Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Fluids in Porous Media

Abstract:

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is very well known as the premiere diagnostic method in biomedicine. As a spectroscopy technique, magnetic resonance (MR) is the premiere method for molecular structure determination. There is however a long parallel history of MR/MRI for studies of materials and material processes. In this lecture we will explain spatial encoding and contrast in MRI studies of materials, and material processes. Knowledge of the MR signal lifetimes is critical since these lifetimes, often termed relaxation times, control the contrast in MRI studies.

We will illustrate the above ideas through methods developed at UNB to address the challenges of MR/MRI of materials. We will include examples from analysis of shale materials, and water uptake in shales, in addition to MR/MRI of wood materials. We will discuss a new generation MR/MRI measurement based on a cryogen free variable field superconducting magnet that permits one to control susceptibility effects in 1H measurements which also permits facile measurement of 23Na, 31P, 19F, 13C and other nuclei in conjunction with 1H studies. Finally, we will introduce a new generation of low cost MR instrumentation that permits rheology measurement of complex fluids.

Bio:

Dr. Ida Karimfazli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Aerospace Engineering at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an M.Sc. from Stanford University. Her research focuses on complex fluids, with particular emphasis on mixing, flow localization, and transport phenomena in non-Newtonian fluids.

Dr. Karimfazli leads a research team that conducts a wide range of computational and experimental investigations into complex fluid dynamics. The overarching goal of her research program is to reduce the environmental footprint of the energy sector. Much of her work is motivated by the role of complex fluids in developing clean technologies and advancing renewable energy solutions. Her contributions have been disseminated in over 50 publications. Her group’s projects are highly interdisciplinary, drawing on rheology, fluid mechanics, and materials science, and frequently involve both academic and industrial collaborators.