Travis Peak Core Permeability
and Porosity Relationships at
Reservoir Stress
D.L. Luffel, SPE, W.E. Howard, SPE, and E.R. Hunt, * SPE, ResTech Houston Inc.
Summary. Relationships of permeability to porosity are shown from analyses of more than 2,100 core plugs from nine wells in the
Travis Peak, a low-permeability, tight-gas sandstone formation in northeast Texas. Effects of reservoir vs. ambient stress are shown
for permeability, porosity, and the Klinkenberg factor. The relationship of brine permeability to gas permeability is also shown.
Introduction
In a cooperative effort, the Gas Research Inst. (GRI) and various
industry partners collected core and log data from nine wells to
form an extensive data base from which important correlations of
porosity and permeability at both ambient and net overburden pres-
sures have been developed for the Travis Peak formation. Routine
and special analyses were performed on more than 2,100 core plugs
taken from 2,093 ft of core from these wells. Fig. 1 shows the lo-
cations of the nine wells; the two outlined areas show where the
major activity was focused.
Travis Peak is a sand-rich Lower Cretaceous formation with en-
vironments that include a fluvial/deltaic section of low-energy flood-
plain mudstones and siltstones, high-energy crevasse splays and
main channel sandstones, and a marine-influenced environment with
tidal flat mudstones and channel sands.! Coring intervals were
selected to provide data representative of all these different deposi-
tional environments. Table 1 lists the cored intervals and depths
for each well.
A major factor in developing representative core analysis results
is the importance of simulating in-situ reservoir conditions for the
porosity and permeability measurements. The effect of reservoir
(called net overburden here) stress on permeability and porosity
is particularly important for low-permeability rocks. This has been
the subject of many studies 2- 7 but, in most, only a few cores were
involved from any particular formation or rock type. Most of the
routine analyses in this study include measurements made at both
ambient and net overburden stress. As a result, these data consti-
tute the most exten~ive data base of this kind for a specific low-
permeability formation. The core analyses were performed by four
different service laboratories, and in some cases companion sam-
ples were tested by two different laboratories.
Three different methods were used to conduct routine ambient-
porosity measurements on selected plugs. Porosities were obtained
on the dry, extracted cores by use of helium and by saturating the
core plugs with toluene and then brine. The purpose of these com-
parisons is to determine whether the porosity of the Travis Peak
formation is influenced by the presence of brine and whether helium
porosities match those measured by saturation with a nonreactive
liquid. Next, ambient helium porosity is compared with that meas-
ured at either 800 psi or net overburden stress to determine the ef-
fect of stress on porosity.
To address the effect of stress on gas permeability, correlations
are shown of Klinkenberg-corrected gas permeabilities, k~, meas-
ured at near-ambient conditions and at net overburden stress. These
correlations are greatly improved after cores with either induced
or natural fractures are omitted. Correlations are also presented for
the Klinkenberg factor that are somewhat different from those previ-
ously presented in the literature and that are also improved after
the fractured cores are omitted. Further, a correlation that relates
brine permeability to k~ is presented and compared with previ-
ously published literature.
For reservoir description and engineering applications, it is im-
portant to relate permeability to some rock property measurable
• Now at Ercill Hunt & Assocs. Inc.
Copyright 1991 Society of Petroleum Engineers
310
from logs, such as porosity. Correlations are presented for the Travis
Peak formation relating k~ to porosity, both measured at net over-
burden stress. These correlations are greatly improved when frac-
tured cores are omitted and further improved when derived for
specific environmental rock types.
Amblent.Poroslty Measurements
A common method of measuring core porosity is to measure the
grain volume by use of helium and the bulk volume by immersion
in mercury. This method is reliable when carefully performed 8 and
was used for most of the ambient porosities measured in this study.
A second method is to determine the porosity by saturating the core
with brine. This porosity could differ if the rock has reactive clays.
A third method is to determine the pOrosity by saturation with
toluene, which should not react with the rock. All the above methods
were used on a set of 41 core plugs from Well Howell No.5.
Fig. 2 compares porosities measured by saturation with 15% NaCI
brine and with helium, with the best-fit reduced-major-axis (RMA)
line as shown. Generally, the brine porosity is 0.25 porosity units
less than the helium porosity. Fig. 3 compares porosities measured
with toluene and with helium again, with the best-fit RMA line as
shown. The toluene porosity is generally about 0.6 porosity units
less than the helium porosity, with the difference greater at low
porosities. Incomplete liquid saturation of the low-porosity, low-
permeability cores may be a factor, although extra care was used
in this step. Our conclusion is that, because the helium and brine
porosities are essentially in agreement, porosities measured with
helium should be reliable. Thus, for the overall data base, porosi-
ties were routinely measured with helium in dry, extracted cores.
