ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Page Count: 8

Evaluation and Application of the Transient-Pulse Technique for Determining the Hydraulic Properties of Low-Permeability Rocks—Part 1: Theoretical Evaluation

Zhang, M
Geological Survey of Japan, Ibaraki,

Takahashi, M
Geological Survey of Japan, Ibaraki,

Morin, RH
United States Geological Survey, Denver, CO

Esaki, T
Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka,

(Received 29 December 1998; accepted 29 September 1999)

Abstract

The transient-pulse technique is a well-established laboratory method for determining the permeability of hydraulically tight rocks. Although graphical solutions to this test make it possible to evaluate both the permeability and the specific storage of a rock specimen, the attendant procedures are relatively complicated. Often, the expression introduced by Brace et al. (1968) is typically used to interpret the experimental results and arrive at a value for permeability only. In Part 1 of this study, the general solution for the transient-pulse test is extended to consider quantitatively the transient distributions of hydraulic head and hydraulic gradient within the specimen and to examine the validity of using the solution presented by Brace et al. (1968) under these conditions. Based on a series of parametric studies, some theoretical and practical considerations related to the design of a transient-pulse test are also provided. In Part 2, a relatively convenient and general approach to calculating the specific storage of a specimen from a transient-pulse test is presented and its efficiency is demonstrated through the application of this approach to experimental investigations.

Keywords:
transient pulse, permeability test, low permeability, specific storage, hydraulic gradient, theoretical evaluation

Paper ID: GTJ11126J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11126J
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