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Laboratory Measurement of Low-Permeability Rocks With a New Flow Pump System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Ming Zhang ,
Manabu Takahashi  and
Tetsuro Esaki
Ming Zhang
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Japan; 1-1-3 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, JAPAN, zhang@gsj.go.jp
Manabu Takahashi
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Japan; 1-1-3 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, JAPAN
Tetsuro Esaki
Affiliation:
Kyushu University, Institute of Environmental Systems, Fukuoka 812-81, JAPAN
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Abstract

Nearly impermeable host rocks have been recognized as favorable media for many kinds of underground utilization such as radioactive nuclear waste disposal, storage of oil and LP gas, and CAES. To properly evaluate the ability of a geologic medium to retard transmission of fluids, it is necessary to accurately measure its hydraulic properties, most notably the permeability and specific storage. This paper presents a new flow pump permeability test system capable of testing low-permeability rocks under high confining and high pore pressure conditions, which simulate ground pressures at large depths. The new system was used to test the Inada Granite from Japan. The results of present study show that: 1) both permeability and specific storage of the rock are dependent not only on the confining pressure but also on the pore pressure. They decrease with the increment of the effective confining pressure, i.e., the difference between confining and pore pressures; 2) the permeability and specific storage of Inada Granite range from 10−11 to 10−12 cm/s and 10−6 to 10−7 1/cm, respectively. The flow pump technique with its rigorous theoretical analysis can be used to effectively obtain such low permeabilities within several tens of hours; 3) the storage capacity of flow pump system itself decreases with the increment of fluid pressure within the permeating system.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 506: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXI , 1997 , 889
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

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