Porosity Measured at 800.psl Stress
Among the four different service laboratories used for the routine
core analyses, one had automated equipment for measuring porosity
and permeability at net overburden stress on two study wells, Wells
Howell No.5 and SFE No.2. In this system, the base routine porosi-
ty of each core was determined by measuring the PV with helium
while the core was confined in a core holder at 800-psi sleeve pres-
sure. On the basis of sleeve stiffness and conformance, the porosi-
ties measured in this manner were reported 9 to match porosities
measured at ambient (or unstressed) conditions.
Fig. 4 compares porosities measured with helium on 176 dry cores
at ambient conditions with porosities measured with helium at 800-
psi sleeve pressure for Wells Howell No.5 and SFE No.2. Data
are included only for those cores that were free of induced or natural
fractures. The best-fit RMA line shows a good match for low porosi-
ties ( < 5 %). In the higher range, porosity is reduced about 1 porosity
unit when going from ambient to 800-psi sleeve pressure. Evidence
therefore suggests that a significant reduction in porosity may occur
for these cores when confined by 800-psi sleeve pressure in this
particular system compared with ambient porosity.
Effect of Net Overburden Stress on Porosity
To relate routine, ambient core analysis measurements in tight gas
rocks to reservoir rock properties, it is important to determine the
SPE Fonnation Evaluation, September 1991
 MARION CO

I HARRISON CO
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MOBIL ARK'LA
I PRODUCING
Cargill No. 14
EXPLORATION
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Waskom Field\ :,ask~m Field
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/' PRAIRIE PRODUCING 1 '~ " , ;?Om,
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Fig. 1-Locatlon of nine cooperative, cored wells In the GRI Tight Gas Sands program, Tra-
vis Peak formation.

effect of net overburden stress. Helium was used to measure core
porosities at both ambient and net overburden stress on dry core
samples from Wells SFE No.2, Cargill No. 14, Scott No.5, and
Howell No.5. In these measurements, net overburden stress was
applied hydrostatically (i.e., equal on all core surfaces) and varied
to match that expected for the reservoir overburden pressure and
pore pressure for the depth at which each core sample was taken.
For these four wells, net overburden pressure ranged from 2,058
to 5,572 psi, with an average of ""4,600 psi. Fig. 5 presents core
porosity at net overburden pressure vs. that at ambient conditions
for 348 core samples. Data are included only for those cores that
were free of induced or natural fractures. The best-fit RMA line
is weighted to give equal credit to core samples with higher porosi-
ties, which are relatively fewer in number. The equation of the best-
fit line is
CPN=0.953CPA -0.003, ....................... , ...... (1)
with porosity as a fraction. This shows that cores from the Travis
Peak formation lose from 0.5 to 1.0 porosity units when going from
ambient to net overburden stress loading. This is comparable to
that for other tight gas rocks. 2
Effect of Net Overburden Stre•• on Permeability
In low-permeability rocks it is very important to conduct the core
analyses so that permeability measurements are derived at net over-
burden stress. The most reliable method is to measure permeabili-
ties directly at net overburden stress, as was done with most of the
cores in this study. However, this is more expensive and tedious
than making the measurements at near-ambient conditions. Thus,
it would be useful to determine the relation of gas permeability meas-
ured at net overburden stress to that measured routinely at a low
sleeve pressure. Fig. 6 presents this comparison for 936 core sam~
pIes from six wells. These results include measurements made on
dry cores, where both pulsed and unsteady-state methods were used
to measure gas permeability. All measurements are either corrected
for the Klinkenberg effect or were conducted at high pore pres-
sure. The net overburden pressure ranged from 3,303 to 5,572 psi
and averaged about 4,650 psi.
