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Porosity and Permeability

Reservoir Properties

Geol472-2009

Porosity and Permeability

Porosity
Volume % of open space

Porosity: % of void space in rock

Permeability: Ease of fluid flow

0.5 mm

Porosity

Traditional View of Porosity

Total Porosity (%)

Porosity ()= (bulk volume grain
volume)/bulk volume

0-5% Negligible
5-10% Poor
10-15% Fair
15-20% Good
20-25% Very Good

Effective Porosity= Interconnected pores

For gas lower porosity is still viable
Hydrofracturing makes low porosity less of a
problem

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Primary Porosity

Sorting

Controlled by:
Degree of Uniformity of Grain Size
Sorting
Shape of the Grains
Method of Deposition (Manner of Packing)
Compaction
Cementation

Porosity Varies with Sorting

MORE POROUS

Poor Sorting

Intermediate
Sorting

Packing

LESS POROUS
Poorly Sorted
Sand

Well Sorted
Sand

Cubic Packing 47% porosity in the ideal situation

Packing

Secondary Porosity
Additional open space developed after
sedimentation:
Dissolution
Dolomitization
Fracturing

Rhombohedral Packing 26% porosity in the ideal situation

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Modifications to Porosity

Porosity Varies with Fracturing

Sandstone
MORE POROUS

Pressure Solution
Cementation
Fracturing

LESS POROUS

Fractured Shale

Unfractured Shale

Carbonate

Compaction 2 to 20%
Solution
Recrystalization Dolomitization
Fracturing
Cementation

Shale
Compaction 50%
Bound Water Expulsion

Figure 13.7

Secondary Porosity

Porosity Varies with % Cement

Quarts
Grain

Quartz cement

Dissolved
Feldspar
2 mm
Wilcox Fm. South Texas

Dolomitization

Shale

Calcite (CaCO3)

Wet Mud
Antrim Fm. Michigan

Dolomite CaMg (CO3)2

Volume decrease leads to new
porosity

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Compacted Sediment
(water expelled)

Cemented Shale

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Shale

Shale

Po
ro
s

ity

Microphotograph

Pore Throat

re
Po

si

ze

Permeability
Ability to Transmit Fluids
Measure in Darcies or Millidaricies
Permeable
Large Well-Connected Pores

Impermeable
Smaller, Fewer or Less Interconnected Pores

Darcy Equation

permeability

Permeability Values
1-10 md
10-100 md
100-1000 md
Md = millidarcies

1Darcy=1cm2

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ofSurfaceReleases1cm3

Viscosity
ofFluidofUnitViscosityin1Second

Fair
Good
Very good

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Permeability Measurements

Porosity vs. Permeability

Porosity can be measured by logs

(density, neutron)
Perm. needs cores to do lab
injection tests
Sussex
Sandstone

Capillary Pressure

Capillary Pressure

Relative Permeability

St. Louis Capillary Pressure

O

at
er

il

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Buoyancy vs. Capillary Pressure

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Differential Entrapment of Oil & Gas