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A NOVEL FRACTAL MODEL FOR ESTIMATING PERMEABILITY IN LOW-PERMEABLE SANDSTONE RESERVOIRS

Permeability is one of the most important parameters for accurately predicting water flow in reservoirs and quantifying underground water inrush into coal mines. This study developed a predictive permeability model by considering the microstructural parameters and tortuosity effects of low-permeability sandstone. The model incorporates the fractal geometry theory, Darcy’s law, and Poiseuille equation into a multistep inversion framework for systematic interpretation of sandstone scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. A threshold segmentation algorithm is applied to transform SEM images into binary images. Then, we used an improved statistical algorithm with binary image data to estimate the geometric parameters of each pore, such as the perimeter and area. The fractal parameters of pore microstructure were determined by fitting the data of pore perimeters and areas. Finally, the effects of tortuosity on microscopic percolation were considered, and a conventional model was modified for quantifying the relationship between microscopic pore structures parameters and macroscopic permeability. Eight groups of sandstone samples from the Xingdong coal mine in North China were collected for estimating permeability by the developed inversion framework. A direct permeability measurement was also conducted on each sample with an AP-608 automatic measuring instrument. The measured permeability values were compared with results from theoretical models, and we found that the accuracy of the newly developed predictive model is better than that of a conventional permeability model. The predictive model developed in this study provides a useful tool for estimating permeability in low-permeable sandstone reservoirs.