Results shown in Fig. 6 are rather scattered. When all core sam-
ples were examined more carefully to understand the cause of this
scatter, many were found to have small coring-induced cracks that
had gone unnoticed by the service laboratory. Fig. 7 shows such
an induced fracture from a thin-section taken from the end trim
of a core that had measured k"" =0.010 md and cP =6.9% at net
overburden stress and k"" =0.065 md at ambient pressure. The
microfracture in Fig. 7 is "" 100 #Lm wide. For a perspective of
the importance of a microfracture on permeability, note that, ac-
cording to Randolph et al., 10 in a core with a plane fracture 10
#Lm wide extending axially along a 1 ~-in.-diameter plug with the

SPE Formation Evalaution, September 1991 311

 TABLE 1-WELLS CORED IN TRAVIS PEAK TIGHT GAS SANDS PROGRAM

Depth Interval Core

Cored Recovered
Well County (tt) (tt)
Ashland, SFOT No. 1 Nacogdoches 9,664 to 9,780 116
10,082 to 10,155 66
Praitie, A.T. Mast No.1 Nacogdoches 8,623 to 8,681 52
9,144 to 9,238 93
9,930 to 9,991 58
Holditch, SFE No. 2 Nacogdoches 8,232 to 8,320 80
8,678 to 8,738 60
9,480 to 9,572 92
9,807 to 9,942 135
Williams, Hughes No. 1 Panola 6,835 to 6,851 16
7,045 to 7,109 64
Marshall, Sawmill No.5 Panola 6,543 to 6,641 97
6,852 to 6,912 55
7,046 to 7,138 92
Arco, B. Phillips No.1 Smith 8,192 to 8,274 82
8,364 to 8,388 24
Mobil, Cargill No. 14 Harrison 5,903 to 5,960 57
6,148 to 6,297 141
Arkla, T.P. Scott NO.5 Harrison 5,823 to 5,865 42
6,143 to 6,236 93
7,413 to 7,523 109
Holditch, Howell No. 5 Harrison 5,950 to 6,311 318
7,395 to 7,563 151
2,093

fracture extending across the full diameter, the fracture would pro-
vide an apparent permeability of2.8 md even with a host rock per-
meability of 0 md. Although the induced fracture shown in Fig.
7 would almost close under stress, even a small residual crack would
lead to a high permeability measurement not representative of the
host rock.
Fig. 8 shows the same data as those presented in Fig. 6 after
exclusion of the permeability measurements determined to be in-
valid. There is much less scatter, especially in the permeability range
above 0.01 md. In two of the six wells, the permeability measure-
ments were made with the automated core-analysis system previ-
ously mentioned, 9 which uses an unsteady-state method. Results
from these two wells are shown in Fig. 9 (with fractured-core data
omitted), with far less scatter than Fig. 6. Note that for this sys-
tem, the lower limit of the permeability measurement was 0.01 md.
The best-fit line shown in Fig. 9 is a polynomial form
log k"",N = -0.077 + 1.053 log k"",A -0.094(log k"",A)2
+0.044(log k oo ,A)3. . ............................ (2)

'"'f-!
C\I
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/
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/
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n _ 41
• .1' .;/ n _41
r _ 0.995
.// r - 0.998
,,_ 0.002 /.
.,(
,,_ 0.004
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'"oo
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o
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/ /
/ /
/ /
o
o .r:;./
0.0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
o
o
0.0
vr 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
POROSITY (HELIUM) POROSITY (HELIUM)

Fig. 2-Comparison of ambient core porosities: brine Fig. 3-Comparlson of ambient core porosities: toluene
resaturatlon vs. helium grain-volume methods. resaturatlon vs. helium grain-volume methods.

312 SPE Fonnation Evaluation, September 1991

 '"'"a ~rn~rnTrnoonnTrn<Trn~rnTrnoTOnTrnnTnn~
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0.0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
POROSITY AT AMSIENT STRESS CORE POROSITY AT AMBIENT CONDITIONS

Fig. 4-Comparlson of core porosities: BOO-psi sleeve pres- Fig. 5-Compari80n of core porosities: net overburden (NOB)
sure vs. ambient pressure with helium. vs. ambient stress with helium.

Fig. 10 shows this same curve overlying all data from the six wells
(fractured-core data omitted). The match is not very satisfactory
in the range below 0.01 md . However, the observed permeability
behavior in this low range seems unreasonable; i.e., there is very
little apparent reduction in permeability at net overburden stress.
Reasons for this behavior are unclear.
Kllnkenberg Correction Factor
For routine core analysis, it is common practice to measure appar-
ent gas permeability at only a single pressure drop at low mean
pore pressure. A Klinkenberg correction is needed to convert this
to gas permeability at infinite mean pore pressure, k ao . The value
of kao is usually assumed to represent reservoir pore pressure con-
ditions because the difference between kao and k at reservoir pore
g~---'-----r----~----~----r----.----~
~~
~~~--~----+---~--~~--~--~~~--~
t! .. ,
.,.
pressure is negligible for most rocks. The relation of kao to meas-
ured gas permeability, k, is
kao =k[lI(1 +bl p)], . ......... .. .. ..... . ......... . . . (3)
where b is the Klinkenberg correction factor and p is the mean pore
pressure used during measurement of k. Klinkenberg correction fac-
tors have been rather widely reported2.7.11-14 for different rock
types and permeabilities. Data collected for this study include
Klinkenberg factors derived from the previously mentioned auto-
mated core-analysis system 9 on core samples from two wells,
Wells Howell No. 5 and SFE No. 2, at both near-ambient (800
psi) and net overburden stresses with helium as the flowing gas.
