Rate-Controlled Mercury Injection Experiments to Characterize Pore Space Geometry of Berea Sandstone

Abstract

Interpretation of the relationship between heterogeneity and the flow in porous media is very important in increasing the recovery factor for an oil or gas reservoir. Capillarity for instance, controls fluids static distribution in a reservoir prior to production and remaining hydrocarbons after production commences. Therefore, capillary pressure data are used by petroleum engineers, geologists, and petrophysicists to evaluate production characteristics of petroleum accumulations. Conventional pressure-controlled mercury porosimetry produces an overall capillary pressure curve and pore throat size distribution data that provide little information about the porous medium structure and pore geometry. The present study provides information on three capillary pressure curves obtained from rate-controlled mercury injection porosimetry; one describes the larger pore spaces or pore bodies of a rock, another describes the smaller pores or pore throats that connect the larger pores, and a final curve which corresponds to the overall capillary pressure curve obtained from the conventional pressure-controlled mercury injection. An experimental constant-rate mercury injection apparatus was constructed that consists of a piston displacement pump, a computer controlled stepper motor drive and a core sample cell designed to minimize dead volume. The apparatus was placed in a glass chamber and subjected to an air bath to maintain a constant temperature of 27o C throughout the experiments. Then constant rate mercury injection experiments were performed on three Berea Sandstone core plugs. Results show that volume-controlled or rate-controlled porosimetry provides considerably more detailed data and information on heterogeneity and the statistical nature of pore space structure than the conventional pressure-controlled porosimetry as pressure fluctuations with time reveal menisci locations in pore bodies and pore throats. Moreover, pore size distributions based on volume-accessed pores and pore radii were obtained from the pressure versus saturation relationship.