Biot Theory (Almost) For

Dummies

Tad Patzek, Civil & Environmental Engineering, U.C. Berkeley

December 5, 2005, Seminar at the University of Houston
Rock Classification

Homogeneous

Gassmann, Biot Biot?

Isotropic Fractured Nonisotropic

Biot? Biot?

Inhomogeneous

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 Rock Types

Homogeneous, isotropic Heterogeneous, isotropic

G ASSMANNs theory works only for the microscopically homogeneous rock (e.g., uniform
spheres)

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 Rock Types

It is impossible to use equivalent homoge-

neous rock to explain heterogeneous rocks.
This is especially true for clay-rich rocks,
Z OBACK & B EYERLEE (1975), B ERRYMAN,
(1992)

A new theory must be developed for

fractured, heterogeneous rocks

(In)homogeneous, anisotropic

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 Porous Rock

Porous rock = Solid Skeleton + Pore Space

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 Porous Rock Characterization

Pore Space

Gassmann, Biot? Gassmann, Biot

Partially saturated Unsaturated Saturated

Gas + Liquid Gas Liquid(s)

Bulk density

mass of solid skeleton + mass of pore space fluids

=
bulk volume of rock
= (1 )s + f = skeleton + f

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 Compressibility Measurements
S1 S1

The vertical stress, S1 , is applied to a hol-

low piston. The tube in the piston is used
to regulate the pore pressure, p. The lat-
eral stresses, S2 = S3 , are applied to
the copper-jacketed specimen by injecting oil
through the side tube. The confining pres-
sure is defined as
S2 = S3
1
pc = = (S1 + S2 + S3 )
3

The jacketed or drained triaxial rock com-

pressibility:

1 V 1
:= =
V pc p,T K
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 Compressibility Measurements
S1 S1

The unjacketed triaxial rock compressibility

measurement. The confining pressure,
pc = = 13 (S1 + S2 + S3 ),
is applied to all sides of the sample. The
tube in the piston is used to regulate the pore
pressure, p. Both the confining pressure and
the fluid pressure are changed at the same
time, so that their difference, pd = pc p, S2 = S3
remains constant.

1 V 1
s := =
V p pd ,T Ks

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 Porous Rock Compressibilities
We can measure the following three compressibilities:
0 1

1 V 1 1A
:= = @Biot : +
V pc p,T K K
p=0
!
1 V 1 1
s := = Biot : +
V p pd ,T Ks p H
=0
!
1 V 1
1
:= = Biot : + = S
V p pd ,T K p R
=0

where V is the bulk volume of the sample, V is the pore space volume
A fourth compressibility may be defined as
0 1

1 V 1 1A
p := = @Biot : +
V pc p,T Kp H
p=0

but it depends on the porosity and the first two compressibilities above
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 Porous Rock

At the reference state, we imagine a colored rock grain sample, in blue, filled with
colored water, in red. First, we remove the red water into a beaker and fill the pore space
with ordinary water. Second, we change the stress on the solid and the pore pressure,
and measure the new pore volume, V . Third, we measure the new red water volume
under the new pore pressure, Vf . In general, the new pore volume and water volume will
not be equal to each other, and water will have to flow in/out of the blue rock volume.
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 Biots Increment of Fluid Mass
pc = 0

p=0
Initial
State

V0 , V0 mf 0 , Vf 0 , f 0
pc

p
Final
State

V, V , mf f
Initially Vf 0 = V0 ; the pore space is fully saturated with red fluid
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 Biots Increment of Fluid Mass
At the final state
V
mf = mf 0
Vf
After Biot, I will introduce the increment of fluid mass per
unit initial bulk volume V0 , normalized by the initial fluid
density mf 0 /Vf 0 :
   
mf /f 0 Vf 0 V Vf 0 V Vf 0 Vf V0
:= = =
V0 V0 Vf V0 Vf20

1
= (V Vf ) = 0 ( f )
V0

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Talk Outline. . .
Refresher of Biots static poroelasticity model
Biots dynamic poroelastic model from the
non-equilibrium filtration theory
Low frequency reflections from a plane interface
between an elastic and an elastic fluid-saturated
layers
Different asymptotic regimes of the low-frequency
reflections
Conclusions

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Biot Theory. . .
The isotropic, permeable porous rock, and the
pore-filling fluid are in mechanical equilibrium
The stress is positive when it is tensile
The fluid pressure is positive
The state of rock and the fluid is described by the
total stress on the bulk material, ij , and the fluid
pressure field p (ij is the total force in direction i,
acting on the surface element whose normal is in
direction j )
Following B IOT, in one spatial dimension, the small
fluctuations of the total stress tensor, , and of the
fluid pressure, p, will be called and p

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 Biot Theory. . .
V 1 1
= + p volumetric strain
V0 K H
mf 1 1
= + p fluid volume per unit volume
V0 f0 H R

 1
 drained material compressibility
 K
p=0
 
  1
 =  poroelastic expansion coefficient
 p H
p=0 =0

 1
 = S unconstrained specific storage
p R
=0

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Biot Theory. . .

p  R
 B= S KEMPTONs coefficient
 H
=0

 1
 = S constrained specific storage
p M
=0
K
S = S 2
H
K
B IOT-W ILLIS coefficient
H
1
= + p
M

