INTRODUCTION

Permeability is a property of the porous medium that measures the capacity and
ability of the formation to transmit fluids. The rock permeability, k is a very important
rock property because it controls the directional movement and the flow rate of the
reservoir fluids in the formation. The effective permeability of a porous medium is a
measure of the rock conductivity to a particular phase of a multiphase fluid system
residing within the porous medium, where the saturation of each phase is specified.
Relative permeability is the ratio of the effective permeability of a particular fluid phase
to some arbitrary reference permeability (i.e. absolute permeability) Darcy equation that
defines permeability in terms of measurable quantities is called Darcys Law. Darcy
developed a fluid flow equation that has since become one of the standard mathematical
tools of the petroleum engineer. If a horizontal linear flow of an incompressible fluid is
established through a core sample of length L and a cross-section of area, A then the
governing fluid flow equation defined as :
v=

k dp
m dL

Where v = apparent fluid flowing velocity, cm/sec

k = proportionality constant, or permeability, Darcys
= viscosity of the flowing fluid, cp
dp/dL = pressure drop per unit length, atm/cm

The permeability should be measured in presence of fluid therefore gas and liquid
could be used. If gas is used as the working liquid, at low flow rates correction is needed,
whereas in case of liquid no correction is needed. Liquid, in our case water, is pump
through the sample at various flow rates and pressure drop is recorded. The permeability
can be calculated using darcy formula and straight-line developed. Permeability is
calculated using the following equation:

Where:
k = permeability (Darcy)
q = flow rate (cm3/S)
= viscosity (mPa.s)
x = length (cm)
A = cross sectional area (cm2)
p = differential pressure across flow section (atm).

RESULTS
Sample
Sample thickness
Sample Diameter
Fluid Used
Fluid Viscosity

:
:
:
:
:

Pressure at 50 psi
0.500 cm
3.000 cm
Water
1.000 CP

Table 7.1: Permeability for sample at pressure of 50 psi

DIFFERENTIAL

FLOWRATE, Q

PERMEABILITY DARCY,

PRESSURE PSI
1.3786
1.5786
1.7567
1.8912
2.3523
2.4025
2.6956
3.0056
3.3920
3.7522
4.2124
4.5571
4.8212
5.2569
5.6035
5.9318
6.2429
6.6401
7.0616

cm3/s
0.33412
1.2132
1.0861
1.5391
1.9478
0.32993
2.2375
2.7050
3.4503
4.1217
5.2778
6.0356
7.0932
8.3544
9.3675
10.395
11.369
12.447
13.764

k
0.25201
0.79909
0.64288
0.84622
0.86101
0.14279
0.86310
0.93582
1.0577
1.1422
1.3028
1.3772
1.5298
1.6525
1.7383
1.8223
1.8936
1.9492
2.0268
2

7.3310
7.5906
7.9147
8.2271
8.5669
8.8786
9.1732
9.5025
9.7726
10.514
10.616
10.834
11.114
11.444
11.743
12.033
12.334
12.640
13.196
14.470
14.403
15.790
16.192
16.571
16.915
17.257
17.631
17.983
18.338
18.723
18.723
19.055
19.376
19.753
20.117
20.550
20.917
21.787
22.145
22.570
22.975

14.730
15.247
16.687
18.118
18.105
18.859
19.317
10.046
22.240
25.666
26.541
27.362
28.171
29.020
29.751
30.238
31.055
31.870
18.297
0.20534
0.17066
0.16182
0.15533
0.15453
0.16012
0.14897
0.15101
0.14438
0.13877
24.065
0.15735
0.14679
0.14108
0.13594
0.13784
0.14137
0.13985
0.13617
0.12879
0.12255
0.12279

2.0893
2.0886
2.1923
2.2899
2.1975
2.2086
2.1896
2.1935
2.3663
2.5383
2.5996
2.6262
2.6357
2.6369
2.6343
2.6131
2.6181
2.6217
1.4417
0.014756
0.011521
0.010657
0.0099750
0.0096970
0.0098427
0.0089763
0.0089056
0.0083487
0.0078684
1.3365
0.0087386
0.0080102
0.0075709
0.00715561
0.0071246
0.0071529
0.0069523
0.0064990
0.0060474
0.0056460
0.0055572

