EXAMPLE 1

Bulk Volume Calculated by

Displacement

A core sample coated with paraffin immersed in a

container of liquid displaced 10.9 cm3 of the liquid. The
weight of the dry core sample was 20.0 g, while the
weight of the dry sample coated with paraffin was 20.9 g.
Assume the density of the solid paraffin is 0.9 g/cm3.
Calculate the bulk volume of the sample.
 SOLUTION - Example 1

Weight of paraffin coating, Wparaffin =

Weight of dry core sample coated with paraffin - Weight of dry core sample
Wparaffin = 20.9 g = 20.0 g = 0.9 g

Volume of paraffin coating = Weight of paraffin / density of paraffin

Vparaffin = 0.9 g / 0.9 g/cm3 = 1.0 cm3

(V = m/ρ)
Bulk volume of core sample = (Bulk volume of core coated with paraffin) –
(volume of paraffin)

Vb = 10.9 cm3 – 1.0 cm3 = 9.9 cm3

LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION
To determine porosity, measure 2 of 3
basic parameters:

1. Bulk volume (Vb)

2. Matrix volume (Vm)

• Assume matrix (grain) density
• Displacement method
• Boyles Law

3.Pore volume (Vp)

 LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION

Matrix (Vm)
1. Assume rock density based on lithology and
measure dry mass

• Displacement methods
• volumetric
• gravimetric (see previous description)

• Boyle’s Law:

p1 V1 = p2 V2
 MATRIX VOLUME FROM
MATRIX DENSITY

• Known or assumed matrix density

Mass of Dry Sample

Vm =
Matrix Density
 APPLICABILITY AND ACCURACY OF
MATRIX MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
• Known or assumed matrix density
– Accurate only if matrix density is known
and not assumed
– Core samples are often mixtures of several
components with varying matrix densities,
so density must be measured
LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION
To determine porosity, measure 2 of 3
basic parameters:

1. Bulk volume (Vb)

2. Matrix volume (Vm)

• Assumed matrix (grain) density
• Displacement method
• Boyles Law

3. Pore volume (Vp)

 MATRIX VOLUME FROM
DISPLACEMENT METHOD

• Reduce sample to particle size

• Measure matrix volume of particles by
– Volumetric method
– Archimedes method (gravimetric
measurement)
 EXAMPLE 2
SOLUTION

Calculating the Matrix Volume and

Porosity of a Core Sample Using the
Displacement Method
 SOLUTION - Example 1

Weight of paraffin coating, Wparaffin =

Weight of dry core sample coated with paraffin - Weight of dry core sample
Wparaffin = 20.9 g = 20.0 g = 0.9 g

Volume of paraffin coating = Weight of paraffin / density of paraffin

Vparaffin = 0.9 g / 0.9 g/cm3 = 1.0 cm3

(V = m/ρ)
Bulk volume of core sample = (Bulk volume of core coated with paraffin) –
(volume of paraffin)

Vb = 10.9 cm3 – 1.0 cm3 = 9.9 cm3

 SOLUTION - Example 2
Calculate the Porosity of a Core Sample Using the
Displacement Method and Matrix Volume

The core sample from Example 1 was stripped of the paraffin

coat, crushed to grain size, and immersed in a container with
liquid. The volume of liquid displaced by the grains was 7.7 cm3.
Calculate the matrix volume and the core porosity. Is this
effective porosity or total porosity?

