An Introduction To The Physical Characterization of Materials by Mercury
Intrusion Porosimetry with Emphasis On Reduction And Presentation ofExperimental Data

Paul A. Webb
Micromeritics Instrument Corp.
Norcross, Georgia
January 2001

1

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONSECTION I. THEORY AND METHOD OF MEASUREMENT
Introduction
Fluid Dynamics and Capillary Hydrostatics
Collecting Experimental Data
Measurement Transducers
SECTION II. OBTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAMPLE MATERIALPART A. INFORMATION OBTAINED USING VOLUME AND MASS MEASUREMENTS ONLY
Total Pore Volume
Material Volume and Density
Bulk and Envelope Volume and Density
Skeletal and True Volume and Density
Interstitial Void Volume
Percent Porosity and Percent Porosity Filled
PART B. INFORMATION OBTAINED BY APPLICATION OF WASHBURN’S EQUATION
Pore Volume Distribution by Pore Size
Pore Area and Number of Pores
PART C. INFORMATION OBTAINED BY APPLICATION OF SPECIAL OR MULTIPLE MODELS
Particle Size Distribution
Pore Cavity to Pore Throat Size Ratio
The Distribution of Pore Cavity Sizes Associated With a Pore Throat Size
Material Permeability and the Conductivity Formation Factor
Pore Fractal Dimensions

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INTRODUCTION
Mercury intrusion porosimetry is one of only a few analytical techniques that permits an analyst toacquire data over such a broad dynamic range using a single theoretical model. Mercury
porosimetry routinely is applied over a capillary diameter range from 0.003 µm to 360 µm— fiveorders of magnitude! This is equivalent to using the same tool to measure with accuracy and precision the diameter of a grain of sand and the height of a 30-story building.
Not only is mercury porosimetry applicable over a wide range of pore sizes, but also the fundamental data it produces (the volume of mercury intruded into the sample as a function of applied pressure) is indicative of various characteristics of the pore space and is used to reveal a variety ofphysical properties of the solid material itself.
The information that follows falls into three main categories: I) instrument theory and its application in data collection, II) information derived from reduced data, and III) presentation of theinformation. A glossary of terms also is included.
Understanding how a fluid behaves under specific conditions provides insight into exactly how amercury porosimeter probes the surface of a material and moves within the pore structure. This
allows one to better understand what mercury intrusion and extrusion data mean in relation to thesample under test and allows one to understand the data outside of the bounds of the theoreticalmodel. It also allows one to make an educated comparison between similar data obtained using
other measurement techniques and theoretical models.
The information contained herein pertains for the most part to the general technique of mercury
porosimetry without regard to a specific instrument manufacturer or model. However,Micromeritics’ AutoPore series of porosimeters is used as a reference, particularly when examples
are required and details of data reduction are presented.

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SECTION I.
THEORY AND METHOD OFMEASUREMENT
Introduction
Routine operation of an analytical instrument
does not require knowledge of the fundamentals of
instrument theory. However, an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the probe and thesample allows one to interpret data outside of thestrict limitations of the theoretical model upon whichdata reduction is based. Although this may have
limited relevance for day-to-day quality or processcontrol applications, it is of extreme importance inresearch work and when developing analysis methods
for control applications. For these reasons, thisdocument begins with information about how a nonwetting liquid (specifically, mercury) reacts inseeking equilibrium between internal and external
forces at the liquid-solid, liquid-vapor, and liquidsolid-vapor interfaces.
Fluid Dynamics and Capillary Hydrostatics

solid gl-s, and the solid-vapor gs-v. The liquid-vaporand solid-vapor interfacial tensions also are referred
to as surface tensions. Surface tension has dimensions of force per unit length and acts tangentially tothe interface.
The angle of contact of the liquid-vapor surface tothe solid-vapor surface at a point on the liquid-solidvapor interface characterizes the interfacial tension
present between the solid, liquid, and vapor.
Figure 2 shows five liquids of different surface
tensions resting on the same surface material. Different surface energies cause the liquids to assume
different contact angles relative to the solid surface.
A liquid with low surface tension (low surface
energy) resting on a solid surface of higher surface
tension will spread out on the surface forming acontact angle less than 90o; this is referred to as
wetting. If the surface energy of the liquid exceedsthat of the solid, the liquid will form a bead and theangle of contact will be between 90o and 180o; this isa non-wetting liquid relative to the surface.

Note: Supporting information on fluid dynamics andhydrostatics can be found on the Internet at sites (1,2,3)
cited in the Reference section of this document.

Consider a drop of liquid resting on a solid
surface as shown in Figure 1. The underside of theliquid is in contact with the solid surface. The
remainder of the surface of the liquid is in contact
with some other fluid above— typically, either its
own vapor or air. In this configuration, there areareas of liquid-solid, liquid-vapor, and solid-vapor
interfaces. There also exists a liquid-solid-vapor
boundary described by a line.

