• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.160-165
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• 1999

Agarose gels can be used as reference standards for the measurement of fluid properties in porous media because the relaxation properties of the gel reference standard and those of the fluid in porous media can be closely matched. The use of reference standard to determine porosity and saturation is discussed and the requirements for gel NMR properties given. The relaxtion times of agarose gels measured at 2.0 Tesla are illustrated as a function of agarose and paramagnetic impurity ($CuSO_4$) concentrations. This work shows an empirical result between agarose gel composition and gel relaxtion times. The average value for the porosity distribution is 17.7%, which compares well with the value calculated with the gravimetric analysis. Finally, two phase immiscible displacement using agarose gels as a reference standard was performed. The saturation profiles appear to be consistent with what one might calculate for a one-dimensional displacement in a uniform porous media.