Porosity

Porosity

By referring to the class notes you should be able to perform

the following tasks
- Calculate effective porosity using data from the
gravimetric method
- List and describe the common techniques for
estimating porosity from well logs

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Examples of geologic processes include faulting and uplifting.

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In the geology section, we will show core photographs with

examples of porosity. For now, it is useful to note these
effects:
Porosity increases as angularity of particles increases.
Previous slides on particle packing show how porosity can be
affected by packing.
Porosity increases as the range of particle size decreases. In
contrast, porosity decreases as the volume of interstitial and
cementing material increases.
Porosity decreases as the compaction increases (greater
depth generally means higher overburden stresses, higher
compaction forces, and lower porosity)
Vugs and fractures will contribute to porosity, but to
understand their affect on effective porosity requires careful
study of cores and special logging measurements.

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Porosity

Samples of the rock are obtained from drill cuttings or by coring.

The drill cuttings are usually irregularly shaped, which limits our
ability to use them.
Core samples are either obtained using the drilling rig with a
special coring bit and barrel (whole core) or using a logging tool
(side-wall coring). Whole cores are often 4 to 5 inches in
diameter and are usually obtained in 30 or 60-foot segments.
They are generally preferred for technical evaluation but they
are also more expensive. Side-wall cores can be obtained by
making an additional logging run with a special logging device.
A geologist usually studies the initial logs and picks intervals
where he thinks that he needs a formation sample. Side-wall
cores are of less use to the engineer because they are often
irregularly shaped and partially damaged from the side-wall
coring process.
Open-hole porosity measurement logs (density, neutron, and

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sonic) are routinely used to estimate formation porosity.

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Similar to the Displacement method, Liquid must not enter

the pore space for the method to give accurate results.
The Archimedes method can be used to measure bulk,
matrix, and pore volumes. Method follows Archimedes
Principle: A body wholly or partly immersed in a fluid is
buoyed up with a force equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced by the body.

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A core sample coated with paraffin immersed in a container of

liquid displaced 10.9 cm3 of the liquid. The weight of the dry
core sample was 20.0 g, while the weight of the dry sample
coated with paraffin was 20.9 g. Assume the density of the
solid paraffin is 0.9 g/cm3.
Calculate the bulk volume of the sample.

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Weight of paraffin coating, Wparaffin

Volume of paraffin coating =

= Weight of dry core sample

coated with paraffin Weight of dry core sample
= 20.9 g = 20.0 g = 0.9 g

W paraffin
paraffin

0 .9 g
0 . 9 g / cm

1 . 0 cm

Bulk volume of core sample + bulk volume of paraffin = 10.9 cm3

Bulk volume of core sample

= (Bulk volume of core

coated with paraffin)
(volume of paraffin)
= 10.9 cm3 1.0 cm3 = 9.9 cm3

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Volumetric - submerge particles into a liquid and observe

change in liquid volume.
Archimedes (gravimetric) - measure change in weight of
particles submerged in liquid.

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This method assumes that the core becomes saturated

with the gas. Incomplete saturation would lead to an
overestimate of the matrix volume.

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The core sample from Example 1 was stripped of the paraffin

coat, crushed to grain size, and immersed in a container with
liquid. The volume of liquid displaced by the grains was 7.7
cm3.
Calculate the matrix volume and the core porosity. Is this
effective porosity or total porosity?

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Bulk Volume, Vb = 9.9 cm3

Matrix Volume, Vma = 7.7 cm3

Porosity, V b V ma 9 . 9 7 . 7 0 . 22 or 22 %
Vb

It is total porosity.

9 .9

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This method is more difficult to apply to core samples that

require a jacket or rubber sleeve such as an unconsolidated
sandstone. The jacket creates experimental problems,
reducing its accuracy.
This method cannot be used for determining porosity under
confining stress, whereas the gas expansion (Boyles law)
method can be conducted at multiple values of confining
stress.

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The gas expansion method (Boyles law method) is probably

the preferred method for measurement of core porosity,
except for samples that are not perfect right cylinders or ones
with large surface vugs or chips. The method is preferable
for poorly consolidated samples that require a rubber sleeve
or jacket.
One advantage of the method is that it is accurate and
reasonably fast. Another important feature is that the
measurement can be made at confining pressures
approximating reservoir stress conditions.

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Method

Advantages

Disadvantages

Gas Expansion

Sample can be irregular

or performed at confining
stress. Method of choice

Overestimate pore
volume on irregular
plugs. Long equilibrium
times for low perm
material

Archimedes

Suitable for irregular

sample

Requires good
saturation of sample

Mercury Injection

Suitable for small and

irregular samples

Destructive method

Caliper

Easy, rapid

Overestimates bulk
volume. Only suitable
for regular plugs

Summation of Fluids

Directly measures oil,

gas, and water volumes

Requires separate pieces

of core material. Water
of hydration can be
removed during
distillation.

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Using the gravimetric method with the following data, calculate

the pore and bulk volumes and the porosity. Is this porosity
total or effective?
Dry weight of sample, Wdry = 427.3 g
Weight of sample saturated with water, Wsat = 448.6 g
Density of water, f = 1.0 g/cm3

Weight of saturated sample immersed in water, Wsat,I = 269.6 g

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Vp

W sat W dry

Vb

Vb

21 . 3 cm

1 .0

W sat W sat

Vp

448 . 6 427 . 3

21 . 3

,i

448 . 6 269 . 6

179 . 0 cm

1 .0

0 . 119 or 11 . 9 %

179 . 0

It is effective porosity.

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Determining formation porosity using open-hole porosity

logging tools is the most common method of determining
porosity for several reasons:
Coring is often more expensive than logging and may
be riskier in terms of sticking the tool in the hole.
Coring may not be practical in soft unconsolidated
formations or in formations with a high degree of
secondary porosity such as vugs or natural fractures.
When porosity measurements are considered very important,
both coring and logging programs are generally conducted.
When both measurements are available, the log-based
porosity calculations are usually calibrated to the core-based
porosity measurements.

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Porosity logs are run during open-hole logging. They are

discussed in more detail in the Formation Evaluation section
of this course.

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