Fig. 11 presents the Klinkenberg factor (psi) for all core sam-
ples at 8oo-psi stress as a function of kao, with significant scatter
present in the data. Fig, 12 presents the same data with fractured-
core permeability data excluded and much less scatter. For com-
parison, two previously published correlations 2. 12 are shown that
are in fair agreement with the Fig. 12 data. The equation for the
.'
best-fit RMA line shown in Fig . 12 is
[/": b=17.38k~0.43 . . . . ... . . . ... . .. . . .. . ............. . (4)
••
According to Ostensen, 13 if the flow-controlling apertures in the
pore network are slot-like, the exponent in Eq. 4 should be 0.33 ,

Fig. 6-Gas permeability at net overburden vs. ambient pres- Fig. 7-Thln.sectlon mlcrophotogrsph with Induced fracture.
sure (both Kllnkenberg corrected) for six wells, all data. Maximum fracture width = 100 I'm.

SPE Fonnation Evaluation, September 1991 313

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cib-____~----~----~----~--~r_--~I~/--~

..,:
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O~~~II~IU~~"~"I~~~~I~'_'~""~I~~~lIlil~'~I~IW"~"~~IJ~lil o~~~~~~y-Uli~~~~~~~~~~~~
. 00001.0001 .001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100. '.00001 .0001 .001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100 .
K~ AT NOMINAL AMBIENT PRESSURE K~ AT NOMINAL AMBIENT PRESSURE

Fig. 8-Gas permeability at net overburden vs. ambient pres- Fig. 9-Permeabllity results from Wells Howell. No.5 and SFE
sure (both Kllnkenberg corrected) for six wells, Invalid per- No, 2 measured with automated core-analysis system, 9 In-
meability data excluded. valid data excluded.

as found by Jones and Owens. 2 If the apertures are controlled by
spherical grains, however, the permeability exponent should be 0.5.
On this basis, the typical pore network for Travis Peak appears to
be characterized as some intermediate combination of spherical
grains and slot apertures.
All the above data were developed from core measurements made
at near-ambient stress. Fig. 13 presents the Klinkenberg factor for
helium flow through core samples at net overburden stress, with
fractured-core data omitted. Here, net overburden stress ranged
from 3,303 to 5,572 psi, with an average of =::4,700 psi. Data are
more scattered here than those for the same core samples meas-
ured at near-ambient stress. The equation for the best-fit RMA line
shown in Fig. 13 is
b= 12.05k~O.40. . ................................. (5)
Note that the effect of net overburden stress has decreased the ex-
ponent in the direction of slot-like apertures.
Relation of Brine and Gas Permeability
All permeability measurements in the preceding discussion deal with
gas flow through dry cores. To relate these results to the flow of
gas in rocks at reservoir conditions at partial water saturations,
several added linkages are needed. First, the permeability of the
rock at net overburden stress when saturated with formation brine

ci
8~------~------~-------r------~-------'

w
a:
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a: , '. _
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.00001.0001 .001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100.
K~ AT NOMINAL AMBIENT PRESSURE .001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100 .
K~ AT NOMINAL AMBIENT PRESSURE

Fig. 10-Gas permeability at net overburden v~. ambient pres-

sure (both Kllnkenberg corrected) for six wells, Invalid data Fig. 11-Kllnkenberg factor at nominal ambient pressure for
excluded. helium, all data for Wells Howell No.5 and SFE No.2.

314 SPE Formation Evaluation, September 1991

 I
From Jones and Owens
2

I I.
From Lullel and Randall
12

n _ 290
r _ 0.911
,,=0.174 n - 291
r - 0.711
,,=0.3'-4

~.~-W~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~.001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100. .001 .01 .1 1. 10. 100 .
K.., AT NOMINAL AMBIENT PRESSURE K.., AT NOB PRESSURE

Fig. 12-Kllnkenberg factor at nominal ambient pressure for Fig. 13-Kllnkenberg factor at net overburden stress for heli-
helium, Wells Howell No.5 and SFE 2, Invalid data excluded. um, Wells Howell No.5 and SFE No.2, Invalid data excluded.

