An Image Analysis Technique to Estimate the Porosity of Rock Samples

This paper discusses the possibilities of determining the porosities of different types of rocks using image analysis technique. Before the use of image analysis stereological research for analysis of porosity were conducted by traditional methods which were time consuming and lacked accuracy. The method proposed in this paper determines the porosity by computing the part of the whole sample for which the pores account. The steps involved in the above method are a series of contextual, non-context and morphological operations that are commonly used in image processing and analysis. The procedure was tested on thin sections of sandstone and limestone rock samples. The results were computed in the form of total porosity which includes all types porosities observed in rocks including isolated and connected porosities. The porosity obtained can also be called as visual porosity. Values obtained show that the method proposed can lead to satisfying results. Obtained porosity values can be used further to determine determine other properties like permeability which play a vital role in the study of diffusion in porous rocks.