The hydraulic permeability of a porous medium characterizes the ease with which a fluid may be driven through it, and is defined via the classical Darcy law. A method for noninvasive, nondestructive measurement of one projection of the local permeability tensor of a porous medium, using gas phase magnetic resonance imaging, is presented. Results are shown for one-dimensional experiments on dry porous rocks. The limitations of the method are explored, and the extension to three-dimensional imaging of the permeability is discussed.

• Received 19 December 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.63.065302