A Novel Approach for Determining Permeability in Porous Media

Aminu Md Ardo Bu

doi:10.4172/2157-7463.1000226

Abstract

Permeability can be grouped into three different types; absolute permeability, relative permeability, and effective permeability. Rocks have different permeability properties; some rocks permit the flow of fluids through its pores effectively, others only do so nominally. The permeability of rocks equally relates to the rock’s capacity to allow the flow of petroleum, water and gas through it. Unlike porosity, which is a function of the volume of voids over the total volume of rock fabric (usually expressed in percentage), permeability concentrates only in the simplicity that petroleum encounters as it flows between interconnected rock pores. In real life scenarios however, because of the multiphase flow (that is because not only one fluid would flow between the interconnected rock pores), different types of permeability can be encountered such as absolute permeability, relative permeability and effective permeability. In part A of this paper, absolute permeability is what is in study because it is the permeability that is dependent on reservoir rock, not taking into cognizance, the compressibility of fluid (liquid) that flows through the rock. Effective permeability is a measure of the ability of rock particle distribution and its function to allow the flow of petroleum due to different shapes that makes the rock fabric material. Finally, relative permeability describes the percentage of fluids flowing in a competitive multiple phase flow as compared to the flow of the same fluid at 100 percent saturation.

Highlights

The main objective of this experiment is to determine the absolute permeability of sand as a porous media
For this reason relative permeability (Kr) is the new quantity that has to be taken in consideration due to microscopic interactions between the liquids, where local fluctuations could be caused in the pressure gradient across the sample
Permeability of the rock in this case could be affected by different factors, where some of these factors listed below are the ones which more affect the permeability of a porous media: 1. Particle size distribution

Summary

Introduction

The main objective of this experiment is to determine the absolute permeability of sand as a porous media. In the real life scenario it’s slightly different because the flow is normally in multiphase flow instead of single phase because the engineers have to account for others fluids to be present in the porous media, e.g. water and oil flowing at the same time through porous rock For this reason relative permeability (Kr) is the new quantity that has to be taken in consideration due to microscopic interactions between the liquids, where local fluctuations could be caused in the pressure gradient across the sample. Permeability of the rock (sand) in this case could be affected by different factors, where some of these factors listed below are the ones which more affect the permeability of a porous media:

Temperature

Part A

Findings

Conclusion