Bulk Volume, Vb = 9.9 cm3

Matrix Volume, Vma = 7.7 cm3

Vp V − Vma 9.9 cm3 – 7.7 cm3
Porosity =  = = b = = 0.22 or 22%
Vb Vb 9.9 cm3
LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION
To determine porosity, measure 2 of 3
basic parameters:

1. Bulk volume (Vb)

2. Matrix volume (Vm)

• Assumed matrix (grain) density
• Displacement method
• Boyles Law (Gas Expansion)

3. Pore volume (Vp)

 •Boyles Law (Gas Expansion)

• It composed of a reference cell in chamber A and a sample

cup in chamber B , the sealed reference cell is filled with
helium gas( after opened of valve 1) at room temperature to
a pressure of 100 psi. The valve between the reference cell
and the sample cup (valve 2)will be opened to allow the gas
to expand into the two cells. The drop of pressure depends
upon how much space there is in Chamber B, and that
depends on how much of Chamber B is occupied by solid
rock particles. From Boyle’s law, the graine volume of the
sample in chamber B can be calculated if the volume of the
reference cell, the initial pressure and the final pressure is
 MATRIX VOLUME FROM
GAS EXPANSION METHOD

• Involves compression of gas into pores

• Uses Boyle’s law

p1 V1 = p2 V2
 APPLICABILITY AND ACCURACY OF
MATRIX MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES

• Displacement method - Very accurate when

core sample is crushed without destroying
individual matrix grains
• Gas expansion method - Very accurate,
especially for samples with low porosities

Neither method requires a prior knowledge of

core properties
LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION

To determine porosity, measure 2 of 3

basic parameters:

1. Bulk volume (Vb)

2. Matrix volume (Vm)
3. Pore volume (Vp)
 LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION

Pore volume determination (Effective)

1. Gravimetric (Archimedes)
Vp = Wsat - Wdry
fluid

2. Boyle’s Law: p1 V1 = p2 V2
• (Gas expansion)
 PORE VOLUME FROM
SATURATION METHOD
• Measures the difference between the
weight of a core sample saturated with
a single fluid and the dry weight of the
core
Wsat − Wdry
• Pore volume, Vp =
f
 Wsat − Wdry
Vp =
f
Vp = Pore volume, cm3
Wsa = Weight of core saturated with fluid, g
wdry = Weight of dry core, g
f = Density of saturated fluid, gm/cm
Method follows Archimedes Principle: A body wholly
or partly immersed in a fluid is buoyed up with a force
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
 EXAMPLE 3
Archimedes Method of Calculating
Porosity of a Core Sample
Using the gravimetric method with the following data,
calculate the pore and bulk volumes and the porosity. Is
this porosity total or effective?

Dry weight of sample, Wdry = 427.3 g

Weight of sample saturated with water, Wsat = 448.6 g

Density of water (f ) = 1.0 g/cm3

Weight of saturated sample submerged in water, Wsub =

269.6 g
 EXAMPLE 3
Solution
Archimedes Method of Calculating
Porosity a Core Sample

Wsat – Wdry = 448.6 – 427.3 g = 21.3 cm3

Vp = 
f 1.0 g/cm3
Vb = Wsat – Wsub = 448.6 – 269.6 g = 179.0 cm3
f 1.0 g/cm3

Vp
Porosity =  = =
21.3 cm3
3
= 0.12 or 12%
Vb 179.0 cm
Applicability and Accuracy of Pore
Volume Measurement Techniques
• Saturation (Archimedes) method
– Accurate in better quality rocks if effective
pore spaces can be completely saturated
– In poorer quality rocks, difficult to completely
saturate sample
– Saturating fluid may react with minerals in
the core (e.g., swelling clays)
 LABORATORY METHODS OF
POROSITY DETERMINATION

Pore volume determination (Effective)

1. Gravimetric (Archimedes)
Vp = Wsat - Wdry
fluid

2. Boyle’s Law: p1 V1 = p2 V2
• (Gas expansion)
PORE VOLUME FROM GAS
EXPANSION METHOD
Initial conditions
P1

V1 Core

Valve
Cell 1 Cell 2
closed
 PORE VOLUME FROM GAS
EXPANSION METHOD
Final conditions
P1
P2

Core

Valve
Cell 1 Cell 2
open
 PORE VOLUME FROM GAS
EXPANSION METHOD

• Very accurate for both high-quality (high

) and low-quality (low ) core samples

• Should use low-molecular-weight inert

gases (e.g., helium)

