271-10 Predicting Permeability in Carbonate-Rich Sandstones Using X-ray Micro-CT Images.

Session: Geologic Energy Resources and Storage for Now and the Future (Posters)

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Fluid migration in rocks is governed primarily by their permeability. Accurate estimation of permeability is essential for predicting a wide array of natural and engineered subsurface processes. Permeability is often estimated using correlative functions, such as the  Kozeny-Carman model, relating permeability to porosity and geometrical characteristics of the pore space. While such models yield satisfactory predictions in media with relatively simple structures, they often fail when applied to more complex structures exhibiting a large scatter in the relationship between porosity and permeability. To address these limitations, we apply a hybrid approach that incorporates multi-scale imaging with advanced flow simulations. Using high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography and electron microscopy, we map the internal structure of a microporous sandstone sample. From this, we derived permeability estimates in two ways: empirical correlations based on extracted pore descriptors and, direct numerical simulations applying the Darcy–Brinkman–Stokes framework to three-dimensional pore space with sub-resolution porosity. This workflow enables us to quantify the impact of image resolution on permeability estimation based on micro-CT images for rock types presenting a significant fraction of microporosity, and also to capture mineral-driven dissolution fronts, demonstrating how initial porosity contrast and structural heterogeneity govern reactivity and transport dynamics.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-9565

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