Methods are provided for determining a depositional environment of a sample of a subterranean environment. An example method includes measuring intensities for a crystallographic plane (CP) 100 peak and a CP 101 peak for quartz in a diffractogram, calculating a ratio of the intensities of the CP 100 peak to the CP 101 peak, and identifying a depositional environment for the sample from the ratio.

A method and system for approximating a predicted three-dimensional imbibition phase saturation profile from a measured three-dimensional drainage phase saturation profile, a derived one-dimensional drainage phase saturation profile, a measured one-dimensional imbibition phase saturation profile using a trained machine-learning algorithm are disclosed. A method for training of the machine learning algorithm is also disclosed.

A system and method for characterizing matter, for example, soil organic content is disclosed. A radiation and electric field sensor measure sample properties before, during and after irradiation. Calibrations are developed relating those measurements to useful properties of matter, for example, soil density and organic content. As an example of an embodiment of the disclosed invention an instrument attachment for portable X-ray fluorescence instrumentation was prototyped enabling concurrent volumetric soil organic matter quantification. This primary prototype outperformed more expensive emerging visible-near infrared multivariate instrumentation using parsimonious soil specific simple linear regression (R2 ranged 0.85-0.97) enabling rapid, parallel, nondestructive, cost-effective acquisition of soil elemental concentrations together with organic content data.

An intelligent lithology identification system and method based on images and spectrum technology. The intelligent lithology identification system includes a rock shape analysis system, an image identification system, a sample processing system, a spectrum analysis system, and a central analysis and control system; wherein the central analysis and control system determines the final lithology of a sample according to the rock identification results from the image identification system and the analysis results from the spectrum analysis system. The technical solution further identifies the content and type of minerals by using spectrum technology, integrates and analyzes the results of spectrum analysis and image identification, and finally gives the lithology of the rock, which greatly improves the accuracy of lithology identification.

The present invention provides a method for estimating hydrocarbon saturation of a hydrocarbon-bearing rock from a resistivity log and a rock image. The image is segmented to represent either a pore space or solid material in the rock. An image porosity is estimated from the segmented image, and a corrected porosity is determined to account for the sub-resolution porosity missing in the image of the rock. A corrected cementation exponent of the rock is determined from the image porosity and the corrected porosity and is used to estimate the hydrocarbon saturation. A backpropagation-enabled trained model can be used to segment the image. A backpropagation-enabled method can be used to estimate the hydrocarbon saturation using an image selected from a series of 2D projection images, 3D reconstructed images and combinations thereof.

A method for analyzing a rock sample includes segmenting a digital image volume corresponding to an image of the rock sample, to associate voxels in the digital image volume with a plurality of rock fabrics of the rock sample. The method also includes identifying a set of digital planes through the digital image volume. The set of digital planes intersects with each of the plurality of rock fabrics. The method further includes machining the rock sample to expose physical faces that correspond to the identified digital planes, performing scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging of the physical faces to generate two-dimensional (2D) SEM images of the physical faces, and performing image processing on the SEM images to determine a material property associated with each of the rock fabrics.

A method of enhancing a resolution of an EDS image of a sample includes generating an EDS image of the sample, generating a non-EDS image of the sample generating, using a machine learning algorithm, an enhanced resolution EDS image of the sample based on the generated feature map and based on the first EDS image, where a resolution of the enhanced resolution EDS image is higher than a resolution of the first EDS image.

A method of analysing granular material in a slurry, the method comprising: compacting the granular material in the slurry to form one or more pucks; irradiating said pucks with X-Ray radiation and detecting X-ray energy transmitted through said one or more irradiated pucks; irradiating a reference material with X-Ray radiation, said reference material having known material characteristics and detecting X-ray energy transmitted through said reference material; comparing X-ray energy transmission through said one or more pucks with the reference material to compute, using a processing unit, one or more particle characteristics of the granular material in the one or more pucks.

A multifunctional experimental system for in-situ simulation of a gas hydrate includes a computed tomography (CT) scanning device, a reactor, and a pipeline system. The reactor includes: a reactor upper end cover, a reactor lower end cover, a reactor housing and a clamp holder. A first pipeline channel is formed at a top, an upper groove is formed at a bottom, and a first upper joint is arranged in the upper groove. A second pipeline channel is formed at a side, a lower groove is formed at a top, and a first lower joint is arranged in the lower groove; where two ends of the reactor housing are respectively fixed to the reactor upper end cover and the reactor lower end cover. A top end of the clamp holder is provided with a second upper joint, a bottom end of the clamp holder is provided with a second lower joint.

Contemplated is a sensor system for use with a measuring device. The measuring device being of the type adapted to measure the volume of a desired solid component in a sample volume of a solid-liquid slurry obtained from either a carbon-in-pulp or carbon-in-leach process. The solid-liquid slurry comprises granular carbon particles, ore pulp, and water. The carbon-in-pulp or carbon-in-leach process includes at least one retention tank. The measurement device including: a receptacle for receiving the sample volume of the slurry; a screen provided in the receptacle for separating out the desired solid component from a remainder of the slurry. The solid component is retained in the receptacle to form a bed therein and the remainder is exhausted from the receptacle. The sensor system measures in either the retained solid component, or the exhausted remainder, or both one of: pH; dissolved oxygen; pulp density or carbon content.