Influences of test method and loading history on permeability of tight reservoir rocks

Abstract

Steady-state and unsteady-state (downstream pressure build-up) gas permeability tests were conducted on low permeability siltstone at a series of upstream pressures during the loading and unloading processes. The characteristics of downstream pressure build-up curves are analysed in detail, and the permeability is calculated based on the data in the stabilization stage. Analysing approaches with and without consideration of the sample pore volume are used to obtain the unsteady-state permeability for both the real pressure and the pseudo pressure. Findings suggest that the permeability based on the pseudo pressure is generally lower than that based on the real pressure, with their ratio ranging from 0.75 to 0.98. The sample pore volume corrected permeability is 1.42–1.51 times of that without the consideration of sample pore volume. The apparent steady-state gas permeability is higher than the sample pore volume corrected permeability due to slip flow, while its intrinsic permeability is lower as the pore pressure is smaller in the steady-state test. The permeabilities decrease with the confining pressure in the loading path especially at lower confinements, while only part of the reductions is recovered during the unloading process. Increase of pore pressure enhances permeability under low confinement conditions. Water permeability is lower than gas permeability in steady-state test due to the water-rock interaction and the residual gas inside the sample.