2.

4 Permeability of reservoir rock

1 Darcys law and absolute permeability of rock Darcy s 2 The unit of permeability 3 The conditions of measuring absolute permeability 4 Applicable condition of Darcy's law 5 G Permeability and Effect of Gas Slippage Gas P bilit d Eff t f G Sli on Permeability 6 Graduation of formation in permeability

2.4 Permeability of reservoir rock

7 Factors affecting the magnitude of g g permeability 8 Determination of permeability 9 Flow Systems of Simple Geometry 10 Average permeability of combination layers 11 The relationship of permeability and other property of rock p p y

1 Darcys law and absolute permeabilit of Darcy s rock

In 1856, Darcy investigated the flow of water through sand filters . t th h d filt His e perimental apparat s is sho n experimental apparatus shown in Fig Darcy interpreted his observations so as t yield results essentially as given in to i ld lt ti ll i i equation.

Q h1 h 2 = K A L
sand filter upstream pressure outlet pressure

KA(P1 P2 ) Q= L
experimental apparatus
constant absolute permeability of rock

Definition of permeability p y

Permeability is the ability of fluids to pass through a porous material material. The unit of permeability is the Darcy
1 cm s 1(cP ) 1 Darcy = 1 cm 2 1(atm cm
3

1 Darcy = 0.987 x 10-8 cm2

Here, H Q represents the rate of flow through the cylindrical sand pack of cross-sectional area A and length L.

P is pressures drop across the cylindrical p p y

sand pack .

iis viscosity of the fluid i it f th fl id

K, K a constant of proportionality, is found to be proportionality characteristic of the sand pack.

2 The unit of permeability

Darcy y L A P Q K cm cm2 atm cp cm3/s darcy

CGS cm cm2 dyn/cm2 p cm3/s cm2

PERM ft ft2 psia cp bbl/day perm

SI cm cm2 MPa mpa.s cm3/s m2

Physical significance of one Darcy

One Darcy is defined as the permeability that will permit a fluid of 1 centipoise (cp)viscosity to flowat a rate of 1 cm3/s through a cross sectional area of 1 cm2 when the pressure gradient is 1 atm/cm. 1 Darcy (d)=1000 millidarcy (md)

3 The conditions of measuring absolute permeability

The porous medium must be 100 per cent p p saturated with the flowing fluid. No interaction between the fluid and the p porous media Laminar flow (. (

EXAMPLE 4 If the length of a core sample is 3cm ,and the cross-section area is 2cm2. U d a pressure ti i 2 Under difference of 2atm, the core sample will be permit a fluid of 1 cp (centipoise ) viscosity to g flow at a rate of 0.5cm3/s through. Calculate permeability of core sample . SOLUTION: SOLUTION

Q L 0 5 1 3 0.5 K= = = 0.375 D) ( A P 2 2

Ror the same core if the core sample will core, be permit a fluid of 3 cp (centipoise ) viscosity y to flow at a rate of 0.167cm3/s through, Under the U d th same pressure difference. diff Calculate permeability of core sample .

QL 0.16733 K= = = 0 375(D) 0.375( AP 2 2

Characteristic of absolute permeability:

The permeability is a property of rock alone,dependent on the porous media size and distribution f th di t ib ti of throat) only, not on the fluid t) l t th fl id used.

4 Applicable condition of Darcy's law Darcy s

1) Mid-high permeability

3.5u 3 2 vc = K
2) Low permeability
Fig.1 relations between velocity and

pressure gradient

5 Gas Permeability and Effect of Gas Slippage on Permeability

1). 1) Calculation of gas permeability

QuL K = A P
Fig.2 Pressure distribution in core of linear flow

2 P0Q0uL 2 P0Q0uL K= = 2 2 A( P + P2 )( P P2 ) A( P P2 ) 1 1 1

2). Klinkenberg Effect

Klinkenberg Effect(Effect of Gas Slippage ) g pp g expressed that the flow rate of gas at solid surface of pore is not zero.

The reason of why gas permeability

is greater than liquid Permeability

It has been found that gas permeabilities sometimes vary with the pressure of gas, and that gas permeability is greater than liquid Permeability The variation is due to Permeability. the effect of gas slippage that occurs in capillary tubes. p y

3). Effect of gas slippage on Permeability Measurements

1000 0. 001um2 800 600 400 200 0 0 2 4 6 1/p,1/MP 1/ 1/MP 8 10

1 2 3

co2

the reciprocal of the mean pressure f

 F each gas a straight li i obtained f th For h t i ht line is bt i d for the observed permeability as a function of the reciprocal () of the mean pressure of the test. f th f th t t The date obtained with the lowest-molecular-weight lowest molecular weight gas yield the straight line with the greatest slope ,indicative indicative of a greater slippage effect effect. All the lines when e apo a ed to infinite mean e es e extrapolated o e ea 1 = 0 ) intercept the permeability axis pressure ( p at a common point. p This point is designated kL or the equivalent liquid permeability. bilit

The linear relationship between the observed permeability and th reciprocal of mean pressure bilit d the i l f may be expressed as follows:

Kg = K (1+ b / p ) g (
k k = absolute of Klinkenberg effect corrected permeability, b=constant for a given gas in a given medium Kg=measured permeability using th D K d bilit i the Darcy equation ti for gas flow.

p = mean flowing pressure of the gas

Kg

b Kg = K (1 + ) p

P
4C P b= r

1 2 2 d n

 Graduation of formation in permeability

grade
permeability

evaluation

um
>1 10.1 0.10.01 0 1 0 01 0.010.001 < 0.001 0 001

103 um2
>1000 1000100 10010 100 10 101 <1 Very good good middle fair Non-permeable

7 Factors affecting the magnitude of permeability

(a) Shape and size of sand grains (b) Grain packing and Cementation (c) Fracturing and solution (d) P Pore Si and Connectivity Size d C ti it (e) Compaction

8 Determination of permeability
1) The experimental laboratory determinations A . determinations on small samples of extracted media

Apparatus for measuring of permeability with liquid

2Q 0 P0 uL K = 2 2 A ( P1 P2 )

Apparatus for measuring of permeability with gas

BuL 3 K= 10 TA

Vertical pipe flow meter method

B . determinations on full diameter core full-diameter samples

2calculating permeability by pore radius and porosity

r K = 8

2 2

tortuosity of the porous medium

3) Estimating permeability by log date

C K = b S wi

Here: a b c are constants characteristics a.b.c constants, of the fluid and the porous medium

9 Flow Systems of Simple Geometry y p y

Horizontal Flow.
Horizontal rectilinear(steady-state flow is common to virtually all measurements of permeability. permeability

kA( P1 P2 ) Q= L

Radial Flow. Flow

A radial-flow system, analogous to flow into a wellbore , is idealized in Fig. Fig

2 kh( Pe Pw ) Q= ln re / rw
re the radius at which Pe is measured rw the radius at which Pw is measured.

10 Average permeability of combination layers

1). Consider the case where the flow system is ) y comprised of layers of porous rock separated from each other by infinitely thin impermeable y y p barriers as shown in Fig. Parallel combination Linear flow

k =

j =1 n

k jh h
j

j =1

Radial flow Q t = Q 1+ Q 2 + Q 3 ht = h1 + h2 + h3

k =

j =1 n

k jh h
j

j =1

2) Another p ) possible combination for flow systems is to have the beds of different permeability to be arranged in series as shown in Fig. series combination
Linear flow P1- P2 = P1+P2+P3 Qt = Q1= Q2 = Q3

k =

L
j =1

/kj

Radial flow

P1P1 P2 = P1 P2 P3 P1+P2+P3 Qt = Q1= Q2 = Q3

K 2 h(P Pw ) e Q= u ln Re Rw
Re ln Rw K = Ri 1 Radial flow- series combination ln Ki Ri1

11 The relationship of permeability and other property of rock 1)Bundle of capillary tubes pack

Fig. parallel bundle of capillary tubes pack

Consider a system comprised of a bundle of capillary tubes of the same radius and length; The equation for flow of fluids in circular conduits: q Poiseuille s Poiseuilles equation 4 0 1 2

q=

r (P P )
8 uL

fluid viscosity, mPa.s y,

qthe volume rate of flow, cm3/ th l t f fl /s

(P1-P2)pressure loss over length L, ro radius of capillary t b , cm, di f ill tube

2)The relationship of permeability and pore radius If the fluid-conducting channels in a porous medium could be represented by a bundle of parallel capillary tubes of same diameters, then the flow rate through this system is: 4

nA r P Q= 8uL

nnumber of capillary tubes per unit crosssectional area

rradius of capillary tube

A total cross-sectional area

From Darcys law it is also known that :

K A P Q = uL
'

Equating Darcys and Poiseuilles equation:

Q = Q

'
4 4

KA P nA r P n r K = = uL 8uL 8

(1)

By definition, the porosity is definition

VP nA r L 2 = = = n r Vb AL
2

(2)

Therefore:

K=

r
8

r =

8K 8K

(3)

3)The relationship of permeability and specific surface f surface area S is the total area exposed within the pore space per unit of bulk volume .

A L 2 a nA2 rL 2 2 S= = = 2n r = n r = Vb AL r r
S = 2 S 8K
2

4 = = 8K 2K
2 3

Let Sp be the internal surface area per unit of pore volume ,Ss be the total area exposed within the pore space per unit of grain volume

a = VP

S = S P = (1 ) S S
a S SS = = Vb (1 ) 1

Gaocaini-Equation

K=

3 3

2S
3

2S
2 P

2 S

2S (1 )
3

LLL 2

K= 2 = 2 = 2 2 S S S (1 ) S P

EXAMPLE 1 A core sample from a uniform sandstone formation has a permeability of 480 10-3 m2 and a porosity of 0.17 Estimate: (a) The average pore throat radius of the core. (b) Specific surface areas Sp and Ss.

problem
1. 1 What is permeability of rock? What are the conditions that should be met when measuring absolute permeability of rock? 2.What 2 What phenomenon will appear when using gas to measure permeability of reservoir rock? How does it influence the result of measurement? 3. 3