Figure 1. Cross-section of a drop of non-wetting liquid resting
on a solid surface. All interfaces are shown.

There is tension in each interface. The liquidvapor interfacial tension is symbolized gl-v, the liquid4

Figure 2. Various liquids resting on a solid surface. The different
angles of contact are illustrated for wetting and non-wetting
liquids.

Considering any point along the line that describes the liquid-solid-vapor interface and indicating
all force vectors on that point results in a diagramsimilar to those of Figure 3. These illustrations
represent a time sequence (top to bottom) showing
what happens when a liquid drop first is placed on ahorizontal surface until it achieves equilibrium. One
can imagine the initial, somewhat spherical drop
flattening and spreading over the surface prior tostabilizing. The contact angle begins at about 180o,and the liquid–vapor tension vector at the liquidsolid-vapor interface points at the angle of contact.
As the contact angle decreases, the horizontal component of the liquid-vapor tension vector changes inmagnitude and, if the contact angle decreases past
90o, the horizontal component changes sign. Whenthe sum of the solid-vapor tension vector, liquid-solid
tension vector, and horizontal component of theliquid-vapor tension vector equal zero, equilibrium
occurs and spreading ceases.

Figure 3. A droplet of liquid placed on a solid surface assumes acontact angle that balances the horizontal force components ofthe three tension vectors. For this example, è3 is the angle that
results in equilibrium.

The surface of the liquid at the liquid-vapor interface
assumes a curvature having two radii, r1 and r2, one in
the x-z plane, the other in the y-z plane, where thesolid surface is the x-y plane. This is another effectof surface tension. The surface molecules act like anelastic membrane pulling the surface into the smallest
configuration, ideally a sphere where r1 = r2 = r.
Surface tension contracts the surface and volume until
the internal force Fi per unit area of surface As is inequilibrium with the external forces on the same
surface element. Since pressure, P, is force per unit
area (F/A), equilibrium can be expressed in terms ofinternal and external pressures. From the equationsof Young and Laplace for spherical surfaces, thedifference in pressure across the surface isP” - P’ = γ (1/r1 + 1/r2) = 2γ /r(1)where P” is the pressure on the concave side, P’ thepressure on the convex side, g the liquid-vapor
surface tension, and, since it is a spherical surface,
r1 = r2.
Interfacial tensions also cause liquids to exhibit
capillarity. If one end of a capillary tube is forced topenetrate the vapor-liquid surface from the vapor
side, a wetting liquid spontaneously enters thecapillary and rises to a level above the external liquidvapor interface. A non-wetting liquid resists entering
the capillary and that a level always below theexternal liquid-vapor level. In other words, a nonwetting liquid must be forced to enter a capillary.
Why does a non-wetting liquid resist entry into a
capillary? Inside the capillary and along the line
describing the vapor-liquid-solid boundary, theliquid-solid interface assumes an angle that results inequilibrium of forces. The contributing forces arethose of cohesion between the liquid molecules, andthe force of adhesion between the liquid molecules
and the walls of the capillary. The liquid-vapor
interface in the capillary (the meniscus) is concave fora wetting liquid and convex for a non-wetting liquid.
In summary, there are three physical parameters
needed to describe the intrusion of a liquid into a
capillary: a) the interfacial tension (surface tension) of
the liquid-vapor interface, hereafter symbolized
simply by g, b) the contact angle q, and c) the geometry of the line of contact at the solid-liquid-vapor
boundary. For a circular line of contact, the geometry
is described by pr2, where r is the radius of the circle
or capillary.
Washburn (4) in 1921 derived an equation
describing the equilibrium of the internal and external
forces on the liquid-solid-vapor system in terms ofthese three parameters. It states concisely that thepressure required to force a non-wetting liquid toenter a capillary of circular cross-section is inversely
proportional to the diameter of the capillary anddirectly proportional to the surface tension of theliquid and the angle of contact with the solid surface.
This physical principal was incorporated into an
intrusion-based, pore-measuring instrument by Ritter& Drake in 1945 (5). Mercury is used almost exclusively as the liquid of choice for intrusion
porosimetry because it is non-wetting to most solidmaterials.
Washburn’s equation, upon which data reduction
is based, assumes that the pore or capillary is cylindrical and the opening is circular in cross-section. As
has been stated, the net force tends to resist entry of
the mercury into the pore and this force is appliedalong the line of contact of the mercury, solid, and(mercury) vapor. The line of contact has a length of
2pr and the component of force pushing the mercury
out of the capillary acts in the direction cosq (seeFigure 4), where q is the liquid-solid contact angle.
The magnitude of force tending to expel the mercury
5

isFΕ = 2π rγ cosθ(2)
where γ is the surface tension.
An external pressure on the mercury is required toforce its entry into the pore. The relationship between force (F) and pressure (P) is P = F/area.
Solving for force gives
FI = π r2P(3)

Where π r2 is the cross-sectional area of the pore
opening.
Balancing the intrusion and extrusion forces results inthe Washburn equation-2πrγ cosθ = πr2P(3)

or, in terms of diameter D,-πDγ cosθ = (πD2P)/4 (4)The relationship between applied pressure and theminimum size pore into which mercury will be forced
to enter is
D = -4γ cosθ/P(5)

For a given liquid-solid system, the numerator isconstant, providing the simple relationship expressingthat the size of the pore into which mercury will
intrude is inversely proportional to the appliedpressure. In other words, mercury under externalpressure P can resist entry into pores smaller than D,
but cannot resist entry into pores of sizes larger than
D. So, for any pressure, it can be determined whichpore sizes have been invaded with mercury and which
sizes have not.

