An experimental method of characterization of deformable porous media

Adress of the contacts: I2M-TREFLE site ENSAM: Esplanade des Arts et Métiers, 33405 Talence, France
Mario BOULOS: mario.boulos@ensam.eu, Wahbi JOMAA: wahbi.jomaa@u-bordeaux1.fr, Alain SOMMIER: alain.sommier@ensam.eu, Denis BRUNEAU: denis.bruneau@ensam.eu

Abstract

A porous medium saturated with liquid and placed within a medium that undergoes a change in pressure reacts by shrinking. If the space contains the same liquid as the pores of the sample, then after a certain lapse of time the sample dilates. By measuring this dilation kinetic the specimen’s permeability can be approximated. This experimental method is called Dynamic Pressurisation. We set up an experimental apparatus to measure the permeability and the different agarose gel compressibility moduli. The liquid contained inside the gel pores is water. We have realized experiments in water and others in oil. In Scherer’s method the flow is considered only in the radial direction. To find the real permeability value we have built a numerical model considering that both the liquid and the solid are compressible. The simulations were compared to the experimental results and have allowed finding the real value of the permeability by considering the flow in both radial and axial directions.