Average Darcy Permeability Constant = 1.0705 D

Sample
Sample thickness
Sample Diameter
Fluid Used
Fluid Viscosity

:
:
:
:
:

Pressure at 60 psi
0.500 cm
3.000 cm
Water
1.000 CP

Table 7.3: Permeability for sample at pressure of 60 psi

DIFFERENTIAL

FLOWRATE, Q

PERMEABILITY

PRESSURE PSI
1.2687
1.5276
1.8541
2.2713
2.3034
2.6556
2.9654
2.9895
3.3899
3.7087
4.1399
4.4859
4.7335
5.1405
5.4478
5.7708
6.0931
6.5119
6.8855
7.1015
7.3744
7.6844
7.9964
8.3133
8.6234
8.9295
9.6915
9.7945
10.008
10.299
10.597
10.905
11.193
11.811
12.095
12.387
12.662
12.730

cm3/s
0.37175
1.7286
2.2644
1.3991
2.9811
3.3256
3.9648
4.0981
5.2827
6.2515
7.9403
8.8797
10.127
11.321
12.557
13.633
14.704
16.257
17.345
18.516
19.124
19.728
21.039
22.095
22.863
23.891
27.146
27.988
28.306
29.490
29.991
30.584
31.206
33.181
33.410
39.990
34.882
36.043

DARCY, k
0.30469
1.1766
1.2700
0.64054
1.3257
1.3022
1.3903
1.4254
1.6204
1.7527
1.9943
2.0583
2.2246
2.2899
2.3968
2.4564
2.5092
2.5958
2.6194
2.7111
2.6965
2.6695
2.7357
2.7636
2.7568
2.7820
2.9125
2.9713
2.9409
2.9773
2.9428
2.9162
2.8990
2.9213
2.9213
2.8531
2.8645
2.9442
4

13.747
15.098
16.586
16.964
17.323
17.651
18.009
18.378
18.747
19.085
19.759
20.186
20.591
21.015
21.748
22.118
22.578
23.023

39.178
0.17353
0.095821
0.10124
0.095659
0.10013
0.098761
0.10013
0.096584
0.10478
0.097637
0.10218
0.10357
0.10806
0.10574
0.10721
0.l0862
0.10890

2.9633
0.011951
0.0060073
0.0062054
0.0057420
0.0059065
0.0057024
0.0056657
0.0053569
0.0057088
0.0051381
0.0052635
0.0052301
0.0053469
0.0050559
0.0050402
0.0050022
0.0049182

Average Darcy Permeability Constant = 1.4708 D

Sample
Sample thickness
Sample Diameter
Fluid Used
Fluid Viscosity

:
:
:
:
:

Pressure at 70 psi
0.500 cm
3.000 cm
Water
1.000 CP

Table 7.5: Permeability for sample at pressure of 70 psi

DIFFERENTIAL

FLOWRATE, Q

PERMEABILITY

PRESSURE PSI
1.1854
1.6105
1.7821
2.0551
2.3845
2.6601
2.7768
3.1054
3.4795
3.9120
4.2350
4.4911
4.8960

cm3/s
0.39773
2.1313
0.57584
2.8180
3.2617
0.35595
3.9973
4.9895
6.1776
7.8021
8.6883
10.100
11.208

DARCY, k
0.34890
1.3761
0.33598
1.4258
1.4224
0.13914
1.4968
1.6707
1.8461
2.0738
2.1333
2.3384
2.3803
5

5.2051
5.4913
5.8323
6.2206
6.8603
7.1614
7.4350
7.7298
8.0561
8.3735
8.6862
9.4657
9.7598
10.057
10.393
10.682
10.990
11.289
11.568
12.174
12.585
13.836
15.388
16.346
16.750
17.085
17.790
18.163
18.901
19.212
19.936
20.296
21.113
21.523
21.894
22.298
22.753

12.626
13.443
14.526
15.920
17.838
18.647
19.831
21.431
21.691
22.955
23.929
27.003
27.913
28.742
29.332
30.337
31.042
31.864
32.634
33.777
35.863
32.377
0.12687
0.10779
0.11197
0.10515
0.10779
0.10935
0.10594
0.10422
0.11033
0.10950
0.11316
0.11483
0.11856
0.11874
0.11969

