Fundamentals of Fluid Flow in Porous Media

Chapter 2

Relative Permeability

Laboratory Measurements of Relative Permeability

There are essentially five means by which relative permeability data can be obtained:

• Direct measurement in the laboratory by a steady state fluid flow process
• Direct measurement in the laboratory by an unsteady state fluid flow process
• Calculation of relative permeability data from capillary pressure data
• Calculation from field performance data
• Theoretical/empirical correlations

Values obtained through laboratory measurements are usually preferred for engineering calculations, since they are directly measured rather than estimated. Steady state implies just that, values are not measured until the tested sample has reached an agreed upon level of steady-state behavior. Subsequently, unsteady-state measurements are taken while the system is still changing over time.