Laboratory measurements of porosity, permeability, resistivity, and velocity on Fontainebleau sandstones

The relations among the resistivity, elastic-wave velocity, porosity, and permeability in Fontainebleau sandstone samples from the Ile de France region, around Paris, France were experimentally revisited. These samples followed a permeability-porosity relation given by Kozeny-Carman's equation. For the resistivity measurements, the samples were partially saturated with brine. Archie's equation was used to estimate resistivity at 100% water saturation, assuming a saturation exponent, n = 2. Using self-consistent (SC) approximations modeling with grain aspect ratio 1, and pore aspect ratio between 0.02 and 0.10, the experimental data fall into this theoretical range. The SC curve with the pore aspect ratio 0.05 appears to be close to the values measured in the entire porosity range. The elastic-wave velocity was measured on these dry samples for confining pressure between 0 and 40 MPa. A loading and unloading cycle was used and did not produce any significant hysteresis in the velocity-pressure behavior. For the velocity data, using the SC model with a grain aspect ratio 1 and pore aspect ratios 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05 fit the data at 40 MPa; pore aspect ratios ranging between 0.1, 0.05, and 0.02 were a better fit for the data at 0 MPa. Both velocity and resistivity in clean sandstones can be modeled using the SC approximation. In addition, a linear fit was found between the P-wave velocity and the decimal logarithm of the normalized resistivity, with deviations that correlate with differences in permeability. Combining the stiff sand model and Archie for cementation exponents between 1.6 and 2.1, resistivity was modeled as a function of P-wave velocity for these clean sandstones.