A study of correlation between permeability and pore spacebased on dilation operation

Abstract

CO₂ and fracturing liquid injection into tight and shale gas reservoirs induces reactivity between minerals and injected materials, which results in porosity change and thus permeability change. In this paper, the dilation operation is used to simulate the change of the porosity and the corresponding change of permeability based on Lattice-Boltzmann is studied. Firstly we obtain digital images of a real core from CT experiment. Secondly the pore space of digital cores is expanded by dilation operation which is one of basic mathematical morphologies. Thirdly, the distribution of pore bodies and pore throats is obtained from the pore network modeling extracted by maximal ball method. Finally, the correlation between network modeling parameters and permeabilities is analyzed. The result is that the throat change leads to exponential change of permeability and that the big throats significantly influence permeability.

Cited as: Zha, W., Yan, S., Li, D., et al. A study of correlation between permeability and pore space based on dilation operation. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2017, 1(2): 93-99, doi: 10.26804/ager.2017.02.04

References

Al-Kharusi, A.S., Blunt, M.J. Network extraction from sandstone and carbonate pore space images. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2007, 56(4): 219-231.

Bakke, S., ∅ren, P. 3-D pore-scale modelling of sandstones and flow simulations in the pore networks. SPE J. 1997, 2(2): 136-149.

Blunt, M., King, P. Macroscopic parameters from simulations of pore scale flow. Phys. Rev. A 1990, 42(8): 4780.

Blunt, M.J., Jackson, M.D., Piri, M., et al. Detailed physics, predictive capabilities and macroscopic consequences for pore-network models of multiphase flow. Adv. Water Resour. 2002, 25(8): 1069-1089.

Czernichowski-Lauriol, I., Rochelle, C., Gaus, I., et al. Geochemical interactions between CO2, pore-waters and reservoir rocks. Advances in the Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide 2006, 65 157-174.

Dixit, A.B., McDougall, S.R., Sorbie, K.S. A pore-level investigation of relative permeability hysteresis in water-wet systems. SPE J. 1998, 3(2): 115-123.

Dong, H., Blunt, M.J. Pore-network extraction from micro-computerized-tomography images. Phys. Rev. E 2009, 80(3): 36307.

Jessen, K., Kovscek, A.R., Orr, F.M. Increasing CO2 storage in oil recovery. Energy Convers. Manag. 2005, 46(2): 293-311.

Li, D., Zha, W., Liu, S., et al. Pressure transient analysis of low permeability reservoir with pseudo threshold pressure gradient. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2016a, 147: 308-316.

Li, D., Zhang, L., Wang, J.Y., et al. Composition-Transient analysis in shale-gas reservoirs with consideration of multicomponent adsorption. SPE J. 2016b, 21(2): 648-664.

Liang, Z.R., Fernandes, C.P., Magnani, F.S., et al. A reconstruction technique for three-dimensional porous media using image analysis and Fourier transforms. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 1998, 21(3): 273-283.

Lindquist, W.B., Lee, S.M., Coker, D.A., et al. Medial axis analysis of void structure in three-dimensional tomographic images of porous media. J. Geophys. Res. 1996, 101(B4): 8297-8310.

Okabe, H., Blunt, M.J. Pore space reconstruction using multiple-point statistics. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2005, 46(1): 121-137.

∅ren, P., Bakke, S. Process based reconstruction of sandstones and prediction of transport properties. Transp. Porous Media 2002, 46(2): 311-343.

Silin, D., Patzek, T. Pore space morphology analysis using maximal inscribed spheres. Phys. A 2006, 371(2): 336-360.

Zhang, T., Li, D., Lu, D., et al. Research on the reconstruction method of porous media using multiple-point geostatis-tics. Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 2010, 53(1): 122-134.

Zhang, T., Li, D., Yang, J., et al. A study of the effect of pore characteristic on permeability with a pore network model. Pet. Sci. Technol. 2013, 31(17): 1790-1796.