On the Effect of Image Enhancement Techniques on Digital Rock Physics Results

For this study, a Berea sandstone specimen was used for synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy revealing a digitized rock data set at a spatial resolution of 0.74 µm. The investigations focused on the impact of pre-processing image enhancement, using three different image filters and a fast-watershed tool. The rock images precisely reveal the 3D rock microstructure and the pore space morphology and act as a direct input for further numerical investigations comprising the quantification of porosity, fluid flow simulation by an Explicit Jumps - Stokes solver and wave propagation modeling using the rotated staggered grid technique. The goal of this paper is to describe and understand how miscellaneous filtering and segmentation techniques may influence the predictions of transport as well as of mechanical properties.