The effect of drilling fluids on particular subterranean environments can be analyzed to improve the formation of drilling fluids and additives such as lost circulation materials. A plug can be generated by a particle plugging apparatus by injecting lost circulation material into the particle plugging apparatus. A set of tests to be performed on the plug can be identified. The set of tests can include at least one physical test and at least one electronic test. A test schedule indicating the order in which each test of the set of tests is to be performed can be defined. The set of tests can be executed to generate a testing output. The testing output can be used to generate a three-dimensional network model of the plug.

A single stage high pressure mercury injection capillary pressure measurement apparatus includes a sample sub-assembly, a transducer sub-assembly, a hydraulic intensifier, and a gas cylinder. The sample sub-assembly includes a casing having walls defining an interior volume, a penetrometer arranged in the casing, the penetrometer having walls defining a sample volume, an annular space defined between the walls of the casing and the walls of the penetrometer, and a common chamber fluidly connected to the annular space by a fluid line and to the sample volume of the penetrometer by a tubing. The transducer sub-assembly is fluidly connected to the sample sub-assembly via the common chamber and includes a plurality of high-pressure transducers a plurality of low-pressure transducers. The hydraulic intensifier is fluidly connected to the common chamber and is configured to apply a high pressure to the annular space.

Methods of estimating permeability of reservoir rocks using mercury injection capillary pressure can include: receiving mercury injection capillary pressure test data and porosity data for a core sample; determining a fractal dimension (D) for the core sample based on the received mercury injection capillary pressure test data for the core sample; determining a pore throat radius (R.sub.d) for the core sample; determining a composite parameter (β) for the core sample where $\beta =\frac{\varnothing R_d}{\left(D-2\right)};$
and estimating permeability (K) of the core sample based on a relationship of ln(K) as a function of ln(β) determined by performing a regression analysis data from other core samples from the reservoir.

A method for inspecting a separation membrane structure includes an assembly step of sealing a separation membrane structure that includes a porous substrate and a separation membrane into a casing, and an inspection step of applying pressure to an inspection liquid that has filled a first main surface side of the separation membrane.

A method of determining absolute permeability in carbonates without upscaling computations includes performing a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and a mercury-injection capillary-pressure (MICP) analysis on at least three samples from carbonate rock of a set of representative regions to determine an experimental permeability, where each of the representative regions have properties related to the porosity and pore-throat size of the carbonate rock. A series of low resolution X-ray scans and a series of high resolution X-ray scans are performed on the same three samples of the carbonate rock of the set of representative regions. Permeability simulations are performed on the same three samples of the carbonate rock of the set of representative regions to determine a computed permeability. The experimental permeability and the computed permeability are then compared to provide computationally manageable and reasonable estimates of the absolute permeability of the carbonate rock.

The present invention a method for determining the gas saturation of a tight reservoir. The method comprises the steps of: determining the pore size distribution of the tight reservoir rock sample, and calculating the free water saturation; calculating the water-membrane water saturation; calculating the corner water saturation; calculating the gas saturation of the tight reservoir rock sample according to the following equation:
S.sub.g=100−S.sub.w wherein S.sub.w is the water saturation in %; S.sub.w is the sum of the free water saturation, the water saturation and the corner water saturation; S.sub.g is the gas saturation in %. The method for determining the gas saturation of a tight reservoir uses model calculations, which avoids errors in the determination results of the gas saturation caused by water volatilization, surface adsorption, and observation of water flow during experiments.

Methods of estimating permeability of reservoir rocks using mercury injection capillary pressure can include: receiving mercury injection capillary pressure test data and porosity data for a core sample; determining a fractal dimension (D) for the core sample based on the received mercury injection capillary pressure test data for the core sample; determining a pore throat radius (R.sub.d) for the core sample; determining a composite parameter (β) for the core sample where

[00001]$\beta =\frac{\varnothing R_d}{\left(D-2\right)};$

and estimating permeability (K) of the core sample based on a relationship of ln(K) as a function of ln(β) determined by performing a regression analysis data from other core samples from the reservoir.

A method of rock typing includes obtaining mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) data regarding a region of interest. A distance matrix is computed for distributions determined from the MICP data using a statistical distance metric. A cluster tree of the distributions is generated using the distance matrix. The cluster tree is adjusted based on a petrographic characteristic to produce an adjusted cluster tree, which is used to determine a pore structure types of the region of interest.

A pore analysis method is described which comprises the steps of generating a model of a medium, the model comprising a regular array of pores, the pores being connected to adjacent ones of the pores by throats, modifying the sizes of the pores and throats until the model of the medium is representative of the medium, simulating, using the model, the effect of percolation of the medium using a fluid at a first pressure, repeating the simulation step with progressively increasing intrusion pressures and noting, for each pore, the intrusion pressure at which intrusion of that pore occurs, and identifying, from the information relating to the intrusion pressure at which intrusion of each pore occurs and from the shape of the void size distribution, at least one pore that should be treated, during further analysis, as comprising a cluster of voids.

A method of determining absolute permeability in carbonates without upscaling computations includes performing a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and a mercury-injection capillary-pressure analysis on at least three samples from the carbonate rock to determine an experimental permeability. A series of low resolution X-ray scans and a series of high resolution X-ray scans are performed to determine a set of representative regions, wherein each of the representative regions reflects properties related to the porosity and pore-throat size of the carbonate rock. Permeability simulations are performed on the set of representative regions to determine a computed permeability. The experimental permeability and the computed permeability are compared to demonstrate that the set of representative regions provide computationally manageable and reasonable estimates of the permeability of the carbonate rock.