A Review on the Numerical Inversion Methods of Relative Permeability Curves

In general, relative permeability data can be obtained from laboratory coreflooding experiments. Such experimental data can be interpreted analytically or numerically. Compared to analytical methods, when the numerical inversion methods are applied to interpret the coreflooding experimental data, the reservoir performance obtained prior to and after breakthrough can be utilized comprehensively, the capillary effects and the heterogeneity of core samples can also be taken into account, so the estimated result is not only accurate but also complete. Moreover, the numerical inversion methods can be applied to large-scale reservoirs. This article introduces systematically the methodology of numerical inversion methods, and then reviews the present research status. Finally, several proposals of implicitly estimating relative permeability data are put forward from aspects of optimization algorithms’ properties, estimation of endpoint saturations and treatment scale by automatic history matching.