Predicting the permeability of sedimentary rocks from microstructure

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/70737· OSTI ID:70737

Schlueter, E M

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 are developed to further quantify these relationships.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098; AC22-89BC14475
• OSTI ID: 70737
• Report Number(s): LBL--36903; ON: DE95012757
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
58 GEOSCIENCES
FLUID FLOW
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROSTRUCTURE
PERMEABILITY
POROUS MATERIALS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS