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1. Introduction
2. Sources for permeability determination
3. Laboratory determination
4. Factors Affecting Permeability Determination
5. Average Permeability
6. Effective permeability
7. Relative permeability “two & three phases”
8. Laboratory measurement of Relative Permeability
a) Steady state method
b) Capillary End Effect
c) Unsteady state method
h2
(Sand Pack Length) L
•K is a constant of
proportionality
•h1>h2 for downward flow Basic Reservoir Engineering 3
II-3-Permeability
PERMEABILITY
k
K
μ
Basic Reservoir Engineering 4
II-3-Permeability
Review - Derived Units
– This is not the same as area, even though for example, it is m2 in SI units
1” or 1 1/2”
Plug
Slab Taken for
Most Common •Photography
•Description
•Archival
Full Diameter
Heterogeneous
Whole Core
Heterogeneous
Basic Reservoir Engineering 15
II-3-Permeability
WHOLE-CORE METHOD
Require Or
Full-
Careful Suitable
kH Diameter
Selection of kV kV
Plugs or kV
Require Full
Diameter kH Matrix
Only
`4” - 9”
Whole-Core
Analyses Fracture
k and ?
Whole Core
Analysis
Basic Reservoir Engineering 18
(2-3 ft)
II-3-Permeability
WHOLE CORE
Photo by W. Ayers
Basic Reservoir Engineering 19
II-3-Permeability
LAB PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING
PERMEABILITY
• Cut core plugs from whole core or use sample from whole
core
• Clean core and extract reservoir fluids, then dry the core
• Flow a fluid through core at several flow rates
• Record inlet and outlet pressures for each rate
q
A
k
Slope =
0
0 (p1 - p2)
Basic Reservoir L
Engineering 22
II-3-Permeability
ISSUES AFFECTING LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS
OF PERMEABILITY
• Core Handling
• Cleaning
• Drying (Clay Damage)
• Storage (Freezing)
• Sampling
• Naturally-fractured reservoirs
– Core plugs represent matrix permeability
– Total system permeability (matrix + fractures) is higher
Non-Darcy Flow
• Liquid flow and gas flow at high mean flowing pressure is laminar
– Darcy’s Law is valid
– flow velocity at walls is zero
• In the field, gas wells exhibit non-Darcy flow at high flow rates
• At high flow velocity, inertial effects and turbulence become
important, and cause non-Darcy flow
– inertial effect
k A Tsc 1 2
q g,sc
L T p sc
2zμ
p1 p 22
g
• For laboratory flow experiments we can assume T=Tsc and z=1
q g,sc
k
A p12 p 22
μg psc 2L
• For Darcy flow, plotting (qg,sc psc)/A vs. (p12-p22)/(2L) results in straight line.
• line passes through origin [when qg,sc =0, then (p12-p22)=0]
• slope = k/ g
• behavior departs from straight line under turbulent flow conditions (high flow
velocity)
Darcy Non-Darcy
flow flow
q psc
A
k
Slope =
0
0 (p12- p22)
Basic Reservoir2Engineering
L 41
II-3-Permeability
5.Average Permeability
Flow in Layered Systems
q
kA
p1 p2
μL
p(x)
p
A
p2
q L 2
1
0
0 x L
x
kwh
q Δp ; A w h
μL Basic Reservoir Engineering 50
II-3-Permeability
Linear, Parallel Flow
• Substituting,
kwh k1 w h1 k2 w h2 k3 w h3
q Δp Δp Δp Δp
μL μL μL μL
• Rearranging,
k
k i hi
h
• Average permeability reflects flow capacity of all layers
• Rearranging, L
k
Li
k p1
• If k1>k2>k3, then k
p
– Linear pressure profile in each layer p2
0
Basic Reservoir Engineering0 53 L
II-3-Permeability x
Radial Flow, Pressure Profile
q k dp
• Review, Darcy’s Law: vs
– horizontal flow (F=p) A μ ds
q k
dr dp
2π rh μ
rw pw
1 2π kh
q q dr dp
re
r μ pe
q
2π kh
pe p w
rw re
μ ln(re /rw )
q μ ln(re /r)
p(r) p e
2π k h
Basic Reservoir Engineering 55
II-3-Permeability
Radial Flow, Pressure Profile
• Pressure profile is a linear
function of ln(r) for
homogeneous properties
pe
– slope depends on flow rate
p(r)
p
pw
q
0
rw r re
ln(r)
rw re
k
k i hi
h
pw k • Reactive fluids
• Fines migration
0
rw re pe
ln(r)
k1
k
• Stimulation k1>k2 p
– Shown in sketch to the right pw
k A p
q
L
Basic Reservoir Engineering 64
II-3-Permeability
Multiphase Flow in Reservoirs
k w A F w
• Water qw A = flow area
w L Fn = flow potential drop for
phase, n (including pressure,
gravity and capillary pressure
k g A F g terms)
qg
• Gas g L n = fluid viscosity for phase n
L = flow length
Modified from NExT, 1999; Amyx, Bass, and Whiting, 1960; PETE 311 NOTES
Basic Reservoir Engineering 68
II-3-Permeability
Relative Permeability
Relative Permeability is the ratio of the effective permeability of a
fluid at a given saturation to some base permeability
• Base permeability is typically defined as:
– absolute permeability, k
– because definition of base permeability varies, the definition used must always be:
• noted along with tables and figures presenting relative permeability data
ko ( 0.5,0.3)
• Oil k ro( 0.5,0.3)
k So =0.5
Sw =0.3
k w( 0.5,0.3) Sg = 0.2
• Water k rw( 0.5, 0.3) k
k g ( 0.5,0.3)
k rg ( 0.5, 0.3)
• Gas k
Modified from Amyx, Bass, and Whiting, 1960
Basic Reservoir Engineering 70
II-3-Permeability
Relative Permeability Functions
Imbibition Relative Permeability
(Water Wet Case)
1.00
kro @ Swi • Wettability and direction of
Relative Permeability (fraction)
1.0 1.0
Relative Permeability, Fraction
0.6 0.6
0.2 0.2
Water
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Water Saturation (% PV) Water Saturation (% PV)
• Fluid saturations
• Geometry of the pore spaces and pore size
distribution
• Wettability
• Fluid saturation history (i.e., imbibition or
drainage)
Basic Reservoir Engineering 73
II-3-Permeability After Standing, 1975
Characteristics of Relative Permeability Functions
• Reservoir simulation
• Flow calculations that involve multi-
phase flow in reservoirs
• Estimation of residual oil (and/or
gas) saturation
• Stones Method II
– An accepted industry standard
– krg obtained from gas/oil two phase curve as function of Sg
– krw obtained from oil/water two phase curve as function of Sw
– kro for three phase flow obtained from both two phase curves as
function of Sg and Sw
Dependent upon:
Non-wetting
100 Wetting phase
Relative Permeability, % phase
80
40
20
Irreducible wetting Residual non-wetting
phase saturation phase saturation
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
k w A F w
• Water qw A = flow area
w L Fn = flow potential drop for
phase, n (including pressure,
gravity and capillary pressure
k g A F g terms)
qg
• Gas g L n = fluid viscosity for phase n
L = flow length
Gas Gas
outlet inlet
Po
Pg Pc
Core
Oil inlet
To Porcelain
atmosphere plate
Oil burette
Basic Reservoir Engineering 97
II-3-Permeability
PENN STATE METHOD FOR MEASURING STEADY-STATE
RELATIVE PERMEABILITY
xxxx
xxxx
End Test Mixing xxxx
xxxx
xxxx
section section section xxxx
Differential
pressure taps
Outlet Bronze Highly permeable Inlet
Basic Reservoir Engineering
screen 98
II-3-Permeability disk
HAFFORD’S METHOD FOR MEASURING STEADY-STATE
RELATIVE PERMEABILITY
Gas
Gas
pressure
Porous end plate gauge
Oil
pressure