Abstract
We investigate numerically the effect of sample volume on the effective single-phase permeability of heterolithic tidal sandstones, using three-dimensional models reconstructed directly from large rock specimens measuring ∼45 × 30 × 15 cm. We find that both individual and averaged effective permeability values vary as a function of sample volume, which indicates that permeability data obtained from core-plugs will not be representative at the scale of a reservoir model grid-block regardless of the number of measurements taken. However, the error introduced by averaged data may be minimized using the appropriate averaging scheme for a given facies type and flow direction.
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Jackson, M.D., Muggeridge, A.H., Yoshida, S. et al. Upscaling Permeability Measurements Within Complex Heterolithic Tidal Sandstones. Mathematical Geology 35, 499–520 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026236401104
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026236401104