Reservoir Engineering Lab.

ROCK PERMEABILITY
All rock properties discussed previously facilitate estimation of the quantity of various fluids
within a reservoir. They do not provide, however, any information on the rate at which such fluids
could flow through the reservoir rock, which is another basic requirement for reservoir
engineering calculations. Such information is provided by rock permeability.

Definition
Permeability is defined as the ability of a porous medium, e.g., sedimentary rock, to conduct
fluids. The larger the permeability, the more fluid flow can be achieved through the medium for
a given set of conditions. The earliest attempt at quantifying permeability was the work of Henry
Darcy in 1856. Conducting many experiments on beds of packed sand and using different liquids,
Darcy observed the following relationships:
q ∝ ΔP
q∝ A
q ∝ 1/ L
Where:
q: volumetric flow rate of the fluid through the medium, cm3/s
ΔP: difference in pressure between inlet and outlet of medium, atm
A: cross-sectional area of medium that is open to flow, cm2
L: length of medium, cm
Combining the three relationships, the following equation was obtained:
𝑐 𝐴 ∆𝑝
𝑞=
L
The proportionality constant, c, was found to be inversely proportional to the viscosity of the
fluid used. Therefore, it was replaced with k / μ and the equation became:
k 𝐴 ∆𝑝
𝑞=
μL
The new constant, k, was found to be the same for a given porous medium regardless of its
dimensions, the type of fluid used or the pressure drop applied. It was an inherent property of
the medium that controlled its ability to conduct fluids. Darcy termed this property the coefficient
of permeability, which was later called simply the permeability, and the equation became known
as Darcy’s law. It should be noted that implicit in the definition of permeability is the requirement
that the fluid saturates the porous medium completely.

Air and liquid permeability:

At high pressure, gas molecules become close to each other and the mean free path of the gas
approaches the diameter of pores. In this case the phenomenon of gas slippage occurs and the
permeability to the gas is reduced. At very high pressures, the gas permeability Kg approaches
that of liquid permeability KL. According to klinkenberg:

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Kg = KL ( 1+ b/ Pm)
Where, Pm is the mean pressure [(P1+P2)/2]. It is clear that plots of Kg vs. 1/Pm gives a straight
line with slope b and intercepts KL Figure (1). This phenomenon of gas permeability dependence
on mean pressure is known as the "klinkenberg effect".

Fig. 1: Variation in gas permeability with mean pressure and type of gas.

Measurement of permeability
Permeability is almost always determined experimentally, and only if no laboratory data is
available we resort to empirical correlations. Laboratory measurement is performed under
steady-state conditions using a permeameter.

Permeability measurement by using air:

Gas Permeameter
Figure 2 is a picture of a gas permeameter (Ruska Permeameter) composed of a pressure gauge
(center), gas rotometers (tubes to your left), pressure regulator (down to your right), and a core
holder (down center). The instructions to use this device can be outline as follows:
1- Mount a clean, dry core in a rubber sleeve (early models use brass cylinders and the
core is fitted using sealing wax) of the appropriate size so the core and sleeve
completely fill the core holder.
2- Place the core and sleeve in the core holder and tighten it securely into place.
3- Turn the flow tube selector valve to a large setting.

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4- Apply an upstream pressure of 0.25 atm to the system by adjusting the regulator. Tap
the pressure gauge lightly during adjustment to stabilize the needle.
5- The preferred range on the flow tube is between 20 and 140 divisions. If it remains
below 20, the selector valve should be slowly turned to the medium setting.
6- Record barometric pressure (mmHg, corrected for temperature and latitude), pressure
(atm), gas temperature (oC) and flow rate tube reading (cm).
7- Repeat steps 3 through 6 for pressures of 0.5, 0.75, 1.00 atm.
8- Measure the core plug diameter and length in cm.
9- The flow rate in centimeters given by the permeameter at different pressures must be
converted into cc/s using special figures (figure 3 for pressure of 1.0).
10- The gas viscosity is given in Figure 6 for air and N2 at the measurement temperature.
11- Calculate the gas permeability of each reading using Equation:
Qm μ L
𝐾=
A ∆P
and find the liquid permeability using the Klinkenberg correction procedure.
12- Measure gas permeability at 0.25, 0.5, and 1.00 atm.
13- Find the liquid permeability of the sample correcting by Klinkenberg effect.

