A Convenient Device to Measure the Permeability of Intact Rock (Heterogeneity and Anisotropy)

The permeability of intact rocks affects a wide range of natural and engineered systems, yet its measurement remains costly and involves time demanding test protocols. Gas permeameters may improve efficiency but involve a complex series of pore-scale processes. In addition, peripheral damage during coring and the jacket-rock interface create a preferential flow path that affects the inferred permeability. We present a convenient permeameter for liquid-based permeability measurements using an unjacketed disk specimen. The test configuration minimizes peripheral flow bias and expedites testing times. The permeameter uses readily available devices for pressure and flow rate measurement/control and can be readily configured to measure rock permeability across six orders of magnitude. Preliminary numerical simulations allowed us to optimize the test design, to extract coefficients for data correction, and to process data to recover permeability anisotropy. The system is experimentally verified against industry standards and used to test cleaning protocols to remove fines left on the specimen surface after specimen preparation; these fines may cause clogging at the inlet phase-a bias that affects all permeameters.