• Measures effective (connected) pore

volume
 SUMMARY

To determine porosity, measure 2 of 3

basic parameters:

1. Bulk volume
2. Matrix volume
3. Pore volume
SOME KEY FORMULAS

Vp Vb − Vma
Porosity = φ = =
Vb Vb
V =V +V
b m p

V =  (V )
p b

V = (1 −  )(V )
m b

m = (  )(V )
PERMEABILITY
 PERMEABILITY
• No possibility for fluid to pass through porous reservoir without
interconnection between void spaces. That expresses permeability,
which is defined as a measure of the ability of a porous rock to
transmit fluid.
• • If the medium is saturated with one fluid , the
• permeability is referred to as absolute permeability .
• • If the medium is saturated with more than one fluid , the
• permeability is referred to as effective permeability .
• • The relative permeability is the ratio between the
• effective and the absolute .
 PERMEABILITY
• About 150 years ago Darcy carried out simple experiments
on packs of sand, and hence developed an empirical
formula that remains the main permeability formula in use
in the oil industry today (Glover,2001) Darcy’s formula can
be expressed as :
• The units of permeability are the Darcy, D, and m2, where 1
D=0.9869*10-12 m2. One Darcy is the permeability of a
sample 1 cm long with a cross-sectional area of 1 cm2,
when a pressure difference of 1 dyne/cm2 between the ends
of the sample causes a fluid with a dynamic viscosity of 1
poise to flow at a rate of 1 cm3/s. In the geological
applications Darcy is commonly too large for practical
purposes, so the millidarcy (mD) is used, where 1000 mD =
1D.
• Range of Values
• – Less than 0.01 md: Very low
• – 0.01 md to 1 md: Low
• – 1 md to 100 md: Medium
• – 100 md to 1,000 High
• – 1,000 + md Very High
 Rock Grain Size

• Permeability is
independent on
the grain size .
• Permeability
increases with
increasing grain
size
Rock Grain Sorting
 Rock Grain Sorting
The better
sorted the
sand , the
higher are
both the
porosity and
permeability .
Sources for Permeability Determination
• Core analysis
• Well test analysis (flow testing)
– RFT (repeat formation tester) provides small well tests
• Production data
– production logging measures fluid flow into well
• Log data
– MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) logs calibrated via
core analysis
 Permeability Measurements
Pressure Transient Analysis –Well testing
– Benchmark measurement of k
Core Testing
– Lab tests, φ/k transforms
Logs
– Sampling, NMR, sonic, geochemical
– SP, microlog
– Need initial correlation to PTA & cores
 Permeability Measurement

• Permeability is measured on cores by many methods one of

them is The gas permeability. Clean, dry samples were placed
in a can confine samples of one inch in diameter and up to two
inches in length. An overburden pressure of 400 psi was then
applied to the cell,. Nitrogen gas pressure was applied to one
end face of the sample, whilst the other end face was open to
atmospheric pressure, causing the gas to flow through the
sample. The flow of gas was measured at the low pressure
(downstream) end face of the sample
Permeability Measurement
 Permeability Measurement

• These values, along with the upstream downstream

pressures, flow rate, viscosity of nitrogen, barometric
pressure, temperature were entered in Darcy’s equation for
gas permeability below, and the permeability (md) of the
sample calculated (Anderson, 1974).
 Q    PA  L  2000
Kg =

A  (P1 + PA ) − (P2 + PA )
2 2

mD
• Whe
Kg = Gas permeability (millidarcies)
L = Length of sample in cm
A=Cross sectional area of sample in cm2 = (D/2)2
x
 = Viscosity of gas in centipoises
PA = Atmospheric pressure in atmos
P1 = Corrected upstream pressure in atmos
P2 = Corrected downstream pressure in atmos
Q = Flow rate in cc/s