Applications of mercury intrusion capillary pressure for pore structures: A review

Abstract

The shape, size, and connectivity of porous structures control the overall storage capacity and flow in oil and gas reservoirs. The mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP) technique is widely utilized to measure capillary pressure and calculate pore size distribution of core samples in the geo-energy industry. Combining the MICP capillary pressure data with parameters from other experimental methods (such as scanning electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance) or theoretical approaches (such as fractal theory) can more accurately describe the pore structure of reservoirs. In this paper, the latest advances on the application of primary drainage MICP curves from reservoir porous structures are reviewed in three main aspects: The measurement and calculation of MICP capillary pressure, estimation of pore size distributions making use of fractal characteristics, and determination of permeability. Experimental measurements and numerical simulation methods of MICP capillary pressure with its influencing factors are also discussed. MICP capillary pressure combined with other methods are argued to be one of the main directions for future research on reservoir pore structures.