Local Percolation Probabilities for a Natural Sandstone

TL;DR

This paper presents the first measurements of local percolation probabilities in natural sandstone, demonstrating their consistency with theoretical expectations and highlighting their importance in predicting transport properties in porous media.

Contribution

It introduces the first experimental measurements of three-dimensional local percolation probabilities in natural sandstone, linking pore structure to connectivity and transport.

Findings

Local percolation probabilities are consistent with theoretical models.

Measurements of local porosity distributions are feasible from pore space reconstructions.

Results improve understanding of transport in heterogeneous porous media.

Abstract

Local percolation probabilities are used to characterize the connectivity in porous and heterogeneous media. Together with local porosity distributions they allow to predict transport properties \cite{hil91d}. While local porosity distributions are readily obtained, measurements of the local percolation probabilities are more difficult and have not been attempted previously. First measurements of three dimensional local porosity distributions and percolation probabilities from a pore space reconstruction for a natural sandstone show that theoretical expectations and experimental results are consistent.