Effect of Overburden Pressure and Water Saturation on Gas Permeability of Tight Sandstone Cores

Research conducted to determine the potential of nuclear explosions to stimulate gas production verifies that the gas permeability of tight sandstone cores is markedly decreased with increasing overburden pressure. Water saturation also reduces the gas permeability by a large amount. The relative permeability, however, does not change significantly with overburden pressure.