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Title: Predicting the transport properties of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry

Abstract

We investigate through analysis and experiment how pore geometry, topology, and the physics and chemistry of mineral-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions affect the flow of fluids through consolidated/partially consolidated porous media. Our approach is to measure fluid permeability and electrical conductivity of rock samples using single and multiple fluid phases that can be frozen in place (wetting and nonwetting) over a range of pore pressures. These experiments are analyzed in terms of the microphysics and microchemistry of the processes involved to provide a theoretical basis for the macroscopic constitutive relationships between fluid-flow and geophysical properties that we develop. The purpose of these experiments and their analyses is to advance the understanding of the mechanisms and factors that control fluid transport in porous media. This understanding is important in characterizing porous media properties and heterogeneities before simulating and monitoring the progress of complex flow processes at the field scale in permeable media.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10163772
Report Number(s):
LBL-33830
ON: DE93015224
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098; AC22-89BC14475
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jan 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 02 PETROLEUM; SEDIMENTARY ROCKS; PERMEABILITY; ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY; SANDSTONES; POROSITY; SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; FORECASTING; WETTABILITY; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; FLUID FLOW; POROUS MATERIALS; 580000; 020300; GEOSCIENCES; DRILLING AND PRODUCTION

Citation Formats

Schlueter, E.M. Predicting the transport properties of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry. United States: N. p., 1993. Web. doi:10.2172/10163772.
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Schlueter, E.M. Predicting the transport properties of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry. United States. doi:10.2172/10163772.
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Schlueter, E.M. Fri . "Predicting the transport properties of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry". United States. doi:10.2172/10163772. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10163772.
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@article{osti_10163772,
title = {Predicting the transport properties of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry},
author = {Schlueter, E.M.},
abstractNote = {We investigate through analysis and experiment how pore geometry, topology, and the physics and chemistry of mineral-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions affect the flow of fluids through consolidated/partially consolidated porous media. Our approach is to measure fluid permeability and electrical conductivity of rock samples using single and multiple fluid phases that can be frozen in place (wetting and nonwetting) over a range of pore pressures. These experiments are analyzed in terms of the microphysics and microchemistry of the processes involved to provide a theoretical basis for the macroscopic constitutive relationships between fluid-flow and geophysical properties that we develop. The purpose of these experiments and their analyses is to advance the understanding of the mechanisms and factors that control fluid transport in porous media. This understanding is important in characterizing porous media properties and heterogeneities before simulating and monitoring the progress of complex flow processes at the field scale in permeable media.},
doi = {10.2172/10163772},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}
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Technical Report:
View Technical Report (5.24 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/10163772
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  • The author investigates through analysis and experiment how pore geometry, topology, and the physics and chemistry of mineral-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions affect the flow of fluids through consolidated/partially consolidated porous media. The approach is to measure fluid permeability and electrical conductivity of rock samples using single and multiple fluid phases that can be frozen in place (wetting and nonwetting) over a range of pore pressures. These experiments are analyzed in terms of the microphysics and microchemistry of the processes involved to provide a theoretical basis for the macroscopic constitutive relationships between fluid-flow and geophysical properties that the authors develop. Themore » purpose of these experiments and their analyses is to advance the understanding of the mechanisms and factors that control fluid transport in porous media. This understanding is important in characterizing porous media properties and heterogeneities before simulating and monitoring the progress of complex flow processes at the field scale in permeable media.« less

  • ; ; ; ...
    The determination of hydrologic parameters that characterize fluid flow through rock masses on a large scale (e.g., hydraulic conductivity, capillary pressure, and relative permeability) is crucial to activities such as the planning and control of enhanced oil recovery operations, and the design of nuclear waste repositories. Hydraulic permeability and electrical conductivity of sedimentary rocks are predicted from the microscopic geometry of the pore space. The cross-sectional areas and perimeters of the individual pores are estimated from two-dimensional scanning electron micrographs of rock sections. The hydraulic and electrical conductivities of the individual pores are determined from these geometrical parameters, using Darcy'smore » law and Ohm's law. Account is taken of the fact that the cross-sections are randomly oriented with respect to the channel axes, and for possible variation of cross-sectional area along the length of the pores. The effective medium theory from solid-state physics is then used to determine an effective average conductance of each pore. Finally, the pores are assumed to be arranged on a cubic lattice, which allows the calculation of overall macroscopic values for the permeability and the electrical conductivity. Preliminary results using Berea, Boise, Massilon and Saint-Gilles sandstones show reasonably close agreement between the predicted and measured transport properties. 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.« less

  • Permeability is linked to other properties of porous media such as capillary pressure and relative permeability. In order to understand the relationships, one has to understand how all those properties are conditioned by the connectivity and geometrical properties of the pore space. In this study, we look at a natural porous material which is defined as a two-phase material in which the interconnected pore space constitutes one phase and the solid matrix the other. Laboratory samples are tested using fluid flow experiments to determine the relationship of macroscopic properties such as permeability to rock microstructure. Kozeny-Carman and other equations aremore » developed to further quantify these relationships.« less

  • Understanding transport properties of sedimentary rocks, including permeability, relative permeability, and electrical conductivity, is of great importance for petroleum engineering, waste isolation, environmental restoration, and other applications. These transport properties axe controlled to a great extent by the pore structure. How pore geometry, topology, and the physics and chemistry of mineral-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions affect the flow of fluids through consolidated/partially consolidated porous media are investigated analytically and experimentally. Hydraulic and electrical conductivity of sedimentary rocks are predicted from the microscopic geometry of the pore space. Cross-sectional areas and perimeters of individual pores are estimated from two-dimensional scanning electron microscopemore » (SEM) photomicrographs of rock sections. Results, using Berea, Boise, Massilon, and Saint-Gilles sandstones show close agreement between the predicted and measured permeabilities. Good to fair agreement is found in the case of electrical conductivity. In particular, good agreement is found for a poorly cemented rock such as Saint-Gilles sandstone, whereas the agreement is not very good for well-cemented rocks. The possible reasons for this are investigated. The surface conductance contribution of clay minerals to the overall electrical conductivity is assessed. The effect of partial hydrocarbon saturation on overall rock conductivity, and on the Archie saturation exponent, is discussed. The region of validity of the well-known Kozeny-Carman permeability formulae for consolidated porous media and their relationship to the microscopic spatial variations of channel dimensions are established. It is found that the permeabilities predicted by the Kozeny-Carman equations are valid within a factor of three of the observed values methods.« less

  • This project is aimed at understanding the relationships between electrical and fluid transport properties in sedimentary rock from which we can make better estimates of gas saturation and producibility in low to moderate permeability shaly sandstone formations. The experimental work consists of two parts. Part A is a study of rock conductivity as a function of gas saturation, using x-ray radiography and tomography imaging to determine the saturation. Our emphasis is to understand gas saturation and its gradient vary with the flow history and the wettability of the formation. Part B is a study of streaming potential (STP) and electro-osmoticmore » (ELO) phenomena in shaly sandstone. The objectives are to develop a highly sensitive method to make these measurements and also use them to predict the permeability of the formation, which is a major parameter that governs the producibility in low to moderate permeability gas sands. In this report, we summarize the progress made in the second 18-month period of the contract. Our principal results are: (i) the development of an x-ray system for in-situ saturation measurement during flow; (ii) completion of a two-dimensional experiment that shows how water displaces gas in a water-wet porous medium; and (iii) improving the STP and ELO apparatus and obtaining data to demonstrate how they could be used to predict permeability.« less