needs to be related to koo at net overburden stress. Then, effects
of varying partial water saturations on relative permeabilities to gas
and water need to be determined. Relative permeability relation-
ships in the Travis Peak formation are currently under study in the
GRI Tight Gas Sands program, but are not treated in this paper.
With regard to the relation of brine permeability to gas permea-
bility in the Travis Peak formation, it· is necessary to consider the
effects of clays present. Recent work by Tye et al. 15 shows the
presence of fibrous illite in the Travis Peak, which is matted ~d
altered by normal extraction and drying of the rock. Previous
work 16 reported for rock samples from the North Sea containing
illite and mixed-layer illite and smectite demonstrated that these
clays collapsed during extraction and drying. This led to permea-
bility increases by a factor of 5 to 30. On the other hand, subse-
quent work 17 in another study of North Sea reservoir rocks showed
that resaturation of air-dried samples with brine largely restored
the original illite morphology.
Work lS was recently reported in which plugs from preserved
Travis Peak cores were saturated with brine, permeabilities were
measured, plugs were extracted and dried, gas permeabilities were
measured, brine was resaturated, and brine permeabilities were
remeasured. These results showed that gas permeabilities of dry
cores averaged three times the brine permeabilities of preserved
cores, but brine permeabilities of extracted, resaturated cores were

PRESENT sruoy --.../

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POROSI1Y AT NOB PRESSURE

Fig. 14-Relatlon of water-saturated permeability to

Kllnkenberg-corrected gas permeability, both measured at net
overburden pressure, In cores from Wells Howell No.5 and Fig. 15-Relatlon of Kllnkenberg-corrected gas permeability
SFE No.2. to porosity at net overburden stress, all data.

SPE Formation Evaluation, September 1991 315

 oO'~~--r--'--r-~~~~__,.~.~
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~ • ,.·· .. il' .' ' .•
•
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N.585
r '"' 0.797
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a ....Z",.J... ". (J= 0.930
~E~----~-.~·~$*:~·L-.~··~·--~-----------------d~
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o.~071----~~--~~~~.1----~---L~~-L~~1.0
CORE POROSITY AT NOB PRESSURE
POROSITY AT NOB PRESSURE

Fig. 17-Relatlon of Kllnkenberg-corrected gas permeability

Fig. 16-Relatlon of Kllnkenberg·corrected gas permeability to porosity at net overburden stress, fluvial/deltaic channel
to porosity at net overburden stress, Invalid data excluded. sandstones only, Invalid data excluded,

increased only by a factor of 1.5 compared with the preserved state.
This suggests that the illite morphology was largely restored in these
rocks upon resaturation.
Although the questions raised above still are not fully resolved
for the Travis peak formation, some useful interim data have been
developed. In 23 selected core samples from Wells Howell No.
5 and SFE No.2, koo at net overburden stress was measured on
the extracted, dry samples. Then the core samples were saturated
with equivalent formation brine (15 % NaCl) and brine permeabil-
ities, kw, measured at net overburden stress. Fig, 14 compares
these gas and brine permeabilities, with gas permeability ranging
from 0.001 to 44 md. The best-fit RMA line shown in Fig. 14 is
kw=O.52 kJ;J3 . ................................... (6)
This correlation shows that at high permeability very little reduc-
tion in permeability occurs when going from a dry to a brine-
saturated core. At low permeability (e.g., 0.001 md), there is a
reduction of a factor of 5. This behavior is compared in Fig. 14
with two previous correlations 2 •19 reported for other tight gas
sands. The Travis Peak behavior is similar but generally shows less
reduction comparing brine with gas permeability.
Relation of Permeability to Porosity
In tight gas sands, permeability prediction from log analysis is of
major importance for predicting productivity, selecting well com-
pletion intervals, assisting in design of fracture stimulation, and
estimating reserves. There are several major controls to consider
when relating permeability to rock properties: porosity, grain size,

• !,
:, .:>
."/. /
I
/

--------------:~··'!r~,---------- - - - - - - - - -.- ----------;'/L--------d

• ';.> ./.....
. ·.r: f. /

UJ
---------- :Jf:~~- .
, ..1./ .

. ,I,· . w
1=-----------------
, /
.I /
/
/
-1---._-------

a: cr
::> : o":/oIC:·· .... ::>
~~ -·-·---:·-:f)~ - ~~ _ _ _ _L -_ _ _ _ ~~----------------~
UJ w
a: .' r' l cr
" . /:'
~ ..1. ,;,
Cl. Cl.
, t·
<Xl
- --~--;.,.:;:...:..,:','~:"
!D , '. i:' .
o~
ZO
!;( .
