title: Probing porous media with gas diffusion NMR.
abstract: We show that gas diffusion nuclear magnetic resonance (GD-NMR) provides a powerful technique for probing the structure of porous media. In random packs of glass beads, using both laser-polarized and thermally polarized xenon gas, we find that GD-NMR can accurately measure the pore space surface-area-to-volume ratio, S/V rho, and the tortuosity, alpha (the latter quantity being directly related to the system's transport properties). We also show that GD-NMR provides a good measure of the tortuosity of sandstone and complex carbonate rocks.
authors.affiliation: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Mair
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hurlimann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patz
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Walsworth
mesh_terms: D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000032:analysis*; D002627:Chemistry, Physical / Q000379:methods; D004058:Diffusion; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D005844:Geology; D007834:Lasers; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008280:Magnetics; D005741:Noble Gases / Q000032:analysis*; D010100:Oxygen; D013499:Surface Properties; D014978:Xenon / Q000032:analysis*; D014979:Xenon Isotopes
chemical_list: D005741:Noble Gases; D014979:Xenon Isotopes; D014978:Xenon; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D010100:Oxygen