Research on Fluid Flow and Permeability in Low Porous Rock Sample Using Laboratory and Computational Techniques

Abstract

The paper presents results of fluid flow simulation in tight rock being potentially gas-bearing formation. Core samples are under careful investigation because of the high cost of production from the well. Numerical simulations allow determining absolute permeability based on computed X-ray tomography images of the rock sample. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) give the opportunity to use the partial slip Maxwell model for permeability calculations. A detailed 3D geometrical model of the pore space was the input data. These 3D models of the pore space were extracted from the rock sample using highly specialized software poROSE (poROus materials examination SoftwarE, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland), which is the product of close cooperation of petroleum science and industry. The changes in mass flow depended on the pressure difference, and the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient was delivered and used in further quantitative analysis. The results of fluid flow simulations were combined with laboratory measurement results using a gas permeameter. It appeared that for the established parameters and proper fluid flow model (partial slip model, Tangential Momentum Accommodation Coefficient (TMAC), volumetric flow rate values), the obtained absolute permeability was similar to the permeability from the core test analysis.

New filtration parameters from X-ray computed tomography for tight rock images

“…One noninvasive method is computed X-ray tomography (CT), which enables the 3D analysis of pores and fractures (Arns et al 2005, Cnudde & Boone 2013, Backeberg et al 2017. CT images can be used for qualitative and quantitative characterization of the pores and rock filtration abilities (Soulaine et al 2016, Lu et al 2018, as well as for the generation of 3D geometrical models for simulation purposes, e.g., thermal or fluid flow (Krakowska & Madejski 2019, Adeleye & Akanji 2022, Al Balushi & Taleghani 2022. CT images bring new insights in the evaluation of pore size and shape.…”

Computed X‐ray Tomography Investigation of Porosity and Permeability of the Liujiagou Formation Sandstone Exposed to CO2‐Saturated Brine

“…Therefore, the establishment of rock pore network models and computational fluid simulations to calculate permeability characteristics have garnered more attention. Krakowska and Madejski (2019) used micron-resolution computed Xray tomography (μ-CT) images to build a pore network model and combined computational fluid dynamics to estimate the absolute permeability of a sandstone. At a test pressure of 500 psi, the simulation results for a tight sandstone sample were comparable to the experiment test results.…”