KOYA UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
SCHOOL OF PETROLEUM AND
CHEMICAL
RESERVIOR LAB

NAME OF EXPEREMENT:
Porosity by Saturating Method
NAME OF STUDENT:
Kamal Abdurahman

Group: B

SUPERVISED BY: Mr.Ali Kamal

Aim of Experiment:

In this test we will try to determine the porosity by using the

saturation method.

Introduction
Knowledge of the physical properties of the rock and

interaction between hydrocarbon system and the

formation rock is crucial in understanding and evaluating

the performance of a given reservoir,

porosity could be measured from the saturation method

Theory
For any porous material (for instance cores or cuttings), porosity
is defined by:
.3-1

Where the Vs is volume of solid, Vt the total (or bulk) volume and

Vp the pore volume. Porosity can be

calculated using any combination of two of

these three parameters: Volume of solid, Volume of pores,

Bulk volume.

Volume of solid

Gas expansion pycnometer

We will come on this method later in the next section.

Bulk volume

1- Geometrical volume

For cylindrical cores, the total volume is generally obtained by

measuring the diameter and the length of the cylindrical sample.

This method is not applicable for pieces of cores of irregular

shape.
2- Mercury pycnometer

Mercury is a non-wetting fluid with respect to air for all the rocks.

Consequently, mercury does not enter in a sample filled by air if

no pressure is applied. The mercury pycnometer method consists

in measuring the volume of mercury without and with the core

immersed.

Due to safety reasons, this method is no longer used in most of

laboratories.

3- Powder pycnometer

The principle is the same as for mercury but mercury is replaced

by a fine powder. A commercial apparatus is the Geopyc from

Micromeritics. The powder is first packed in a piston using a

controlled vibration and force. The position of the piston is

measured with high accuracy (Figure 3-2). Then, the sample is

introduced in the cell, keeping the same volume of powder. The

powder is packed again under the same vibrating process and the

volume of the sample is derived from the difference in position of

the piston, knowing the section of the cell.

 Figure (3-2)

Pore volume

There are mainly more than one method and techniques to

determine the pore volume of cores here we will go through the

most popular one which is:

Saturation method Using

Manual saturating Method

It is defined as the ratio of the volume of fluid phase (oil, water

and gas) in a given core sample to the pore volume (porosity) of

the sample. The pore volume is derived from the mass of the

sample saturated with brine and after drying.

Objective

The objective of this test is to determine the bulk volume, grain

volume, pore volume and effective porosity of interconnected

pores of a core sample with the use of liquid saturation method,

(Figure 3-3).
 Principle
A fluid of known density will drive into dry vacuumed sample, and

the difference between saturated and dry sample can give us the

pore volume invated.

 Apparatus of

experiment
Main Components

The manual saturator permits to perform a sequence of vacuum

and saturation cycles on plug size samples. The standard

apparatus includes a plug sized core cell, a vacuum pump, hand

operated pressure pump (2,000 psi output), a saturant vacuum

tank and necessary hand operated valves and plumbing. A larger

capacity cell to accommodate full size core samples is also

available.

Equipment and sample requirements

1- Caliper

2- Stopwatch

3- Vacuum pump

4- Brine

5- Core saturator

6- Analytical balance
7- Core sample

Procedure
1- Record the temperature in the laboratory.

2- Measure each dimension three times to take the average

dimensions of the core samples and record.

3- Measure the weight of the dry core sample.

4- Wait till the weight reading will stabilize, and record.

5- Put the core plug in the core cell chamber sample.

6- Turn on valve No.1 between the vacuum pump and core sample

container.

7- Close the valve No.2 between the core sample container and

the brine reservoir.

8- Turn on the vacuum pump.

9- When the vacuum pressure will be stable, wait for 2 minute

and then turn off vacuum pump.

10- Open valve No.2 to allow brine to flow to the core sample

container.
11- Once the liquid level in the saturant vacuum tank takes it is

stabile level, then turn off valve No.2. and vacuum pump.

12- Start to pressurize the core chamber cell manually and slowly

up to 2000 psi.

13- Monitor and keep the pressure on 2000psi till it will stabilize

on this value.

14- Waite for 5 minute.

15- Open valve. No.2 and wait for the pressure gauge to go back

to Zero pressure reading.

16- Gently take out the core sample and wipe out the liquid on

the sample surface by rolling it on a piece of paper.

17- Measure and record the weight of the saturated core sample.

18- Measure the difference and find the pore volume and Porosity.
 Discussion
Q: Discuss what type of porosity you found and why?

Effective porosity measured on core samples which are dried in a

humidity oven so that clays retain one or two molecular layers of

bound waterhowever, this CBW tends to a minimum and is

likely not reservoir representative.

Q: Why we take the core plugging?

-We take the core plug to determined the physical

properties of the rock like (porosity ,permeability
,saturation ,capillary pressure ,surface & interfacial
tension &..so on).

Q: What are the objectives porosity?

-To measure the volume of oil in place &gas in place,and

many other objectives.

 Result of Experiment
Report the porosity value or the sample to the nearest 0.1%.
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