Capillary Pressure & Pore Throat Saturation

Mining & Petroleum Engineering

How It Works

Multiphase fluid distribution in reservoir porous media is governed by interfacial tension and wettability across immiscible phase boundaries. The Young-Laplace equation establishes the capillary pressure across the curved oil-water meniscus inside microscopic pore throats. Drainage and imbibition capillary pressure curves define irreducible water saturation and residual oil entrapment.

Governing Equation
P_c = P_oil - P_water = (2 · γ · cos θ) / r  |  J(S_w) = (P_c / γ) · √(k / ϕ)