Permeability evolution of Bentheim Sandstone at simulated georeservoir conditions

Bentheim Sandstone is considered suitable conventional georeservoir rock even at great depth because of its mineral composition, homogeneity, micro- and macrostructure, and is also used as a reference material in rock deformation tests. However, a full characterization of the permeability at representative depths has never been performed. Here we report new experimental data where the permeability of Bentheim Sandstone is measured both with simultaneous variation and with sequential variation of three different variables in order to simulate georeservoir conditions. The results indicate a decrease in permeability with simulated increasing depth until 2–3 km, followed by a partial permeability recovery until 4–5 km depth. During the exhumation path, initially permeability is unaffected, but at shallow depths a sharp increase in permeability is observed, likely due to microcracking. These variations are a consequence of a complex interaction between stress, pore pressure and temperature, highlighting the importance of experiments considering all three variables when studying the evolution of permeability at depth. These results will aid with the accurate estimation of permeability at different georeservoir conditions.