Numerical analysis of fluid permeability in compacted sandstones

Abstract

Fluid permeability in compacted sandstones were investigated numerically. The structural analysis of spherical particle bed which imitates compacted sand layer was conducted and pore region in the particle bed was extracted. The pore characteristics, such as effective porosity, tortuosity and specific surface area, were quantified by various numerical methods. From these pore characteristics, fluid permeability was calculated using the Kozeny-Carman equation. The obtained permeability agreed quantitatively with those measured from actual sandstones.