Influence of Geomechanical Processes on Relative Permeability

• Author / Creator

  Hamoud, Mohamed

• Relative permeability curves represent an important element of special core analyses, but challenges remain in obtaining valid results and the extrapolation and use of existing permeability results is problematic. This situation is compounded in cases where core properties are altered from changes in effective stress. During the production of oil and gas reservoirs the effective stress changes as a result of changes in pore pressure or temperature. Therefore, changes in rock properties such as porosity and permeability will occur and will consequently influence reservoir performance calculations.
  A series of drained triaxial compression tests were conducted to investigate the behaviour of reconstituted specimen at low stress. Subsequently, relative permeability tests were performed, under steady state process, on different levels of strain.
  Our results showed that in two-phase flow, the initial oil relative permeability was more sensitive to the stress in comparison to the water one. This change was up to about 28%.
  Understanding the behaviour of relative permeability at different stresses is needed to provide reliable permeability data at different states of reservoir

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Multiphase flow in porous media
  • Geomechanics
  • Shearing stress
  • Relative permeability

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3ZQ62

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.