Fig. 2: Gas Permeameter (Ruska Permeameter Operating Manual)

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Fig. 3: Gas Flow Rate at 1.00 atm (Ruska Permeameter Operating Manual)

The constant head permeameter ( Hassler type core holder)

It is used to measure the air or gas permeability.

Procedure:
The measured air permeability is influenced by the mean pressure Pm of the core. A cylindrical
core (plug) is usually used. The dimensions of the core (diameter and length) are measured by a
sliding vernier. The core is placed in a rubber sleeve and inserted in the core holder of the

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permeameter Figure (4). Air is passed through the core and the pressure is measured by pressure
gauges at the inlet and outlet faces of the core (usually the pressure is atmospheric at the outlet).
The flow rate is measured by a suitable device (rotometer or wet test meter). Different flow rates
are usually used and the corresponding pressure drop is recorded. If gas is used, the flow rate is
calculated at the mean pressure using ideal gas law. Air viscosity as a function of temperature is
shown in Figure (5).
Four measurements of air permeability will be taken at different pressures. It is important to
keep the ∆P constant, because the air flow at the core sample must be laminar. It is best to have
relative little pressure difference, ∆P. To avoid turbulent flow, use a maximal ∆P = 0.2 bar.

Results and Calculation:

1. Calculate air permeability from equation:
Qm μ L
𝐾=
A ∆P
Qm Pm = Q1 P1 = Q2 P2
Pm = (P1 +P2)/2
Where: Where, P is the pressure at which the flow rate Q is measured.
2. Plot k versus 1/Pm and calculate kL.
3. Calculate Klinkenberg constant b.

Fig. 4: Hassler type core holder

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Fig. 5: Gas viscosity as a function of temperature.

Permeability measurement by using liquid

Permeability is measured by passing a fluid of known viscosity through a core sample of
measured dimensions and then measuring flow rate and pressure drop. Various techniques are
used for permeability measurements of cores, depending on sample dimensions and shape,
degree of consolidation, type of fluid used, ranges of confining and fluid pressure applied, and
range of permeability of the core.

Ruska liquid permeameter

Apparatus:
The apparatus used is illustrated in figure (1).
Procedure:
1. Weight a dry plug Wdry, measure its diameter D and length L, with caliper. Saturate the core
with 36 g/l NaCl brine and weigh the plug, Wsat.
2. Mount the core in core holder.
3. Measure three flow rates under three driving pressures: 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, or 1.2 bar. Each
measurement collects water production Vw, in ∆T = 60 seconds.

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4. Plot a line through the three ∆P-Vw data in a grid paper. Calculate the absolute permeability
kab.

Figure (1): Liquid Permeameter

Calculations and report:

Core No.:
D: cm
L: cm
Wdry: gm
Wsat: gm.

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Absolute Permeability Measurement of Water

Description:
The objective of this experiment is to measure the absolute permeability of water using a method
based on the Darcy theory, such as the one shown in Fig. 6. The clean and dry core sample is
mounted in the core holder and then placed under a suitable confining pressure to simulate
reservoir overburden conditions. The sample is then placed under vacuum for a sufficient period
of time to remove all air from the sample. The fluid – usually brine or oil is then flowed through
the sample until steady-state flow is established; such state is characterized by equal fluid
injection and production rates. The flow rate and the inlet pressure are then recorded. Such data
is sufficient to compute the permeability according to Darcy equation, however, the test is usually
repeated at different sets of flow rate and inlet pressure and the data is plotted as shown in Fig.
7. The slope of the straight line is the core sample’s permeability multiplied by A/ μL.

Fig. 6: Measurement of permeability

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Fig. 7: Computation of permeability

Several precautions must be observed with this method. First, if the sample is sandstone that
contains shale (clay particles), distilled water must not be used. Second, the flow rate must be
reasonably low, as Darcy’s law does not apply at excessive rates. Third, the inlet pressure should
not be close to the confining pressure, as the fluid may bypass the sample and flow along the
inner wall of the rubber sleeve. Finally, when gas is used, the mean gas pressure – average of
inlet and outlet pressures – and the mean gas flow rate – rate measured at mean pressure –
should be plotted instead.

