Description

The C-PERM instrument is designed for high-pressure CO₂-core flooding experiments, simulating reservoir conditions to study CO₂ migration, trapping mechanisms, and interactions with rock formations. It measures absolute permeability to both brine and CO₂, as well as end-point effective permeability in the brine/CO₂ system. The device is crucial for analyzing permeability changes from mineral dissolution or precipitation, assessing caprock integrity during cyclic CO₂ injection, and tracking chemical interactions between CO₂, brine, and rock minerals. The semi-automated C-PERM includes an injection pump, two floating piston accumulators for brine and CO₂, a hydrostatic core holder, a manually operated confining pump, three differential pressure transducers, a dome-loaded backpressure regulator, a fraction collector and a pH meter. The computer station enables the operator to input sample and fluid characteristics along with experimental data (pressure gradient and flow rates), after which the aforementioned permeabilities are calculated using Darcy’s law.