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Biot Theory. . .
The poroelastic expansion coefficient 1/H has no
analog in elasticity
It describes how much a change of pore pressure
also changes the bulk volume, while the applied
stress is held constant
1/H , and two other constants, K drained bulk
modulus, and the unconstrained storage coefficient
S , completely describe the linear, poroelastic
response to volumetric deformation
Other constants, such as S KEMPTONs coefficient, or
B IOT-W ILLIS coefficient can be derived from the
three fundamental B IOT constants

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 Definitions. . .
p pressure increment, Pa
stress increment, Pa
u displacement of skeleton grains, m
ut velocity of displacement of skeleton grains, m/s
w superficial displacement of fluid relative to solid, m
W wt Darcy velocity of fluid relative to solid, m/s
isothermal compressibility, Pa1
(1 )g , dry bulk density, kgm3
b (1 )g + f , bulk density, kgm3
V /V , increment of volumetric strain
small parameter in series expansions
mf /f0 /V0 , increment of fluid content per unit volume

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The Bulk Momentum Balance. . .
Z
d

b ut + f W dV
dt V |{z} | {z }
solid+liquid relative liquid
momentum momentum
I Z
= n dA +
|{z} F b dV
V V |{z}
total body
stress force

Small perturbation from equilibrium

Incremental body force is zero

b ut + f W =
t

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The Bulk Momentum Balance. . .
Almost incompressible grains ( 1)
Poroelastic effective stress , and Terzaghi effective
stress are equal
1D normal deformations, = xx

xx
xx p
b ut + f W = =
t x x x
u 1 u
xx K =
x x

K is the drained bulk modulus

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Force Balance. . .

The second Newtons law for the bulk solid is

1
b tt u + f t W = xx u x p (1)

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Darcys Law. . .
Consider steady state, single-phase flow of an
almost incompressible fluid
The superficial fluid velocity relative to the solid

W =
x

In horizontal flow, viewed from a non-inertial

coordinate system moving with the solid, the
differential of the flow potential is

d
|{z} = dp + f tt u dx
|{z} | {z }
Mechanical Viscous Inertial force
energy dissipation

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Extended Darcys Law. . .
In time-dependent, single-phase flow, we can write

W Wfuture W

t
where Wfuture is a future value of Darcys velocity, and
is a characteristic time of transition
At constant position x, and constant value of Wfuture ,
we can integrate
 
t
Wfuture W exp

Therefore, is a characteristic relaxation time for

transient flow, e.g., JAMES C. M AXWELL, 1867
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Extended Darcys Law. . .

In time-dependent, single-phase flow, we now write

W
W future W + + =
t

This is the essence of A LISHAEVs, and B ARENBLATT

& V INNICHENKOs extension of DARCYs law
Dimensional analysis suggests that

= f F (/L2 )

where L is the characteristic length scale of REV

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 Extended Darcys Law. . .

We characterize the dynamics of horizontal fluid flow in a

non-inertial coordinate system as follows

W p 2u
W + = f (2)
t x t2

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Mass Balances & Isothermal EOSs. . .
Slightly compressible fluid
 
(f ) u
= f W + f
t x t
df
= f dp
f

Almost incompressible solid grains

 
[g (1 )] u
= g (1 )
t x t
1
dg = gs dx + gf dp
g
gs and gf f

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Reduced Mass Balances. . .
With almost incompressible grains, the bulk
deformation occurs only through the porosity change
With some algebra, the mass balance equations
reduce to

2u p W
+ f = (3)
xt t x

Note that we now have three unknowns u, p and W ,

and three balance equations: (1) Force balance of
bulk solid, (2) Force balance in viscous-dominated
fluid flow, and (3) Combined mass balance of fluid
and solid
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 The Governing Equations. . .
For a linearly compressible rock skeleton and fluid, and
small perturbations from thermodynamic equilibrium:

Force balance of bulk material

1
b tt u + f t W = xx u x p (1)

Force balance of viscous fluid


W + t W = x p f tt u (2)

F/S mass balances + EOSs
f t p = x (W + t u) (3)

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 Biots Theory. . .
We define the superficial fluid displacement

W := t w (4)

and insert it into mass balance equation (3)

f t p = xt (w + u)

By integration in t and differentiation in x, we obtain

1
x p = xx (u + w) (5)
f

Now we substitute the displacement (4) and the final

result (5) into the governing equations

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Biots Theory. . .
Our equations
 
2u 2w 1 1 2u 1 2w
b + f = + +
t2 t2 f x 2 f x2
2u 2w 1 2u 1 2 w w
f 2 + 2
= 2
+ 2

t t f x f x t

Biots 1962 equations

 
2
u w
b u + f w = A11 + M11
t2 x x x
 
2
u w w
f u + mw = M11 +M
t2 x x x t

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Biots Theory. . .
We have assumed an isotropic porous medium and
incompressible grains

The Biot-Willis coefficient = K/H 1

The undrained bulk modulus Ku = K + Kf /

The Biot coefficients are then constant and equal to

1 1 1
A11 = Ku + and M11 = M = Ku B
f f

where B = R/H is Skemptons coefficient, 1/H being

the poroelastic expansion coefficient, and 1/R the
unconstrained specific storage coefficient

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Biots Theory. . .
The dynamic coupling coefficient in Biots theory, m,
is equal to the inverse fluid mobility, /
The dynamic coupling coefficient is often expressed
through the tortuosity factor T : m = T f /
Hence, for the tortuosity and relaxation time, we
obtain the following relationship:

f
T = or =T (6)
f
|{z}
Inv. kinematic
mobility

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