Scientists belonging to University Stuttgart’s Institute for Computational Physics (ICP) have generated the largest and most accurate three-dimensional image of porous sandstone. This achievement is a world record in the three-dimensional imaging of porous rocks.
Better understanding of porous rocks plays an important part in groundwater management, carbon dioxide sequestration and oil recovery. The porous rock image created by the physicists contained over 35 trillion voxels – 35184372088832 voxels or 32768 cubed voxels, which enables accurate study of the relationship between the physical properties and the microstructures of porous materials. The various properties of porous materials – mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, plastic, elastic, thermal, magnetic and rheological properties are determined by the microstructure.
World record in 3D-imaging of porous rocks
In science and engineering, three-dimensional images have been generated that contain 20 billion voxels. Human magnetic resonance images contain around 720 million voxels. This medical image is equivalent to a stack of 72 digital photographs. However, the 35 trillion voxels image is equivalent to 35 million digital photographs.
Three-dimensional imaging consists of discretizing spatial structures. The ICP-image generated as part of a Simulation Technology Cluster of Excellence project resolved the microstructure of a Fontainebleau sandstone from submillimeter to submicron scales over three decades.
Prof. Rudolf Hilfer at the ICP led the team of physicists in this record achievement. Scientists have not been able to image a microstructure sample with several hundred nanometers of resolution and having a size of several centimeters until now. However, the ICP team developed techniques and theories to calibrate and compare microstructures. They devised new data structures and algorithms to develop computer models of the structure with the required accuracy and size. The team then digitized the models and calibrated them against samples of real rock. Prof. Hilfer stated that a similar achievement may have required many years of beam time at a facility for particle acceleration.