Apparatus and method for measuring relative permeability and capillary pressure of porous rock

• US 5,297,420 A
• Filed: 05/19/1993
• Issued: 03/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation (Exxon Mobil Corporation)
• Inventors: Gilliland, Ronnie E., Maloney, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSKOS, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US08/064,390
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 73/38, 324/376
• US Class Current: 73/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/08 Investigating permeability, pore-volume, or surface area of porous materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/083 the radiation being X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/241 for hydrocarbon content

Abstract

A core sample of a porous rock from a subterranean reservoir is placed in a pressure cell holder. The sample is desaturated to first fluid irreducible desaturation with a second fluid through a porous plate preferentially wet to only the first fluid. The sample is then flooded with a plurality of first and second fluid ratios. Core pressure is measured along the core at various differential pressure plateau'"'"'s during initial first fluid desaturation and again during fluid flooding with first and second fluids. A computed tomography (CT) scanning system provides images of the density distribution within the core sample during such flooding. Fluid saturation, determined from these CT images, and the pressure measurements are used to determine the relative permeability and capillary pressure responses of the fluids within the subterranean reservoir.

Claims

1. Apparatus for measuring porous rock properties at subterranean reservoir conditions, comprising:

a) a sleeve containing a core sample of a porous rock saturated with a first fluid,

b) a fluid inlet positioned in a first end of said sleeve through which a second fluid is injected under pressure into a first end of said core sample for displacing said first fluid from a second end of said core sample, said second fluid being immiscible with said first fluid,

c) a first member positioned adjacent a second end of said core sample within said sleeve and which is permeable to said first fluid and impermeable to said second fluid,

d) a second member positioned between said first member and the second end of said core sample which is permeable to both said first fluid and said second fluids,

e) a first fluid outlet positioned in a second end of said sleeve through which said first fluid flows from said sleeve after having been discharged from the second end of said core sample through said first and second members,

f) a second fluid outlet positioned in said second end of said sleeve through which said first and second fluids flow from said sleeve after having been discharged from the second end of said core sample through said second member,

g) a first valve positioned in said first fluid outlet for controlling the discharge of said first fluid from said core sample through said first and second members,

h) a second valve positioned in said second fluid outlet for controlling the discharge of both said first and second fluids from said core sample through said second member,

i) means for applying a confining pressure through said sleeve to said core sample,

j) a pair of pressure taps contacting the outer surface of said core sample at spaced-apart positions along the length of the core sample, and

k) a pressure transducer connected to said pressure taps for measuring pressure across said core sample.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first member is porous.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first member is a ceramic plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second member is sandstone.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said second member is a Berea sandstone.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first fluid is water and said second fluid is a gas.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said second fluid is nitrogen.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including means for measuring the attenuation of X-rays by said core sample.

9. Method for measuring two-phase, steady-state relative permeability of a porous rock at reservoir conditions, comprising the steps of:

a) injecting a first fluid into a core sample of a porous rock to effect a first fluid saturation throughout said porous rock,

b) scanning said saturated core sample with X-rays and measuring the attenuation of said X-rays as they pass through said core sample to determine fluid saturation,

c) desaturating said core sample to effect a first irreducible first fluid saturation condition by injecting a second fluid into said core sample that is immiscible with said first fluid and displacing said first fluid from said core sample through a first member that is permeable to said first fluid and impermeable to said second fluid,

d) repeatedly scanning said core sample with X-rays during step c) and measuring the attenuation of said X-rays as they pass through said core sample to determine fluid saturation,

e) injecting a plurality of increasing ratios of said first fluid to said second fluid into said core sample and displacing said first and second fluids from said core sample through a second member that is permeable to both said said first and second fluids to effect a plurality of differing steady-state conditions,

f) repeatedly scanning said core sample with X-rays during each of the steady-state conditions in step e) and measuring the attenuation of said X-rays as they pass through said core sample to determine fluid saturation,

g) terminating steps e) and f) at 100% first fluid injection into said core sample,

h) injecting a plurality of decreasing ratios of said first fluid to said second fluid into said core sample to displace said first and second fluids through said second member to effect a plurality of differing steady-state conditions until a second irreducible first fluid saturation condition is reached,

i) repeatedly scanning said core sample with X-rays during each of the steady-state conditions in step h) and measuring the attenuation of said X-rays as they pass through said core sample to determine fluid saturation,

j) measuring pressure gradient along said core sample during steps b) through i), and

k) determining two-phase, steady-state relative permeability of said first and second fluids in said core sample from said saturation and pressure measurements taken from said core sample during steps b) through i).

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

l) repeating desaturation step (c) in a series of steps for a plurality of varying differential pressures across said core sample,

m) repeating X-ray attenuation measurement step (d) for each of the varying differential pressures of step (1) to determine a plurality of fluid saturations, and

n) determining capillary pressure of said porous rock by relating said plurality of varying differential pressures to said plurality of fluid saturations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each repetition of steps (c)-(d) is carried out at pressure and saturation equilibrium conditions.