Permeability

•Most influential parameter in

determining the production
capabilities of a producing
formation Gas
• A flow property i.e. dynamic
Oil
in nature Water

Depth
Gas

Oil
Gas-oil

}
transition
zone
Oil-water
Hydrocarbon phase

}
transition
Water zone Water phase
 Connectivity between pores is
important for fluid movement

Permeability

Permeable Void spaces

spaces contributes
contributes to absolute
to effective Porosity
Porosity
 Permeability
The ability of a material to transmit a fluid.
It is a measure of how fast the fluid can travel through
the rock or sediment
A measure of how easily a fluid can pass through a
porous medium.

- easy to flow - difficult to flow

- high permeability - low permeability
 Permeability
FREE WATER

OIL
GRAIN GRAIN

OIL
RIM
BOUND WATER FREE WATER

Commonly, reservoirs contain 2 or 3 fluids

(1) Water-oil systems (2) Oil-gas systems (3) Water-gas
systems (4) Three phase systems (water, oil, and gas)
 Permeability
To evaluate multiphase systems, must consider the effective and
relative permeability

Absolute permeability: is the permeability

of a porous medium saturated with a
single fluid.
Effective permeability: is a measure of the
conductance of a porous medium for one
fluid phase when the medium is saturated
with more than one fluid.
Relative Permeability is the ratio of the
effective permeability of a fluid at a given
saturation to some base permeability
 Absolute Permeability

The permeability of a rock

• measure of its specific flow capacity
• capacity to transmit fluid
• ability to transmit fluid through a rock when
a single fluid or phase is present
• fluid conductivity of a particular porous medium
• represents the reciprocal of the resistance that the
porous medium offers to fluid flow
• is the proportionality constant between the fluid flow
rate and an applied pressure or potential gradient
 Permeability depends on
Pore Connectivity
Most important rock parameter pertinent to fluid flow
Relates to the presence of fractures and interconnected voids

CONNECTED UNCONNECTED
FRACTURES PORES
 Porosity and Permeability

porous sediment:
< 40% porosity

hard rock:
<1% porosity

porosity: volume proportion made up of voids

permeability: connectedness of voids, dictating capacity to transmit flow
 Darcy's Law: Darcy,s original experiment of the flow of water through
sand is analogous to the flow of a fluid through a core plug

(h1-h2)
Q = KA --------
L
Q = volumetric flow rate through the core plug in m3/sec or ft3/sec
K = proportional constant also defined as hydraulic conductivity in m/sec or ft/sec
A = cross-sectional area of the core plug in m2 or ft2
L = length of the core plug in m or ft
h1 and h2 represent the hydraulic head at inlet and outlet , respectively in m or ft

In terms of pressure gradient Negative sign as increase of pressure and

dP and length is opposite

Q = - KA--------- where dP = hg

dL difference between upstream and
downstream pressure
 Restriction of Darcy’s investigation
flow of water through sand packs that were 100% saturated by water

More generalized formula for other fluids

k dP
Q = - -- A --------- where, k = permeability
 dL  = viscosity of the fluid

With the following assumption

• the core plug is 100 % saturated with the flowing fluid
• the flowing fluid is incompressible
• the flow is horizontal, steady state and under the laminar flow
• the flow of fluid through the porous medium takes place under viscous regime
• the flowing fluid does not react with the porous medium
 k dP
Q = - -- A --------- where, k = permeability
 dL  = viscosity of the fluid
The above equation can be integrated when
the geometry of the system through which
fluid flows is known. For the simple linear
system shown in Figure, the integration is
performed as follows:
kA
Q 0 dL = - -----  p1p2dP
L


kA kA
Q(L-0) = - ----- (P2 - P1) Q = - ----- (P2 - P1)
 L
Since P1 is greater than P2 , the pressure term can be rearranged and the resulting
Equation will be
kA
Q = ----- (P1 – P2)
L
 kA Q = flow rate in m3/sec
Q = ----- (P1 – P2)
k = absolute permeability in m2
L
A = cross-sectional area in m2
This equation is known as Darcy’s law and is P1-P2 = flowing pressure drop in N/m2
extensively used in reservoir engineering
calculations for determining the absolute
permeability of a reservoir rock
With a flow rate of one cubic centimeter per second across a cross sectional area of
one square centimeter with a fluid of one centipoise viscosity and a pressure
gradient at one atmosphere per centimeter of length, it is obvious that k is unity.
For the units described above, k has been arbitrarily assigned a unit called Darcy
in honor of the man responsible for the development of the theory of flow through
porous media. Thus, when all other parts of equation above have values of unity, k
has a value of one Darcy. = 9.869 x 10-9 cm2
= 9.869 X 10-13 m2
(Cm /sec)(1.0 X 10 N sce/cm )
3 -7 2

