Home | GOTW Home Page | Back

Programme · Research
Topic · Industrial
Sector · Region · Organisation
· Researcher · Search

Current Grant Portfolio

Details of Award

EPSRC Grant
Reference: GR/T28959/01

Skeletonisation, entropic
characterisation and conductivity-permeability relationship in
porous media

Principal Investigator:

Professor
PR King

Other Investigators:

Professor
MJ Blunt

Recognised Researchers:

Dr
R Blumenfeld

Project Partner:

Department:

Department of Earth Sciences

Organisation:

Imperial College London

Abstract:

The aim of this proposal is to
exploit recent progress in the fields of granular and cellular
systems for (1) the development of a new characterisation method of
porous media and (2) the development of fundamental relations
between the characteristics of the porescale structure and
macroscopic permeability and electrical conductivity. This will be
achieved by first developing a skeletonisation method combined with
a new fabric tensor that describes the local pore structure, and
then using it to construct an entropic description of porous systems
based on the Edwards formalism and the compactivity concept. This
description will then be used to relate the structure to the
permeability and conductivity on the porescale. Finally, these
relations will be coarse-grained to yield a macroscopic
structure-property relationship. The method proposed here is
uniquely suited to relate the conductivity and the flow permeability
through their derivation from the same microstructural
characterisation. It also makes it possible to understand from first
principles the origin of the broad permeability distribution usually
measured in many porous media. The project will involve a
collaboration between Imperial College and cambridge University and
will be carried out in both institutes. Some of the outcomes of this
work are will be relevant to multiphase flow and therefore of great
interest to oil companies. Indeed, some industrial support (50% RA
time) has been secured. The project represents good value for money
in that its successful completion will result in a major progress
that will benefit several communities both in science and
engineering.

Starts:

24 January 2005

Ends:

23 January 2008

£ Value:

293,952

Award Type:

Standard Research

EPSRC Research Topic
Classifications

Multiphase Flow
Oil and Gas
Extraction

EPSRC Industrial
Sector Classifications

Power