I." 0.iJ. •• ;.: ...=-. r
o~
ZO
!;( . --. -~.. ,',y',;:
:./- ..
:.'1 .
. ':¢"":·:~::··I
~ .0"
'~4;
......
,
I
'., ~ . '.' l..!.o':_·t-----------------d
:;::-".7··---~-""'
•
_ -0,
./
i- a.
• •••
• • '1
t .----
i
-----~---
n 441
~
'. / ~.
~---""""f"'" . ' -
I ,. : ' n - 144
r _ 0.821
• -1',': . . , I ' . , r - 0.700
0.890 ./ " G=o.n7
,.>'..'. .
0=
_~l~;~'~-"___ _
----'-'-·~r';-·---.-.:.,-----------------.,,1
I.
ao I" g I
/
g~.071----~~--~~~~.1~--~--~~~-L~~1.0 g.~071----LL~~~-L~~.1----~---L-L-L-L~~1.0
CORE POROSITY AT NOB PRESSURE CORE POROSITY AT NOB PRESSURE

Fig, 18-Relatlon of Kllnkenberg·corrected gas permeability Fig. 19-Relatlon of Kllnkenberg-corrected gas permeability
to porosity at net overburden stress, all sandstones, Invalid to porosity at net overburden stress, siltstones and mud-
data excluded. stones, Invalid data excluded.

316 SPE Formation Evaluation, September 1991

grain sorting, cementing, clay content, and rock type. For the scope
of the study presented here, only porosity and rock type are con-
sidered as controls because these are the most readily obtainable o----GRMMR---
ISO SfL-
ILH ......... LOG - LOG -
CORE- CORE-
from logs. RRY IRPIJ ILO -----
200 0.25 0100 0.001
Fig. 15 presents all data representing direct measurements of koe -120 30 0.2
POROSITY PERHERB I LI TY
SP 1 MV J RESISTIVITY
vs. core porosity at net overburden stress for 926 core samples from IHO)

-. IJ
W.tr.ff
eight wells. The best-fit RMA line is shown. An unsatisfactory
amount of scatter is shown with a standard deviation equivalent to
a factor of 8.8 on permeability. A great deal of this scatter results
:' c--.. ~ 1·[ '--
•
' I
from permeability measurements included from cores with induced IT:
'\i~ • !
I '. '
6200
I
-~
I~

W
)
fractures. Fig. 16 presents the correlation with the fractured-core

~-~- J~-I
permeability data excluded, showing a significant improvement.
<\
'-I ""
,,-
As mentioned earlier, five major environmental rock types exist F-r--:::
r- - :-+--"'''''- ---+ t- -~
in the Travis Peak formation in the study area. I The rock type of
most economic interest is the fluvial/deltaic channel sand. Fig. 17 ,
:,
J .~
I, I'
~-·+--I--
r-p::
, ~

-- ·-t-~
: I
presents the permeability and porosity relation for this rock type,
-- ..':.~-t- -- _._--- L ""'t;"
-1.. <j:::::;;
with a much improved correlation and a standard deviation corre- '}
sponding to a factor of 5.2 on permeability. - - • 6250
I .:r~

ft: -~- r- -
Each of the five major rock types is difficult to distinguish from ~
,
,-
logs alone. Fig. 18 presents the correlation of permeability and - - .- .'S
~
,.-'-
porosity for the three sandstone rock types of the fluvial/deltaic _l~
---
lJ - - r- . - I--;~ --1-+
r ~
-
--"
:--:-=
crevasse splay, fluvial/deltaic channel, and delta fringe channel.
These rock types can be distinguished as a group from log responses
,-'
S"lJ
, --f;"
1--- .- -- ··-'r--- -t -~
k--;""
f ··-
f--" ~
\

-- ._''~~ -
'. . - i-
and appear generally as relatively clean sandstones. Note that the
best-fit RMA line does not differ significantly from that shown in -;)
-'
r-- --
~
v:
..
Fig. 17. The equation for the best-fit RMA line shown in Fig. 18 is ' .' 7
" ,-
-- .
