Permeability Converter

Convert between darcy, millidarcy, and other permeability units for porous media

About Permeability

Permeability is a measure of the ability of a porous material to allow fluids to pass through it. It's a fundamental property in petroleum engineering, hydrogeology, and materials science, determining how easily oil, gas, or water can flow through rock formations or other porous media.

Applications

  • • Oil and gas reservoir engineering
  • • Groundwater flow modeling
  • • Geotechnical engineering
  • • Filter and membrane design
  • • Soil science and agriculture
  • • Building material testing

Typical Permeabilities

  • Unconsolidated sand: ~1-1000 D
  • Sandstone reservoir: ~10-1000 mD
  • Limestone: ~1-100 mD
  • Tight gas sand: ~0.01-1 mD
  • Shale: ~1-1000 nD
  • Concrete: ~0.001-1 mD

Darcy's Law

Flow rate = (Permeability × Area × Pressure gradient) / (Viscosity × Length). The Darcy unit (D) is defined as the permeability that allows a flow of 1 cm³/s of fluid with 1 cP viscosity through 1 cm² area under 1 atm/cm pressure gradient.