AN EXAMINATION OF RELATIVE PERMEABILITY RELATIONS FOR TWO-PHASE FLOW IN POROUS MEDIA

A key parameter in modeling two-phase flow phenomena is relative permeability. It is important to understand which variables influence relative permeability, especially since so few measurements of relative permeability, especially since so few measurements of relative permeability have been made for typical contaminants at hazardous waste sites. This paper focuses on the effect of five variables on relative permeability: intrinsic permeability, pore-size distribution, viscosity ratio, interfacial tension, and wettability, by critically reviewing previously published relative permeability experiments. The wide variability in the functional relationship between relative permeability and saturation should be considered in attempts to model two-phase flow.