6300

,D i b"i k:'
koe =6.47 X 10 7 cp8.03. . ..•....•......•.....•........ (7)

'P--
,)

-
-'V tr (?:r-
The two remaining rock types, fluvial/deltaic flood plain and delta
fringe tidal flat, are generally siltstones and mudstones. These can "rt-"
1'3,
r - :f':
r
--- -i r- ~~ -- --
I>- I> I'-
also be distinguished as a group from log responses because they
are shalier and have lower porosities. Fig. 19 presents permeabil-
ity and porosity data for these two rock types. Note the lower porosi- Fig. 20-Comparlson of core analysis permeability to that cal·
ty range and the different best-fit RMA correlation, given by culated from log analysis and study correlation, Well Howell
No.5.
koe =3.52 X 10 4 cp5.81. . ............................. (8)
To illustrate the application of these correlations for predicting 4. Correlations are presented for predicting koe from porosity.
koe, Fig. 20 shows results from log analysis in a cored section of These correlations are improved when applied to specific environ-
Well Howell No.5. In this example, porosity was calculated from mental rock types.
a combination of log responses as described by Howard and
Hunt 20 in the following way. Porosity was calculated separately Nomenclature
for the density and neutron logs, then corrected for shaliness. For
cases where gas effects were present (corrected density porosity b = Klinkenberg correction factor, psi
>corrected neutron porosity), a weighted-average final porosity k = permeability to gas, md
was calculated with 80% weighting on the corrected density porosi- kw = permeability to water, md
ty. For cases where heavy mineral effects were present (corrected koe = Klinkenberg-corrected gas permeability, md
density porosity < corrected neutron porosity), 50% weighting was n = number of samples
used. Core porosities measured at net overburden stress are shown p = mean pore pressure, psi
for comparison with log porosities in Fig. 20 and are in good agree- r = correlation coefficient
ment. Calculated values of koe are then derived from Eqs. 7 and (J= standard deviation
8, as described above, with log-calculated porosities. Fig. 20 shows cp = porosity, fracture
good agreement between predicted permeabilities and those meas-
ured directly by core analysis over the wide range from 0.001 to Subscripts
'" 30 md. Note that invalid core permeability results caused by frac-
A = ambient stress, psi
tures have been omitted in Figs. 17 through 20. Also note that,
in the correlation for the sandstones represented by Fig. 18 and N = net overburden stress, psi
Eq. 7, permeability is very sensitive to small variations in porosi-
ty, requiring that extreme care be used to calculate porosity from Acknowledgments
log analysis for satisfactory permeability predictions. This work was prepared for and funded by the GRI under Contract
No. 5084-211-1062 under the management of Kent Perry.
Conclusions
1. A correlation is presented for determining porosities at net References
overburden stress from routine porosities measured at ambient con- 1. Dutton, S.P. and Finley, R.J.: "Controls on Reservoir Quality in Tight
ditions. Sandstones of the Travis Peak: Formation, East Texas," SPEFE (March
2. A correlation is presented for relating Klinkenberg-corrected 1988) 97-104.
gas permeability, koe' at net overburden stress to koe measured at 2. Jones, F.O. Jr. and Owens, W.W.: "A Laboratory Study of Low-
near-ambient conditions. This correlation is greatly improved when Permeability Gas Sands," lPT(Sept. 1980) 1631-40.
fractured-core data are omitted. 3. Jennings, J.B., Carroll, H.B., and Raible, C.J.: "The Relationship of
Permeability to Confining Pressure in Low Permeability Rock," paper
3. Correlations for the Klinkenberg factor are presented for both SPE 9870 presented at the 1981 SPE/DOE Low Permeability Sympo-
net overburden and near-ambient stress. These correlations are spe- sium, Denver, May 27-29.
cific to the Travis Peak formation and suggest a pore network that 4. Walls, J.D.: "Tight Gas Sands-Permeability, Pore Structure, and
is a combination of grain-supported and slot-like apertures. Clay," lPT(Nov. 1982) 2708-14.

SPE Formation Evaluation, September 1991 317


Authors
Luffel Howard Hunt
Donald L. Luffel has been an Interpretation specialist at
ResTech Houston Inc. In Houston for 5 years. He previously
worked at Exxon U.S.A. Co. for 37 years In research and op-
erations In reservoir engineering and formation evaluation,
primarily In early evaluation of new reservoirs. He holds a BS
degree In chemical engineering from Kansas U. Luffel served
on the SPE Editorial Review Committee (1980-83) and the
Well Logging (1976-77) and Pressure-Transient Testing
(1974-75) technical committees. William E. Howard Is presi-
dent of ResTech, where he has worked for 8 years. Previously,
he worked for Schlumberger In field, ssles, and management
positions. He holds a BBA degree In engineering and business
from Texas A&I U. Erelll R. Hunt Is president of Erclll Hunt
& Assocs. Inc. Before his company's establishment In 1989,
he was director of Interpretation development at ResTech for
6 years and worked at Schlumberger for 21 years. He was
a program leader at Schlumberger.Doll Research Center. He
holds a BS degree In electrical engineering from the U. of
Kentucky.
