Neutron imaging in South Africa adds value to Geosciences and Petrophysics

Abstract

Knowing the physical properties of rock, enhances the knowledge of engineers to predict more accurately e.g. the flow of water / gas or oil, the production rate and/or capacity of reservoirs and the composition of resources beneficial and important to geo- and petrophysicists. Through this study, being conducted at the newly established South African National Center for Radiography And Tomography (SANCRAT) at Necsa in South Africa, it is experienced that neutrons, being extracted from the SAFARI-1 Nuclear Research reactor, have the ability to penetrate more easily certain geological laboratory samples than X-rays and provide important imbedded information on an 2D or 3D scale to geologist and scientists on a non-destructive basis. This paper focuses on neutron radiography and - tomography as a radiation based analytical imaging technique that complements X-ray radiography and tomography to determine or validate existing data of some important physical properties of rock.