In Fig. 2, we compare the computed continuum permeability k of the Fontainebleau sandstone with experimentally measured values of Jacquin (1964) and Fredrich et al. (1993). The predicted k is in good agreement with the experimental data for all porosities and the variation in k is similar to that observed experimentally. Remarkably, the large number of simulated data points (>750) generated from subsets of four cores at a scale of (2.7 mm)3 encompass a broad range of porosity and allow-one to generate a representative k:φ relationship across nearly four orders of magnitude in permeability. The scale of the four original cores (2.7 mm)3 is of the scale of large drill cuttings and illustrates the potential to predict permeability from core material which is not suited for laboratory testing.
Fig. 2. Comparison of the numerical prediction of the permeability simulations for the Fontainebleau sandstone with experimental data. The lines indicate best fits to the numerical data.