Associating X-Ray Microtomography with Permeability Contrasts in Bioturbated Media

The use of X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) to evaluate the contrasts in permeability associated with bioturbation in two- and three-dimensions (2D and 3D) is investigated in this article. Core analysis, spot-permeametry measurements, and petrographic thin-sections of the six different datasets from Western Canada (Debolt Formation, Wabamun Group, and Medicine Hat Member) and offshore Norway (Ula Formation, Lysing Formation, and Nise Formation) show that the trace fossils commonly modify the permeability and porosity of the reservoir through sediment reworking and diagenesis of the sediment. In this study, micro-CT techniques are used to analyze the X-ray attenuation associated with bioturbation in siliciclastics and carbonates. Because X-ray attenuation represents the transmissivity or absorptivity of a sample to the incident X-rays, each of which is related to sediment composition and sediment densities, micro-CT images are integrated with sedimentological data and petrographic data to identify the trac...