Using Capillary Pressure Derived Parameters for Improving Permeability Prediction
- 1 Geophysics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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.
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