A Modified Pressure Pulse Decay Experimental Apparatus and Its Application in Permeability Measurements

• Published in: Applied geophysics 2023-12, Vol.20 (4), p.534-546
• Main Authors: Wang, Gang, Sun, Xiao-xiang, Xiao, Zhi-yong, Wang, Chang-Sheng, Yu, Jun-hong, Jiang, Feng, Zheng, Cheng-cheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Decay; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Equilibrium; Exploitation; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Permeability; Pressure; Transducers; Upstream
• ISSN: 1672-7975; 1993-0658
• DOI: 10.1007/s11770-022-0999-2

Permeability is an essential factor used for evaluating the commercial exploitation of unconventional energy. The pressure pulse decay method is one of the most effective methods to measure permeability and has been improved by adding a pressure transducer upstream and a chamber upstream and downstream. The relationship between the pulse pressure and equilibrium time under different storage volumes is investigated based on a developed apparatus. Moreover, the effect of compressive storage on permeability measurements has been examined by comparing the Brace’s et al.’s solution and Jones’ solution. The following results were obtained for the constant injection pressure. 1) The equilibrium pressure increases with a decrease in the upstream storage volume and decreases with an increase in the downstream storage volume. 2) The equilibrium time increases with an increase in the storage volume, and the similar volume of the upstream and downstream can accelerate the test procedure. 3) A linear relationship between the storage volume and equilibrium time is not apparent when the volume of the upstream and downstream are asymmetric. However, this linear relationship is evident when the volume of the upstream and downstream are symmetrical. 4) The influence of the downstream storage volume is more significant than the upstream volume on the measurement of permeability. The results are of guiding significance for selecting the proper storage volume to measure permeability.