5. Walls, J.D., Nur, A.M., and Bourbie, T.: "Effects of Pressure and
Partial Water Saturation on Gas Penneability in Tight Sands: Experimen-
tal Results," JPT (April 1982) 930-36.
6. Randolph, P.L.: "Porosity and Permeability of Mesaverde Sandstone
Core from the U.S. DOE Multiwell Experiment, Garfield County,
Colorado," paper SPE 11765 presented at the 1983 SPE/DOE Low
Permeability Gas Reservoirs Symposium, Denver, March 14-16.
7. Wei, K.K., Morrow, N.R., and Brower, K.R.: "Effect of Fluid, Con-
fining Pressure, and Temperature on Absolute Permeabilities of Low-
Permeability Sandstones," SPEFE (Aug. 1986) 413-23.
8. Luffel, D.L. and Howard, W.E.: "Reliability of Laboratory Measure-
ment of Porosity in Tight Gas Sands," SPEFE (Dec. 1988) 705-10.
9. Keelan, D.K.: "Automated Core Measurement System for Enhanced
Core Data at Overburden Conditions," paper SPE 15185 presented at
the 1986 SPE Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, Billings, MT,
May 19-21.
318
10. Randolph, P .L., Soeder, D.J., and Chowdiah, P.: "Porosity and Per-
meability of Tight Sands," paper SPE 12836 presented at the 1984
SPEIDOEIGRI Unconventional Gas Recovery Symposium, Pittsburgh,
May 13-15.
11. Sampath, K. and Keighin, C.W.: "Factors Affecting Gas Slippage in
Tight Sandstones," paper SPE 9872 presented at the 1981 SPE/DOE
Low Permeability Symposium, Denver, May 27-29.
12. Luffel, D.L. and Randall, R.V.: "Core Handling and Measurement
for Obtaining Reliable Reservoir Characteristics," paper 1642G present-
ed at the 1960 SPE Formation Evaluation Conference, Houston, Nov.
21-22.
13. Ostensen, R. W.: "Microcrack Permeability in Tight Gas Sandstone, "
SPEI (Dec. 1983) 919-27.
14. Jones, S.C.: "Using the Inertial Coefficient, p, To Characterize Het-
erogeneity in Reservoir Rock," paper SPE 16949 presented at the 1987
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Sept. 27-30.
15. Tye, R.S. et at.: "The Role of Geology in Characterizing Low-
Permeability Sandstones, North Appleby Field, East Texas Basin,"
paper SPE 18964 presented at the 1989 SPE Joint Rocky Mountain
Regional/Low Permeability Reservoirs Symposium, Denver, March 6-8.
16. Heaviside, J., Langley, G.O., and Pallatt, N.: "Permeability Charac-
teristics of Magnus Reservoir Rock, " paper presented at the Seventh
SPWLA European Formation Evaluation Symposium, London (March
14-15, 1983).
17. deWaal, J.A. et al.: "Petrophysical Core Analysis of Sandstones Con-
taining Delicate Dlite," The Log Analyst (Sept.-Oct. 1988) 317-31.
18. Luffel, D.L., Herrington, K.L., and Walls, J.D.: "Effect of Extrac-
tion and Drying on Flow, Capillary, and Electrical Properties of Travis
Peak Cores Containing Fibrous mites," paper SPE 20725 presented
at the 1990 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New
Orleans, Sept. 23-26.
19. Chowdiah, P.: "Laboratory Measurements Relevant to Tw<>-Pbase Flow
in a Tight Gas Sand Matrix," paper SPE 16945 presented at the 1987
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Sept. 27-30.
20. Howard, W.E. and Hunt, E.R.: "Travis Peak: An Integrated Approach
to Formation Evaluation," paper SPE 15208 presented at the 1986 SPE
Unconventional Gas Technology Symposium, Louisville, KY, May
18-21.
81 ".trlc Conv....lon Factor.
ft x 3.048* E-Ol m
in. x 2.54* E+OO em
md x 9.869233 E-04 p.m2
psi x 6.894757 E+OO kPa
'Conversion factor Is exact. SPEFE
Or1ginal SPE manuscript received for review March 6, 1969. Paper accepted for publica-
tion Feb. 21,1991. Revised manuscript received Feb. 14, 1991. Paper (SPE 19008) first
presented at the 1969 SPE Joint Rocky Mountaln RegionaVLow Permeability Reservoira
Symposium and Exhibttion held in Denver, March ~.
SPE Formation Evaluation, September 1991