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Oil, Gas & Mining vocabulary · Exploration & Geology

Porosity

Meaning in oil, gas & mining, with examples

/pəˈrɑːsəti/nounCommon term

In oil, gas & mining, porosity means: The share of a rock's volume made up of empty spaces (pores) that can hold oil, gas or water, usually given as a percentage.

In Turkish: gözeneklilik, porozite

How it is used

Together with permeability, the main measure of reservoir quality. Geologists measure it from cores and well logs and talk about good or poor porosity, for example 'porosity of 18 percent'. Sandstones and some limestones often have good porosity.

Example sentences

  1. Porosity in the main sandstone averages 22 percent.

  2. The rock had good porosity but very low permeability, so the oil could not flow.

Common collocations

  • high porosity
  • average porosity
  • porosity log
  • effective porosity
  • permeabilityHow easily fluids can flow through a rock, which depends on how well its pores are connected. It is measured in darcies or millidarcies (mD).
  • reservoirA layer of porous rock deep underground that holds oil or gas in the tiny spaces between its grains, with rock above it that stops the fluids escaping.
  • core sampleA long cylinder of rock cut out by a hollow drill bit and brought to the surface so geologists can study and test the rock as it was underground.
  • hydrocarbonA chemical compound made only of hydrogen and carbon. Crude oil and natural gas are mixtures of hydrocarbons, so the word often means oil and gas in general.

More terms: Exploration & Geology

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