Micro-CT laboratory (INGV, Italy)
X-ray computed tomography (micro-ct) is a powerful technique for qualitative and quantitative studies of rocks and other materials in three dimensions. One of the key advantages of X-ray tomography is that it is relatively non destructive, which allows for objects to be studied in situ. Particularly, micro-ct reveals the internal microstructure of the rocks (e.g. 3D orientation and distribution of cracks, pores, grains, minerals, sedimentary patterns, fossils, fluid inclusions etc.) throughout the construction of three-dimensional digital maps with very high resolution that can reach up to the submicron. In the last decade this technique has become an essential part in geoscience studies (e.g. igneous and metamorphic petrology, planetary geology, ore deposit, hydrology, sedimentology, petroleum, structural geology, environmental geology etc).
Our INGV laboratory is involved in the study of natural phenomena in volcanic and seismic risk contexts (mechanisms of vesiculation, crystallization and magmatic fragmentation, fracture propagation, circulation of fluids, alteration processes, etc).
Our laboratory includes a micro-ct system (Zeiss Xradia 410 Versa) equipped with a microfocus Xray source capable of energies from 40 to 150 kV, which allows the scanning of samples with a wide range of densities. The detectors are mounted on microscope objectives with magnifications ranging from 0.4X to 20X; the former yields a field of view of ~55 mm, whereas the latter yields ~1 mm. Thus the spatial resolution for the microXCT ranges from ~55 µm to 0.9 µm. The microXCT scanner also offers the advantage of enhanced phase contrast to better image materials with low mean atomic numbers.
Our laboratory includes dedicated software for the visualization and quantitative analysis of three-dimensional digital maps and for pore-scale numerical simulations for fluid transport properties prediction (e.g. absolute and relative permeabilities).
