Objectives

Following the successful KG²B benchmark, several laboratories worldwide will measure the permeability of a single low permeability material selected for the benchmarking, using their preferred technique. A range of different methods will be covered by the benchmark:

direct methods (including steady-state, transient pulse and oscillatory techniques),
indirect methods (permeability derived from "proxys"),
models using microstructural data.

Expected outcomes of the benchmark:

to compare the results for a given method,
to compare the results between different methods,
to analyse the precision of each method,
to gather information on the know-how in each laboratory,
to study the influence of experimental conditions, especially the type of fluid,
to discuss the relevance of indirect methods and models,
to suggest good practice for low permeability measurements.