Reservoir EngineeringFluid Flow in Porous Media
Hydraulic Diffusivity Coefficient in Field Units Formula
Hydraulic Diffusivity Coefficient in Field Units calculates hydraulic diffusivity coefficient for fluid flow in porous media workflows in reservoir engineering.
How engineers use this formula
Use this formula when the listed inputs (k, phi, mu, c_t) are known and the assumptions behind the cited fluid flow in porous media relationship match the engineering case being checked.
Assumptions
- Input values are representative for the well, reservoir, fluid, or equipment case being evaluated.
- The declared units match the field-unit constants used in the formula.
- The cited formula applies to the selected petroleum engineering workflow.
Limitations
- The calculation does not replace a full engineering model or operating procedure.
- Accuracy depends on the source correlation, assumptions, input quality, and unit consistency.
Common mistakes
- Mixing unit systems without converting the inputs.
- Using default example values as field recommendations.
- Applying the formula outside the source assumptions.
Default example
Using the default inputs, eta_h equals 6,104.166667 ft^2/hr.
kmD
50
phifraction
0.18
mucP
1.2
c_t1/psi
0.00001
Inputs
k
mDEffective Permeability
phi
fractionPorosity
mu
cPFluid Viscosity
c_t
1/psiTotal Compressibility
Outputs
eta_h
ft^2/hr
Hydraulic Diffusivity Coefficient
k
mD
Effective Permeability
phi
fraction
Porosity
mu
cP
Fluid Viscosity
c_t
1/psi
Total Compressibility
Source and review
reviewedPetroSkills, The Diffusivity Equation, reservoir diffusivity-equation derivation; Lee, Rollins and Spivey field-unit dimensionless-time constant.
Source