Scaling of Transport Properties of Reservoir Material at Low Saturations of a Wetting Phase

Abstract

AbstractTransport properties of natural porous media have been observed to obey scaling laws in the wetting phase saturation. Previous work relates power-law behavior at low wetting phase saturations, i.e., at high capillary pressures, to the thin-film physics of the wetting phase and the fractal character of the pore space of porous media. Here, we present recent combined porousplate capillary pressure and electrical conductivity data of Berea sandstone at low saturations that lend support to the scaling laws. Power law is interpreted in terms of the exponent m in the relation of surface forces and film thickness and the fractal dimension D of the interface between pore space and solid matrix. Simple determination of D from capillary pressure and m from electrical conductivity data can be used to rapidly determine wetting phase relative permeability and capillary dispersion coefficient at low wetting phase saturations.