ISSN: 0149-6115
Page Count: 9

Evaluation and Application of the Transient-Pulse Technique for Determining the Hydraulic Properties of Low-Permeability Rocks—Part 2: Experimental Application

Zhang, M
Geological Survey of Japan,

Takahashi, M
Geological Survey of Japan,

Morin, RH
United States Geological Survey,CO,

Esaki, T
Kyushu University,

(Received 29 December 1998; accepted 29 September 1999)

Abstract

In Part 1 of this study, the general solution to the transient-pulse test (Hsieh et al. 1981) was extended to evaluate quantitatively the transient variations in hydraulic head and the corresponding distributions of hydraulic gradient within a test specimen. In addition, the conditions and the validity of using the expression proposed by Brace et al. (1968) to compute the low permeability of a rock specimen from a transient-pulse test were examined. Some theoretical considerations related to the optimal design of a transient-pulse test were also discussed. Part 2 presents a relatively general and convenient approach for determining not only the hydraulic conductivity and specific storage of a specimen directly from a transient-pulse test, but also the compressive storage of the fluid reservoirs. The accuracy and efficiency of this method are demonstrated through (1) the comparison of the compressibility of the fluid-reservoir (permeating) system back-calculated from the transient-pulse tests with the value obtained from calibration tests, and (2) its application to a series of experimental studies designed to investigate the effects of confining pressure on the hydraulic properties of Shirahama sandstone and Inada granite, two rock types available widely in Japan.

Keywords:
transient-pulse, permeability test, hydraulic conductivity, specific storage, compressibility of fluid reservoir, parameter identification, Shirahama sandstone, Inada granite

Paper ID: GTJ11127J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11127J
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