2.5223
2.5255
2.5898
2.6611
2.7038
2.7075
2.7734
2.8828
2.7996
2.8505
2.8645
2.9663
2.9738
2.9717
2.9348
2.9531
2.9370
2.9349
2.9334
2.8849
2.9631
2.4333
0.0085725
0.0068567
0.0069510
0.0063995
0.0063004
0.0062600
0.0058248
0.0056407
0.0057542
0.0056099
0.0055732
0.0055477
0.0056307
0.0055371
0.0054698

Average Darcy Permeability Constant = 1.5196 D

SAMPLE CALCULATION
Components in graph, x and y
Sample at 50 psi:
q = 0.33412cm3/s
6

X-axis: differential pressure / length (P/L)

Differential pressure, P = 1.3786 psi
Length, L = 0.5 cm

P 1.3786 psi
1 atm
=

=0.187616 atm/cm
L
0.5 cm
14.696 psi

Y-axis: flow rate / area, (q/ A)

2
D 2 (3 cm)
A=
=
=7.0686 cm2
4
4
q = 0.33412 cm3/s
3

q 0.33412 cm /s
=
=0.047268 cm/s
2
A
7.0686 cm

Figure 8.1: The graph plotted for sample with pressure of 50 psi
From the graph:
Y = mX + c
(q/A) = (k/) (P/L)
0.0472682 cm/s = (k/1) (0.187616 atm/cm)
k = 0.252
7

= 252 mD
Sample at 60 psi:
q = 0.37175 cm3/s
X-axis: differential pressure / length (P/L)
Differential pressure, P = 1.2687 psi
Length, L = 0.5 cm

P 1.2687 psi
1 atm
=

=0.172659atm /cm
L
0.5 cm
14.696 psi

Y-axis: flow rate / area, (q/ A)

2

D 2 (3 cm)
A=
=
=7.0686 cm2
4
4

q = 0.37175 cm3/s

q 0.37175 cm / s
=
=0.052592 cm/s
2
A
7.0686 cm

Figure 8.2: The graph plotted for sample with pressure of 60 psi

From the graph:

Y = mX + c
(q/A) = (k/) (P/L) + c
0.052592 cm/s = (k/1) (0.172659 atm/cm)
K = 0.3046D
= 304.6 mD
Sample at 70 psi:
q = 0.39773 cm3/s
X-axis: differential pressure / length (P/L)
Differential pressure, P = 1.1854 psi
Length, L = 0.5 cm

 P 1.1854 psi
1 atm
=

=0.16132atm /cm
L
0.5 cm
14.696 psi

Y-axis: flow rate / area, (q/ A)

2
D 2 (3 cm)
A=
=
=7.0686 cm2
4
4
q = 0.39773 cm3/s

q 0.39773 cm / s
=
=0.056267 cm/ s
2
A
7.0686 cm

Figure 8.3: The graph plotted for sample with pressure of 70 psi
From the graph:
Y = mX + c
(q/A) = (k/) (P/L)
0.056267cm/s = (k/1) (0.16132 atm/cm)
K = 0.348 D
= 348 mD
10

REFERENCES
1. J.GHelltrom&T.S. Lundstrom, (2006). Flow through Porous Media at Moderate
Reynolds Number. Modeling for material processing. Riga Journal
2. Honarpour, M. M., Koederitz, F., & Herbert, A. (1986). Relative permeability of
petroleum reservoirs
3. [1] Beliaev, A. Y., &Kozlov, S. M. (1996). Darcy equation for random porous
media. Communications on pure and applied mathematics, 49(1), 1-34.
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permeability of petroleum reservoirs
5. [3] N. H. Richard. (2014). Flow through pores. Retrieved October 8, 2015,
from
http://www.slb.com/resources/oilfield_review/~/media/Files/resources/oilfiel
d_review/ors14/aut14/define_perm.ashx.
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measuring

reservoir

rock

and

fluid

transport

properties.

Gulf

professional publishing.
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measurements of permeability, effective porosity, and specific storage of
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of Rock Mechanic and Mining Science. 79, 56-62. Retrieved 13 th October
2015 fromwww.elsevier.com/locate/ijrmms
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11

9. [7] J. Spearl& J. Trckova, (2008). Permeability and Porosity of Rocks and

their relationship based on laboratory testing. Institute of rock structure
and mechanics. ActaGeogyn. Geomater. Vol 5, No 1 (149).
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Moderate Reynolds Number. Modeling for material processing. Riga Journal

APPENDICES

12