Flow imaging of fluids in porous media by magnetization prepared centric-scan SPRITE.

MRI has considerable potential as a non-destructive probe of porous media, permitting rapid quantification of local fluid content and the possibility of local flow visualization and quantification. In this work we explore a general approach to flow velocity measurement in porous media by combining Cotts pulsed field gradient flow encoding with SPRITE MRI. This technique permits facile and accurate flow and dispersion coefficient mapping of fluids in porous media. This new approach has proven to be robust in characterizing fluid behavior. This method is illustrated through measurements of flow in pipes, flow in sand packs and flow in porous reservoir rocks. Spatially resolved flow maps and local fluid velocity distribution were acquired.