limitation of surface NMR technology appears to be the lack of understanding in which manner the NMR signal is influenced by soil-water factors such as pore size distribution, surface-to-volume ratio, paramagnetic ions dissolved in the ground water, and the presence of ferromagnetic minerals. Although the theoretical basis is found to be sound, several advances need to be made to make surface NMR a viable technology for hydrological investigations. There is a research need to investigate, under controlled laboratory conditions, how the complex factors of soil-water systems affect NMR relaxation times.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Idaho Operations Office, Idaho Falls, ID (US); New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-96ER14732
- OSTI ID:
- 750970
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/14732; TRN: AH200017%%12
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 21 Jan 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of subsurface water content. 1997 annual progress report
Hydrogeological-Geophysical Methods for Subsurface Site Characterization - Final Report
Related Subjects
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
NEW MEXICO
COLORADO
SOILS
MOISTURE
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
PERFORMANCE
GROUND WATER
CONCENTRATION RATIO
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR)
WATER CONTENT
SUBSURFACE
HYDROGEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
SURFACE NMR
SOIL-WATER FACTORS
PARAMAGNETIC IONS
FERROMAGNETIC MINERALS