On the prediction of permeability and relative permeability from pore size distributions

Lionel Ecay (1) , David Grégoire (1) , Gilles Pijaudier-Cabot (1)

1 LFCR - Laboratoire des Fluides Complexes et leurs Réservoirs

This paper addresses the calculation of the relative permeability of concrete and rocks with a model that is aimed at being implemented in large scale computations for evaluating the tightness of vessels. To this end, it is necessary to rely on some fast procedure and a random hierarchical capillary approach is used. It is based on the extension of an existing model proposed initially to describe the evolution of the intrinsic permeability of mortar undergoing micro-cracking. First, the efficiency of this existing model is tested on several types of concretes and rocks, with permeability spanning over 6 orders of magnitude. Then, the model is adapted to obtain the relative permeability to gas and liquid as a function of the saturation of the porous solid with respect to the liquid phase. The extended model is shown to provide reasonably accurate predictions for several concretes and rocks tested in the literature.

Mots clés: Permeability; Relative permeability; Pore size distribution; Capillary bundle

Domaines: Matériaux et structures en mécanique [physics.class-ph]; Matériaux et structures en mécanique [physics.class-ph]

Lionel Ecay, David Grégoire, Gilles Pijaudier-Cabot. On the prediction of permeability and relative permeability from pore size distributions. Cement and Concrete Research, 2020, 133, pp.106074. ⟨10.1016/j.cemconres.2020.106074⟩. ⟨hal-02869667⟩