Example
Compute the permeability of the core sample whose flow data is shown in Fig. 7 if the sample is
5 cm in diameter and 10 cm long. The fluid used in the experiment is oil with a viscosity of 1.6 cp.
The cross-sectional area of the sample is
A = π(5)2/4 = 19.63 cm2
The slope of the best-fit line, m, is 6.25 cm3/min/atm, or 0.1 cm3/s/atm. The core permeability
is:
k=mμL/A
= 0.1 x 1.6 x 10 / 19.63
= 0.0815 d = 81.5 md

Example: a hydrocarbon fluid is used to measure the permeability of a core sample under the
following test conditions. Compute K.

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µ = 0.895 cp at 25°C. V = 10 cm3 t = 30 s

L = 1.90 cm A = 2.83 cm2 p = 2.0atm.

Solution:
VμL
𝐾=
t A ∆p
k = (10 x 0.895 x 1.90)/(30 x 2.83 x 2.0) = 0.10darcy = l00md
= 98.7 µm2.

Example:

1- The following data were obtained during a routine permeability test. Compute the
permeability of this core.
Flow rate =1000 cc of air at 1 atm and 70 oF in 500 sec, pressure downstream side of
core = 1 atm, flowing temperature = 70 oF, viscosity of air at test temp.= 0.02 cp, cross
sectional area of core= 2 sq.cm, length of core= 2 cm, pressure upstream side of core=
1.45 atm.

Solution:
P1V1=P2V2=PmVm
Pm=(P1+P2)/2 = (1.45+1)/2= 1.225 atm
1x1000= 1.225xVm
Vm=815 cc
Qm= 815/500 =1.63 cc/sec
Qm μ L
𝐾=
A ∆P
(1.63) (0.02) (2)
𝐾=
(2) (0.45)
= 0.07244 Darcy = 72.44 millidarcys

2- Assuming that the data indicated above were obtained but water was used as the
flowing medium, compute the permeability of the core. The viscosity of water at test
temperature was 1.0 cp.
Q= V/t = 1000/500 = 2 cc/sec
Q μL
𝐾=
A ∆P
(2) (1) (2)
𝐾=
(2) (0.45)
= 4444 millidarcys

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Example:
Given:
Measure a specific volume of gas exiting a core at atmospheric pressure (V2 = 8 00 cm3).
Time required to collect V2 = 500 s.
p1 = 1.5 atmosphere; p2 = 1.0 atmosphere; ∆p = 0.5 atm.
Core diameter, d = 2.5cm; core length, L = 4cm; gas viscosity, µ = 0.02 CP.

RUN 1
pav = (1.5 + 1.0)/2 = 1.25atm.
Q2 = 800/500 = 1.6 cm3/s
Qav = p2Q2/pav = (1.0 x 1.6)/1.25 = 1.28cm3/s
A = (π/4)d2 = (π/4) (2.5)2 = 4 .9cm2
Kgas at 1.25 atm = 1.28 x 0.02 x (4.0/4.9) x 0.5 = 0.0418 Darcy
= 41.8 md = 0.0412 µm2

RUN 2
p1 = 2.333; p2 = 1.00; pav = 1.666 atm
V2 = 1,470 cm ; 3 t = 300 s; Q2 = 4.9cm3/s; Qav = 2.94 cm3/s
Kgas at 166 atm = 2.94 X 0.02 x (4.0/4.9) x 1.666 = 0.036 Darcy
= 36md = 0.335 µm2

Plot Kgas at av. p Vs. 1/Pav, and extrapolate the straight line to intercept the Y-axis (permeability
axis) to obtain the absolute permeability, which is equal to 0.020 Darcy (0.0197 µm2).

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Example: The following data were obtained during permeability measurement in the laboratory.
Given that the length of a sandstone core is 1.30 cm; its area is 1.36 cm 2; the viscosity of the gas
is 0.0183 cp.
The downstream pressure for each test is (0.987 atm). Determine the absolute permeability of
the core and the klingenberg constant.

No. Flow rate, cm3/s P1(gauge), atm

1 0.405 0.115
2 1.79 0.48
3 3.456 0.836
4 6.179 1.299

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