Beirut Arab University

Faculty of Engineering Spring 2018

Petroleum department

Rock properties
Ch. 3
Porosity
General Aspects
The porosity is the fluid-storage capacity of a porous
medium.
In other words, the part of the rock’s total volume
that is not occupied by solid particles.
It should also be noted
that porosity is a static
parameter, defined
locally as an average
over the representative
elementary volume of
porous rock media
considered.

Some types of porosity:

• Intergranular porosity.
• Fracture porosity.
• Intragranular porosity.
• …
Rock media having both fracture and intergranular pores
are called double-porous or fracture porous media.

From the point of view of pores susceptibility to

mechanical changes, one should distinguish between
consolidated and unconsolidated porous media.

A consolidated medium means a rock whose grains have

been sufficiently compacted and are held together by
cementing material. An important characteristic of
consolidated porous media is the ability to restore
elastically, to a great extent, to their shape (volume) after
the removal of the overburden pressure.
Porosity is a statistical property dependent on the
rock volume taken into consideration.

If the volume selected is

too small, the calculated
porosity can deviate greatly
from the "true“ statistical
average value. Only a
volume selected large
enough (a representative
volume) will result in a
representative and correct
statistical average.
Representative elementary volume
for porosity measurements
Models of Porous Media
The geometric character of rock’s permeable pore space is in
reality quite complicated, and may vary greatly from one
rock type to another. Therefore, several idealised models
have been developed to approximate porous rock media and
their varied characteristics.

1. Idealised Porous
Medium Represented 0.785
by Parallel Cylindrical
Pores

Rocks do not have pores like this

 0.476
2. Idealised Porous
Medium Represented
by Regular Cubic-
Packed Spheres

0.395
3. Idealised Porous
Medium Represented by
Regular Orthorhombic-
Packed spheres
 0.26
4. Idealised Porous
Medium Represented by
Regular Rhombohedral-
Packed spheres

5. Idealised Porous
Medium Represented
by Irregular-Packed
Spheres with Different
Radii
Real reservoir rock exhibits a complex structure and different grain sizes and packing
Example:
A porous medium is blended with three types of sediment fractions:
fine pebble gravel with porosity (φpebble = 0.30), sand (φ sand = 0.38)
and fine sand (φ f .sand = 0.33). The three sediments are mixed in such
proportions that the sand fills the pore volume of the fine pebbles
and that the fine sand fills the pore volume of the sand.
What would be the total porosity of the porous media?

The volume of fine pebble gravel is equal to the bulk volume, so:
Vb = Vpebble.
Volume of sand: Vsand = φ pebbleVpebble.
Volume of fine sand: Vf .sand = φ sandVsand.
Pore volume of fine sand: Vp = φ f .sandVf .sand .

The total porosity is:

= 0.3 · 0.38 · 0.33 = 0.037.

The porosity of the porous medium is 4%.
 Porosity Distribution
The multiple sampling of porosity measurements for reservoir
rocks at different depths and in different wells gives a data set
that can then be plotted as a histogram, to reveal the porosity’s
frequency distribution.

The distribution may appear to

be unimodal or polymodal. Such
histograms may be constructed
separately for the individual
zones, or units, distinguished
within the reservoir, and thus
give a good basis for statistical
estimates (mean porosity values,
standard deviations, etc.).
Numerical simulation of fluid flow in porous
media, related to laboratory tests on core
samples as well as full field production
estimation, require a realistic picture of the
rock porosity and its variation throughout the
reservoir. This picture is not easily obtainable
since porosity is measured locally (in the well)
and porosity extrapolations introduce large
uncertainty in the estimated average values.
The grouping of porosity data according to the
reservoir zones, depth profile or graphical co-
ordination, may reveal spatial trends in the
porosity variation.

Examples of trends of
porosity distribution
in the depth profiles
of two reservoir
sandstone.
The recognition of such trends is very important for
the development of a bulk picture of the reservoir as
a porous medium and representation of the
reservoir porosity in mathematical simulation
models (reservoir characterization, lateral
correlation, numerical modelling, etc.).

