Presentation of representative shape parameters of porous media based on mathematical computation on images

The shape parameters of porous media are really important to describe the petrophysical and geomechanical parameters of reservoirs. In addition, shape analysis can provide essential information about the origin, transport, deposition history of particles, etc. Because macroscopic properties (such as permeability, diffusion, etc.) are influenced by microscopic properties (such as pore size, grain shape, etc.). So far, various studies have been conducted to calculate some shape parameters, however, there is no comprehensive study that first includes most of the geometric parameters of the shape and then presents the representative shape parameters. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present representative shape parameters of porous media based on mathematical computation on images. The shape parameters studied included roundness, circularity, angularity, convexity, compactness, sphericity, aspect ratio, elongation, eccentricity, shape factor, and regularity. Calculation of shape parameters is done digitally using the developed program. The necessary data for the desired analysis are obtained from real sandstone samples. To develop this research, first, the mentioned shape parameters are calculated using the developed program for all rock samples. Then, by establishing a relationship between the mentioned parameters, the representative parameters that can show the shape of the porous medium are expressed. The results of this study show that the representative shape parameters of the porous medium are compactness, shape factor-round, and aspect ratio, which are good indicators for the shape of the porous medium.