Relative permeability, for phase is then defined from as
where is the permeability of the porous medium in single-phase flow, i.e., the absolute permeability. Relative permeability must be between zero and one.
In applications, relative permeability is often represented as a function of water saturation, however due to capillary hysteresis, one often resorts to one function or curve measured under drainage and one measured under imbibition.
Under this approach, the flow of each phase is inhibited by the presence of the other phases. Thus the sum of relative permeabilities over all phases is less than 1. However, apparent relative permeabilities larger than 1 have been obtained since the Darcean approach disregards the viscous coupling effects derived from momentum transfer between the phases (see assumptions below). This coupling could enhance the flow instead of inhibit it. This has been observed in heavy oil petroleum reservoirs when the gas phase flows as bubbles or patches (disconnected).
Read more about Relative Permeability: Assumptions, Approximations, See Also
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