Relative permeabilities from displacement experiments with full account for capillary pressure

Relative permeabilities are important characteristics of multiphase flow in porous media. Displacement experiments for relative permeabilities are frequently interpreted by the Johnson-Bossler-Naumann method neglecting capillary pressure. The experiments are therefore conducted at high flooding rates, which tend to be much higher than those experienced during reservoir exploitation. Another disadvantage is that the relative permeabilities only can be determined for the usually small saturation interval outside the shock. We present a method to interpret displacement experiments with the capillary pressure included, using in-situ measurements of saturations and phase pressures. The experiments can then be run at low flow rates, and relative permeabilities can be determined for all saturations. The method is demonstrated by using simulated input data.