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Pore Size Distributions as Measured by the Mercury Intrusion Method and Their Use in Predicting Permeability¹

ABSTRACT

Several equations to predict the permeability of a porous medium from its pore size distribution have been proposed. Pore size distributions of soils are most commonly obtained from soil water release curves. In the present study pore size distributions were obtained by the mercury intrusion method and used in the calculation of intrinsic permeability. The calculated permeability values were compared with measured values for a range of pore size distributions.

Permeabilities and pore size distributions of 54 systematically selected particle size classes of glass beads and sand were measured. Limits of the particle size classes ranged from 44–53 to 208–246 microns for the particle diameters. Millington and Quirk's equation was used to calculate the permeabilities. The calculated permeabilities agree with the measured values only when a correction factor is used. Some limitations of the mercury intrusion technique used to obtain pore size distributions are discussed.

Contribution from the Soils Department, Oregon Agr. Exp. Sta., Tech. Paper no. 2455. Supported in part by a grant from the Office of Water Resources Research, USDI.

² Former Assistant in Soils, now Soil Physicist, Forest Service, Pacific NW Forest & Range Exp. Sta.; Forest Hydrology Laboratory, Wenatchee, Wash., and Associate Professor, Oregon State University, Corvallis; and Professor, University of Louvain, Belgium, respectively.

Received for publication April 9, 1968. Accepted for publication September 27, 1968.