Numerical simulation of creeping fluid flow in reconstruction models of porous media

In this paper we examine representative examples of realistic three-dimensional models for porous media by comparing their geometry and permeability with those of the original experimental specimen. The comparison is based on numerically exact evaluations of permeability, porosity, specific internal surface, mean curvature, Euler number and local percolation probabilities. The experimental specimen is a three-dimensional computer tomographic image of Fontainebleau sandstone. The three models are stochastic reconstructions for which many of the geometrical characteristics coincide with those of the experimental specimen. We find that in spite of the similarity in the geometrical properties the permeability and formation factor can differ greatly between models and the experiment. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.