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Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 105, No. 11 (November 2021), P. 2245-2261.

Copyright ©2021. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/08142019028

A comparison of three-dimensional–printed porous rocks with nano x-ray computed tomography: Silica sand, gypsum powder, and resin

Lingyun Kong,1 Mehdi Ostadhassan,2 Bo Liu,3 Mohsen Eshraghi,4 Chunxiao Li,5 Miguel Navarro,6 Yihuai Zhang,7 and Huabin Wei8

1Department of Petroleum Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota; [email protected], [email protected]
2Accumulation and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base (jointly constructed by Heilongjiang Province and Ministry of Science and Technology), Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, China; [email protected]
3Accumulation and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base (jointly constructed by Heilongjiang Province and Ministry of Science and Technology), Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, China; [email protected]
4Department of Mechanical Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, California; [email protected]
5Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota; [email protected]
6Department of Mechanical Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, California; present address: Northrop Grunman Corporation, Redondo Beach, California; [email protected]
7Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; [email protected]
8Accumulation and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base (jointly constructed by Heilongjiang Province and Ministry of Science and Technology), Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, China; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

To date, a variety of three-dimensional (3-D) printing methods and materials have been used to replicate natural rocks, yet no study has compared their outputs. Such work can enable us to select the most appropriate printing technique and material combinations to ensure better results when natural rocks are substituted with replicas. The present study compares binder jetting and stereolithographic (SLA) 3-D printing methods in the manufacturing of a porous rock model. The materials employed are gypsum powder and silica sand for the binder jetting technique and resin for the SLA method. First, a digital rock model based on Berea Sandstone was created with computed microtomography imaging; then the image was printed using the aforementioned methods and materials. The replicas were examined by computed nanotomography imaging to compare the resemblance of internal pore structures to the natural specimen. It was found that powder-based printing with gypsum created an output that was comparable only on the exterior parts to the reference model, silica sand failed in the interior boundaries because of loosely packed particles, and the resin-based model was the most similar to the reference in terms of pore shape and geometry. Ultimately, this study should help lay out general guidelines in selecting appropriate purpose-based printing techniques and materials to benefit the field of geosciences.

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