PORE-PRESSURE INFLUENCE IN THE POROELASTIC BEHAVIOR OF ROCKS - EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES AND RESULTS

The influence of pore pressure on the elastic strain of rocks is basic to reservoir compaction and subsidence problems and in reservoir engineering and environment studies. Biot's coefficient is an important parameter used to determine the influence of pore pressure on rock deformation. This paper presents measurements of Biot's coefficient on limestone samples and interprets these measurements. The coefficients used in poroelastic studies first are defined as Biot's coefficient and compressibility coefficients proposed by Zimmerman. Then, the experimental apparatus and procedures used to measure these coefficients are described. Finally, the results, which confirm the theoretical framework of poroelasticity, are presented and discussed. The compressibility coefficients and Biot's coefficient increase with porosity according to a law that is formally similar to a Hashin-Shtrickman's type law. For porosities in the 4.5% to 23% range, Biot's coefficient increases from 0.34 to 0.83.