Which term refers to the ease with which fluids flow through rock due to pore connectivity?

Which term refers to the ease with which fluids flow through rock due to pore connectivity?

• A. Porosity
• B. Permeability
• C. Capillarity
• D. Adsorption

Answer: (B)

Permeability is the measure of how easily a fluid can move through rock when the pore spaces form a connected network. It depends on how connected the pores are and the size of the openings between them, not just how much void space there is. A rock can have a lot of pore space (high porosity) but still flow poorly if the pores aren’t connected well, while a well-connected network with larger pathways allows fluids to flow more readily. This concept is distinct from porosity, which only counts the volume fraction of voids; capillarity deals with how fluids rise or move in narrow pore spaces due to surface tension and wettability; and adsorption is about molecules sticking to rock surfaces.

Permeability is the measure of how easily a fluid can move through rock when the pore spaces form a connected network. It depends on how connected the pores are and the size of the openings between them, not just how much void space there is. A rock can have a lot of pore space (high porosity) but still flow poorly if the pores aren’t connected well, while a well-connected network with larger pathways allows fluids to flow more readily. This concept is distinct from porosity, which only counts the volume fraction of voids; capillarity deals with how fluids rise or move in narrow pore spaces due to surface tension and wettability; and adsorption is about molecules sticking to rock surfaces.