The Understanding of Intertwined Physics: Discovering Capillary Pressure and Permeability Co-Determination

TL;DR

This paper uncovers the inverse relationship between capillary pressure and permeability, revealing how pore structure links these properties and advancing understanding in geodynamics, biology, and material design.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analytical and experimental framework demonstrating the intertwined behavior and physical connectors between capillary pressure and permeability.

Findings

Quantified the inverse relationship between capillary pressure and permeability.

Identified pore throat size and network as physical connectors.

Validated findings through experiments and analytical derivation.

Abstract

Although capillary and permeability are the two most important physical properties controlling fluid distribution and flow in nature, the interconnectivity function between them was a pressing challenge. Because knowing permeability leads to determining capillary pressure. Geodynamics (e.g., subsurface water, CO2 sequestration) and organs (e.g., plants, blood vessels) depend on capillary pressure and permeability. The first determines how far the fluid can reach, while the second determines how fast the fluid can flow in porous media. They are also vital to designing synthetic materials and micro-objects like membranes and micro-robotics. Here, we reveal the capillary and permeability intertwined behavior function. And demonstrate the unique physical connectors: pore throat size and network, linking capillary pressure and permeability. Our discovery quantifies the inverse relationship between capillary pressure and permeability for the first time, which we analytically derived and experimentally proved.