1 darcy =---------------------------------------------- = 1.062 x 10-11 ft2

(cm2)(10.1325 N/cm2) 1 D = 1000 mD or 1mD = 0.001 D
APPLICATION OF DARCY’S LAW TO
INCLINED FLOW OR DIPPING FLOW

The vertical coordinate or the

gradient should also be
accounted for by calculating
absolute permeability

Q = flow rate
k = absolute permeability
A = cross-sectional area
= fluid viscosity
P1-P2 = flowing pressure drop
= fluid density
g = acceleration due to gravity
 = angle of inclination
 APPLICATION OF DARCY’S LAW TO
RADIAL FLOW

k dP For radial flow

dL is now replaced with dr
Q = - -- A --------- A is now 2rh
 dL Using these quantities the Darcy equation
can be integrated between the well bore
and the external boundary of the system
as follows
re dr k2h pe
Q ------- = ---------  dp
rw r  pwf

Solving for the flow rate

2kh (Pe – Pwf)
Q = --------------------------
 PARALLEL FLOW
Vertically stacked porous media with varying
permeability and thickness that are separated
from one another by infinitely thin impermeable
barriers that preclude the possibility of cross
flow or vertical flow
k1Wh1P k2Wh2P
Flow layer Q1 = ------------- Flow layer Q2 = ---------------
L
Qt = Q 1 + Q 2 + Q 3 L k3Wh3P
ht = h1 + h2 + h3 Flow layer Q3 = --------------
kavgWhtP L
Qt = -------------
kavgWhtP k1Wh1P k2Wh2P k3Wh3
L
------------- = ----------------- + ----------------- + ------------------
L L L L

kihi
Kavght = k1h1 + k2h2 + k3h3 Kavg = --------- i= 1 to n
 hi
 SERIES FLOW

k1WhP1
Flow layer1, Q1 = -----------------
L1
k2WhP2
Flow layer2, Q2= -----------------
L2
k3WhP3
Flow layer 3, Q3 = -----------------
 P1 = P1 – P2,  P2= P2 – P3,  P3 = P3 – P4 L3

 P = P1 – P4 =  P1+  P2+  P3 and Qt = Q1 = Q2 = Q3

Now, Darcy’s law can be written for the total flow rate as kavgWhP
Qt L Q1 L1 Q2 L2 Q3 L3 Qt = -----------------
---------- = ---------- + ---------- + ---------- L
kavgWh k1Wh k2Wh k3Wh Li
Kavg = --------- i= 1 to n
L L1 L2 L3 Li
---------- = ----------- + ----------- + ------------  --------
Kavg K1 K2 K3
ki
 FACTORS AFFECTING ABSOLUTE PERMEABILITY

Rock related factor

basic characteristics
structures
indigenous properties
grain size, shape
and clay cementing

Fluid phase related factor

the physical and chemical characteristics of the fluid
presence of swelling (montmorilonite) and non swelling (kaolinite, illite) clay
mixing of incompatible water in pore spaces of reservoir rock
 FACTORS AFFECTING ABSOLUTE PERMEABILITY

Thermodynamic factor
Ideally temperature should not have any effect on the absolute permeability
because varying temperature only affects liquid viscosity

Mechanical factor
Generally absolute permeability is inversely proportional to overburden pressure
because core samples are compacted due to overburden and fluid flow through
such samples is rather squeezed resulting in a reduction in absolute permeability
 1nd        1d         1 md         1 d        1000 d         

    Clay               Silt                 Sand          Gravel

  Shale                Sandstone
B

argillaceous        Limestone          cavernous

Basalt

Crystalline Rocks

-18 -16 -14 -12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
PERMEABILITY, 2
cm
 Laboratory measurement of absolute permeability
Darcy formula for fluids
dP
Q = - K A ---------
dL
Based on direct measurements of individual variables
- Flow rate
- Pressure drop
- Sample dimensions
- Fluid properties

For permeability measurements, the residual fluids or in situ formation fluids

are removed so that the sample is 100% saturated with air.
Absolute permeability can only be measured by conducting a flow experiment
In a porous media using
1) Non-reactive liquids
2) Gases
 Absolute permeability using liquids 1. Formation water/brine
2. Degassed crude oil
STEPS
1. The dimension of the core plug is noted
2. The core plug sample is housed in a
Viton sleeve which in turn is mounted in a
Hassler core holder.