Mechanical diagenesis (compaction) and chemical

diagenesis (cementation) have a profound effect on
a sedimentary rock’s porosity. This burial effect is
illustrated by the two typical examples of sand and
clay deposits.
Sediment compaction burial and porosity change
 Measurement of Porosity
1. Full-Diameter Core Analysis
This method is used to measure the porosity of rocks that
are distinctly heterogeneous (carbonates) and fissured and
vugular rocks. That is why the porosity measurement in
such rocks requires samples that are as large as can be
obtained.

In heterogeneous rocks, the local porosity may be highly

variable, as it may include intergranular porosity, vugues,
fractures, or various combinations of these.

A full-diameter core sample usually has a diameter of 5

inches (12.5 cm) and the length of 10 inches (25 cm).
2. Grain-Volume Measurements Based on Boyle’s Law

This gas transfer technique involves the injection and

decompression of gas into the pores of a fluid-free (vacuum)
dry core sample (the pore volume or the grain volume can be
determined).
To perform the laboratory measurement, Helium gas is
often used due to its following properties:

1. the very small size of helium molecules makes the

gas rapidly penetrate small pores,
2. helium is an inert gas that and will not be absorbed
on the rock surfaces and thus yield erroneous
results.

Other gases, such as N2 and CO2, might be good

alternatives to Helium. The advantage of CO2 is its
hydrophilic ability, which increase the effect of dehydrating
the core sample. N2 is also used, simply due to its
availability.
The Calculation of the Grain Volume
Using the ideal gas law:
pV = nRT
Since T= const, one obtains p1V1 = p2V2, and in the case of
vacuum inside the sample chamber:
p1Vre f = p2(Vre f +Vs−Vg),
where Vre f , Vs and Vg are the reference volume, the volume
of the sample chamber and the grain volume, respectively.
Assuming adiabatic conditions, one obtains:

where p1 initial pressure in the reference cell, and p2 the final

pressure in the system.
3. Bulk-Volume Measurements
This technique utilizes the Archimedes’ principle of mass
displacement:
1. The core sample is first saturated with a wetting fluid
and then weighed.
2. The sample is then submerged in the same fluid and
its submerged weight is measured.
Finally, The bulk volume is the difference between the two
weights divided by the density of the fluid.

Fluids that are normally used are:

• water which can be easily evaporated afterwards,
• mercury which normally not enters the pore space in
a core sample due to its non-wetting capability and its
large interfacial energy against air.
 4. Pore-Volume Measurement

Pore volume measurements

can be done by using the
Boyle’s law, where the
sample is placed in a rubber
sleeve holder that has no P1 P0
voids space around the P2
periphery of the core and on
the ends.

Such a holder is called the

Hassler holder, or a
hydrostatic load cell
Uncertainty in Porosity Estimation

Experimental data is always contaminated with

measuring uncertainty. For characteristic parameter
estimation, like determination of the porosity, we will
expect the uncertainty in the measured parameters to
introduce an error in the estimate of the porosity found.

Porosity will normally be a function of Vp, Vm and/or Vb.

Since the three parameters are dependent, i.e.:

Vb = Vp + Vm
 By differentiation:

The relative error or uncertainty in the porosity is

then given by:
Porosity Estimation from Well Logs

Porosity of reservoir rock can be also estimated from

geophysical well logs, often called wireline logs. This
method of porosity evaluation is not very accurate,
but has the advantage of providing continuous
porosity data.

Once these logs are obtained and converted into a

porosity log, they can be calibrated using core-sample
porosity data and serve as additional reliable source
of porosity distribution evaluation.
In this procedure, porosity can be estimated from:

• Formation resistivity factor (F).

• Microresistivity log (from which F can be derived).

• Neutron - gamma log.

• Density (gamma - gamma) log.

• Acoustic (sonic) log.

End of ch. 3