TITLE:
Using Capillary Pressure Derived Parameters for Improving Permeability Prediction
AUTHORS:
Amir Maher S. Lala
KEYWORDS:
Capillary Pressure; Permeability; Poiseuille Model
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.4 No.9,
November
29,
2013
ABSTRACT: This paper presents the construction and verification of
a new better semi-analytical, statistically derived universal model than that
modified from Huet and Blasingame equation for estimating absolute permeability
from mercury injection capillary pressure data. The foundation of
my new model is the petrophysical relation between absolute permeability and
capillary-pressure/wetting phase saturation properties. I also incorporate
characteristics of capillary pressure behavior using the classic Brooks-Corey
power-law model. The final form of my new proposed model allowed us to predict
absolute permeability as a function of effective porosity, irreducible wetting
phase saturation, displacement or threshold pressure corresponding pore throat
radius, and basic pore size characteristics. I built my model using 189 sets of
mercury—injection (Hg-air) capillary pressure data and measured
permeability-including core samples from several reservoirs both carbonate and
sandstone lithologies. I identified this correlation by quantifying its
accuracy and precision based on regression analysis. I compared permeability
estimates obtained from Huet and Blasingame mercury-injection
capillary-pressure-based model and my new universal predicted permeability
model to a set of laboratory measured permeability of my studied core sample
and previously published data results respectively, where I quantified the
method’s accuracy and precision based on error analysis. The measured
permeability samples range is from 0.003 mD to 5341 mD. I review current
employed models that are classified as belonging to Poiseuille model.