Publication Date:
2019
Description:
Abstract
Pore structure is a crucial attribute in characterizing fluid flow through porous media. However, direct experimental measurements or numerical reconstructions are commonly expensive and not environmentally friendly, with great uncertainty caused by the complex nature of porous media. In this study, we demonstrate that one special "bridge function", which is a function of the apparent length and tortuosity fractal dimension, can characterize the relationship of pore structures between two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D), and it can serve as a conversion bridge of the radius to determine the capillary pressure curve (CPC). We compare estimations by the proposed method with experimental results obtained by mercury intrusion porosimetry in six typical natural sandstones with varying porosities and permeabilities. The result shows that cross sections of the global pore structure, such as thin section, electronic probe, and micro computed tomography slices, give a reliable estimation of the CPC using the bridge function in porous media with a medium porosity. However, in unconventional porous media with a relatively low porosity (~10%) or extra high porosity (~30%), due to the empirical nature of the equation widely used to calculate the tortuosity fractal dimension, the necessary modification is necessary to obtain the CPC when applying the bridge function in such porous media. This insight can significantly simplify the procedure for obtaining the petrophysical properties of a porous medium, which may shed light on the inherent differences and correlations between the 2D and 3D pore structures of porous media.
Print ISSN:
2169-9313
Electronic ISSN:
2169-9356
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