3. An appropriate net overburden or confining pressure is applied radially to the

core via a hydraulic hand pump. The confining pressure also helps prevent the
flow of liquid through the minute annular space between the core plug and the
sleeve during the flow experiment,
4. A constant reservoir temperature is maintained using the climatic air bath.
5. A displacement pump and floating piston sample cylinder is used to initiate the
flow of brine or degassed crude oil at either constant rate or constant differential
pressure. Generally at constant flow rate where the inlet pressure is monitored
and the outlet is normally at atmospheric pressure
6. The pressure drop across the core plug is
monitored using a computarized data logging
system and a constant or steady pressure
drop is recorded for calculation.

7. The flow experiment is repeated sometimes by varying the liquid flow rates to
determine the rate dependency on the absolute permeability.
8. The viscosity of the brine or the oil is measured at the flooding pressure and
temperature conditions if unknown from other sources.
9. The absolute permeability of the core plug sample is determined using the
 Absolute permeability using Gases Commonly used gases
1. Nitrogen
Advantages
2. Helium
1. Clean
3. Air
2. Non-reactive
3. Does not influence pore network
Modification of experimental procedure
1. Gas valve should be opened
2. Use of constant differential pressure

Modification of Darcy equation for

calculation of permeability using gases
• In case of incompressible fluid flow, the
flux (Q/A) is constant at all section along the
flow path.
• In case of gas (compressible), the pressure
drop along the flow path is accompanied by
gas expansion that also results in an increase
in the flux
 Equation for determination of absolute permeability
The product of flow rates and pressures in case of inlet and outlet point are
equated by using Boyle’s law considering temperature is constant
Q1P1 = Q2P2

Q1P1 = Q2P2 = QavgPavg Qavg = avg. gas flow rate

Pavg = avg. pressure
The Darcy equation can be expressed in terms of average gas flow rate
kA(P1-P2)
Qavg = --------------
μL
The flow rate of gas is normally measured at the outlet of the core plug, Q 2
Q2P2 kA(P1-P2)
--------------- = --------------
(P1+P2)/2 μL
kA(P21-P22)
Q2 = -------------- equation used for determination of absolute
2μLP2 permeability of core plug samples using gases
 Klinkenberg Effect
The higher permeability value obtained in comparison to the liquid
flow for the same core sample – why?
Klinkenberg’s observations is that the same core sample showed a trend of
increasing permeability as a function of increasing reciprocal mean pressure {1/
[(P1+P2/2]} when hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide were used. These
variation were ascribed to a phenomenon called GAS SLIPPAGE that occurs
when the diameter of the capillary openings approach to the mean free pathof the
gas. The mean free path of the gas is a function of its molecular size and kinetic
energy.
Mathematical expression
1
kgas = kliquid + m ------
Pmean

Kgas = measured gas permeability

kliquid = eq. liquid permeability
m = slope of the straight line fit
 ABSOLUTE PERMEABILITY

1. In an experiment similar to that of Darcy’s, the flow rate of water was

observed
to be 5.0 cm3/min. If the experiment were repeated with oil, what would be the
flow rate for oil ? The difference between the upstream and downstream
hydraulic
gradient h are the same for both the experiments.
Additional data:
Oil viscosity = 2.5 cP, oil density = 0.85 gm/cm 3
Water viscosity = 0.8 cP, water density = 1.0 gm/cm 3

re generalized formula for fluids

k dP
Q = - -- A --------- where, k = permeability
 dL  = viscosity of the flu
2. Brine flood in a 1.9 in-long and 1.5 in-diameter core plug from the North Sea
resulted in a stabilized pressure drop of 46.05 psi. The flood was carried out
at 0.05 mL/min with brine viscosity of 0.443 cP. Determine the absolute
permeability of this plug in millidarcies.

3. Three beds of equal cross section have permeabilities of 100, 200 and 300 mD
and lengths of 50, 15 and 85 ft, respectively. What is the absolute permeability
of the beds placed in series?

Li
Kavg = --------- i= 1 to n
Li
 --------
ki
4. The beds of 50, 110 and 795 mD, and 7, 7 and 15 ft thick respectively, are
conducting fluid in parallel flow. If all are of equal length and width, what is
the average permeability?

kihi
Kavg = --------- i= 1 to n
 hi
5. Following data were obtained during a nitrogen flood in a 1.5 cm diameter
and 3.0 cm long core plug sample. Determine the Klinkenberg corrected
absolute permeability of the core. Nitrogen viscosity  g = 0.02 cP,
downstream pressure (P2) is maintained atmospheric.

Run Qg (cm3/s) Upstream pressure, P1

Number (atm)
1 5.11 1.95
2 18.15 2.45
3 35.61 3.11
4 62.31 3.55