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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • gas hydrate
  • synchrotron X-ray tomography
  • porosity

Index Terms

  • Marine Geology and Geophysics: Gas and hydrate systems
  • Marine Geology and Geophysics: Marine sediments: processes and transport
  • Physical Properties of Rocks: Microstructure
  • Physical Properties of Rocks: Instruments and techniques
  • Structural Geology: Microstructures

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 35, L23612, 5 PP., 2008
doi:10.1029/2008GL035460

Natural gas hydrate investigations by synchrotron radiation X-ray cryo-tomographic microscopy (SRXCTM)

M. Mangir Murshed

Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Stephan A. Klapp

DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence, MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Frieder Enzmann

Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Thore Szeder

Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Thomas Huthwelker

Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland

Marco Stampanoni

Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland

Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Federica Marone

Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland

Christoph Hintermüller

Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland

Gerhard Bohrmann

DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence, MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Werner F. Kuhs

GZG, Abteilung Kristallographie, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

Michael Kersten

Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany

We report the 3D microstructure analyses of natural gas hydrates sampled from Gulf of Mexico. The samples were characterized by synchrotron radiation X-ray cryo-tomographic microscopy (SRXCTM) using the ‘TOMCAT’ beam line at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). The SRXCTM demonstrates its applicability to unlock some microscopic features of the marine hydrates, in particular of crystallite size and grain boundary network. The gas hydrate domains are surrounded by a network of pores of typically a few micrometers, which are largely due to decomposition. Out of the SRXCTM data, the porosity, total volume of the voids, the void surface area and number of the total gas-filled voids have been calculated. The results reveal the capability of SRXCTM to access the 3D microstructure which is of fundamental importance to model the petrophysical properties of natural gas hydrates.

Received 24 July 2008; accepted 12 November 2008; published 13 December 2008.

Citation: Murshed, M. M., et al. (2008), Natural gas hydrate investigations by synchrotron radiation X-ray cryo-tomographic microscopy (SRXCTM), Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L23612, doi:10.1029/2008GL035460.

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