ROCK PROPERTIES

POROSITY
 POROSITY
DESCRIBTION & DEFINATION

Porosity is a measure of the void space within a rock

Expressed as a fraction (percentage) of the

bulk volume

Vb  Vg Vp
 
Vb Vb
Where:
Φ = porosity
Vb = bulk volume of the rock
Vg = net volume occupied by solids, or grain volume
Vp = pore volume
EFFECT OF GRAIN ARRANGEMENT ON POROSITY

A. Cubic packing: each sphere is directly above the one below

Φ = 47.6 %

B. Hexagonal packing: top raw moved one radius to the side

Φ = 39.5 %

C. Rhombohedral packing: each sphere has slumped one radius

To the side and one radius forward into the hole delow.
Φ = 47.6 %
CLASSIFICATION OF POROSITY

1. TOTAL POROSITY
is the ratio of the total pore volume to bulk volume regardless
the continuity of the pores.

2. EFFECTIVE POROSITY
is the ratio of interconnected pores to the bulk volume
CLASSIFICATION OF POROSITY
“According to the time of deposition”

1. PRIMARY POROSITY
refers to the porosity that present at the time of deposition
(sandstone porosity)

2. SECONDARY POROSITY
refers to the porosity that formed after deposition
(fractured limestone , dolomite porosity)
FOR TYPICAL SANDSTONE

POROSITY RANGE 8 – 39 %

AVERAGE ≈ 18 %
FACTORS AFFECTING POROSITY IN SANDSTONE

1. Sorting or grain size distribution

2. Cementing

3. Packing

4. Shape

5. Chemical reaction

6. Fracturing

7. Fracturing

8. Deformation by overburden
EFFECT OF THE DEPTH ON POROSITY

porosity %
0 10 20 30 40
0

5
depth 1,000 ft

sand
ly
10
Sha

and
s
en
cla
15

20
HOW TO MEASURE POROSITY

CORES
•Direct measurement of porosity
•represents a small part of the reservoir
•Number of cores is not enough to represents the all field

LOGGING
•Measuring larger volume of reservoir
•Less accurate than cores
•Almost all wells are logged
 DETERMINATION OF THE BULK VOLUME

1- The bulk volume may be computed from measurements of

the dimensions of a uniformly shaped sample (cube, or
cylinder).

2-irregular-shaped samples
This can be accomplished by:
•Coating the rock with paraffin or similar substance.
•Saturating the rock with the fluid into which it is to be
immersed. Ws  Wim
Vp 
fluid
 PORE VOLUME MEASUREMENTS

• Saturation methods:-

Ws  Wd
Vp 
fluid
Determination of grain volume Vs:
• Grain volume may also be calculated from
Wd
Vg 
grain

• Immersion method
Wd  Wi
Vg 
fluid