Name:

Ibrahim
ameen hassan
ID: 20151558
Tarek Ameen
Petroleum
Reservoir
Laboratory
Laboratory methods of Capillary Pressure
measurements
 Abstract

Capillary pressure measurements are Capillary pressure defines the

magnitude and distribution of water saturation in the reservoir and its
important part of the characterization of petroleum-bearing reservoirs.
Three commonly used laboratory techniques, namely the porous plate
(PP), centrifuge multi-speed experiment (CM), and mercury intrusion
(MICP) methods, often provide nonidentical capillary pressure curves.
We use high-resolution μ-CT images of Fontainebleau to derive
saturation profiles numerically in 3D at the pore scale through
morphological distance transforms to simulate the above experiments.
In the invasion simulation, the capillary pressure is realized by using as
structural element a ball—whose diameter is a function of a local
pressure potential, which in turn is a function of radial distance in
centrifuge experiment and constant throughout the sample in MICP
and porous plate measurements. To assess the effect on
heterogeneous rock samples, we compare the computed saturation
profiles of the relatively homogeneous sandstones to a highly
heterogeneous numerical model of rock generated by a mixture of a
Gaussian random field approach for the large-scale features and two
Poisson particle processes at the small scale. The comparison of the
image-based pore-scale numerical interpretation to capillary drainage
experiments reveals their match and demonstrates the influence of
boundary conditions and heterogeneity on the resulting saturation
profiles and capillary pressure curves. It is one of the most important
measurements that can be made because it relates reservoir rock and
reservoir fluid properties
Contents

1)Reliability of measurements

2)measuring capillarynpressure realitions

2.1)Porous methods
2.2)Centrifuge methods
2.3)Mercury methods

3)calculation of capillary pressure

Curve
INTRODUCTION

Calculation of capillary pressure is possible when these components are

known
• Interfacial Tension (𝜎)
• Contact angle (𝜃)
• Capillary radius (r )
capillary pressure Reservoir relationships can be evaluated by using
either of the following:

Porous plate or centrifuge method, which uses the actual or simulated

hydrocarbon-brine system of the reservoir to approximate the wetting
properties
Mercury injection, which simulates the premigration wetting
characteristics of the reservoir
The mercury injection method is recommended to evaluate the initial
static distributions of reservoir fluids prior to production because these
distributions are typically controlled by the premigration wetting
characteristics. Mercury injection is also favored because it is simpler,
cheaper, and less time consuming than porous plate or centrifuge
methods. In addition, mercury injection can be conducted on cuttings
or sidewall samples. Mercury injection capillary pressure data can also
be converted to the reservoir fluid system. Although this involves a
number of assumptions on wettability and the effects of cleaning and
extracting the core are largely ignored, the cost and time benefits
typically favor mercury injection. Capillary pressure can also be
expressed as a hydrostatic head.
•The height above the free water level which the wetting
liquid can rise is directly proportional to capillary
pressure.
•The capillary radius is inversely proportional to height
above the free water level.
• Interfacial tension and contact angle are directly
proportional to capillary pressure.
 Capillary pressure methods

1) POROUS PLATE METHOD

The essential requirement of this method is a permeable membrane of

uniform pore size distribution containing pore of such size that the
selected displacing fluid will not penetrate the plate when the pressure
applied to the displacing phase are below some selected maximum
pressure of investigation. Various materials such as fritted glass,
porcelain, and cellophane could be used as plate in this test. The
membrane is saturated with the fluid to be displaced (Wetting phase).
Any combination of the fluids can be used: gas, oil and/or water. In the
gas-water system, gas is the non-wetting phase and water is wetting
phase. Air is used as the gas fluid sample commonly. As the first step
saturate the core sample with wetting phase (water here), then placing
the core on a porous membrane which is saturated 100% with water
and is permeable to the water only, under the pressure drops imposed
during the experiment. Air is then admitted into the core chamber and
the pressure is increased until a small amount of water is displaced
through the porous, semi-permeable membrane into the graduated
cylinder. Pressure is held constant until no more water is displaced,
which may require several days or even several weeks. By measuring
the exited water volume and using rock pore volume, saturation change
in each step could be calculated:
 At
each step the applied pressure is actually the capillary pressure which
was defined as non-wetting phase pressure (nitrogen applied pressure
here) minus wetting phase pressure (water pressure equal to zero), so
the pressure data can be plotted as capillary pressure data versus
wetting phase (water) saturation. Figure 1 shows schematically porous
PLATE capillary pressure device.
Complete determination curve of capillary pressure with this method is
time consuming owning to the vanishing pressure differentials causing
flow as the core approaches equilibrium at each imposed pressure.
Time to reach the equilibrium increases step by step because of the
reduction of displaced fluid relative permeability as a result of
saturation decrease.
CENTRIFUGEL METHOD
Centrifuge methods are increasingly favored for measuring
capillary pressures. Although not as quick as mercury
measurements, centrifuge measurements are much faster than
porous-plate methods. To measure a gas/oil capillary pressure
relationship with the centrifuge method, a cylindrical sample is
first saturated with oil.

Where:
rb = radius of rotation of the bottom of core sample
rt = radius of rotation of the top of the core sample
ω = rotational speed

For the oil-water drainage cycle, water fully saturated core samples are
immersed in oil in specially designed core holders. Starting at a low rpm
setting, the amount of brine expelled from the plug is noted for a given
rate of rotation. A calibrated glass vial is attached to the end of the
sample. The volume of fluid being deposited in this vial can be read
while the centrifuge is spinning fast. Thus, the saturation can be
obtained. The rate is then increased in stages and produced water
volumes are recorded for each rotation speed to give the drainage
curve. The most important advantage of this method is its speed of
obtaining data. A complete curve may be obtained in a few hours.

Calculation of capillary pressure

Curve
 REFERENCES

[1] https://perminc.com/resources/fundamentals-of-fluid-
flow-in-porous-media/chapter-2-the-porous-
medium/multi-phase-saturated-rock-
properties/laboratory-measurement-capillary-
pressure/centrifugal-method/.
[2] https://petrowiki.org/Measurement_of_capillary_press
ure_and_relative_permeability.

[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240489235
_Laboratory_measurement_of_capillary_pressure-
saturation_relationship_in_a_rock_fracture