Intact Rocks
carbonates
Fluid flow through intact rocks determines engineering designs and monitoring strategies for groundwater management, environmental remediation, energy resource recovery, and geotechnical infrastructure. A critical parameter in these analyses is permeability -the rock’s ability to conduct fluids. My research aims to ellucidate the fundamental pore-scale characteristics that control permeability. From this physical insight, we have developed predictive models with simple and easily measurable inputs, and designed a simple permeameter that overcome the limitations of existing devices.
Rock permeability is defined by the porous network topology and size. However, existing carbonate permeability models often overlook pore size-related parameters. We combined extensive databases with permeability measurements and found that permeability can be predicted with the largest percolating pore size. We used these data to develop a simple-yet-robust predictive model and found that all models, including those with multiple parameters, have the same irreducible uncertainty.
Whenever specimens are available, permeability measurements should be sought. We devised a cost-effective apparatus to measure permeability in unjacketed specimens. The device uses water as permeant, reducing the complexities of gas data.
Selected publications
¹Cardona A., and Santamarina J.C. (2020). Carbonate rocks: Matrix permeability estimation, AAPG Bulletin, v. 104 (1), p 131-144. doi:10.1306/05021917345
²Cardona A., and Santamarina J.C. (2023). A Convenient Device to Measure the Permeability of Intact Rock (Heterogeneity and Anisotropy), Geotechnical Testing Journal, v. 46 (5), p 699-711. doi:10.1520/GTJ20220112