Figure 4. Capillary action of a wetting and non-wetting liquid
relative to the walls of a capillary. The g indicates the directionof the interfacial tension (force) vector.

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Collecting Experimental Data
A typical mercury intrusion porosimetry test involves
placing a sample into a container, evacuating thecontainer to remove contaminant gases and vapors(usually water) and, while still evacuated, allowing
mercury to fill the container. This creates an environment consisting of a solid, a non-wetting liquid(mercury), and mercury vapor. Next, pressure isincreased toward ambient while the volume of
mercury entering larger openings in the sample bulk
is monitored. When pressure has returned to ambient,pores of diameters down to about 12 mm have been
filled. The sample container is then placed in apressure vessel for the remainder of the test. A
maximum pressure of about 60,000 psia (414 MPa)
is typical for commercial instruments and this pressure will force mercury into pores down to about
0.003 micrometers in diameter. The volume of
mercury that intrudes into the sample due to anincrease in pressure from Pi to Pi+1 is equal to thevolume of the pores in the associated size range ri to
ri+1, sizes being determined by substituting pressure
values into Washburn’s equation, Eq. 5.
The measurement of the volume of mercury moving
into the sample may be accomplished in various
ways. A common method that provides high sensitivity is to attach a capillary tube to the sample cup andallow the capillary tube to be the reservoir for mercury during the experiment. Only a small volume of
mercury is required to produce a long ‘string’ of
mercury in a small capillary. When external pressurechanges, the variation in the length of the mercury
column in the capillary indicates the volume passing
into or out of the sample cup. For example, a capillary of 1 mm radius requires only 0.03 cm3 of mercury to produce a mercury column 1 mm in length.
Therefore, volume resolution of 0.003 cm3 easily
could be obtained visually from a scale etched on thecapillary stem. However, electronic means of detecting the rise and fall of mercury within the capillary
are much more sensitive, providing even greater
volume sensitivity down to less than a microliter.
The measurement of a series of applied pressures andthe cumulative volumes of mercury intruded at eachpressure comprises the raw data set. A plot of thesedata is called the intrusion curve. When pressure is
reduced, mercury leaves the pores, or extrudes. This
process also is monitored and plotted and is the
extrusion curve. According to the shape of the pores
and other physical phenomena, the extrusion curveusually does not follow the same plotted path as theintrusion curve. Therefore, the intrusion curve andextrusion curve contain different information about
the pore network.
When to collect the data point is an important consideration when measuring intrusion and extrusion
characteristics. Since the intrusion process involves
moving a mass of mercury into a confined porespace, the process is not instantaneous as exemplified
by the Hagen-Poiseuille law
Q = V/t = (πr4/8η)(∆P/l)(6)

where Q = flow of the liquid, V the volume of liquid, ttime, r the capillary radius, η the liquid viscosity and∆P/l the pressure drop per unit length of capillary.
However, long and tortuous pore channels resultin smaller Q values, therefore requiring more time tofill the same volume as would be the case for poresystems having higher Q values. To obtain highly
resolved and highly accurate data, the intrusion
process must be allowed to equilibrate before changing pressure and probing the next smaller-sized poreclass. Expressed another way, high-resolution datacollection, particularly in the small pore size range,
requires a pressure step, that is, pressure is raised to
the next pressure, then held until flow ceases. Scanning mode, in which pressure is continually changed,
is best employed for very large pores or for screening
purposes.
Measurement Transducers
From the above discussion, it is clear that amercury porosimeter measures only applied pressure
and the volume of mercury intruded into or extruded
from the sample bulk. Pressure measurements are
obtained by pressure transducers that produce anelectrical signal (current or voltage) that is proportional to the amplitude of the pressure applied to thesensor. This analog electrical signal is converted into
digital code for processing by the monitoring computer.
The transducer that detects mercury volume is
integrated into the sample holder assembly as previously exemplified and shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Cross-section of a penetrometer in which pressure has
forced some mercury into the pores of the sample and about
50% of the stem capacity has been used.

The sample cup has a capillary stem attached andthis capillary serves both as the mercury reservoir
during analysis and as an element of the mercury
volume transducer. Prior to the beginning of eachanalysis, the sample cup and capillary are filled withmercury. After filling, the main source of mercury isremoved leaving only the mercury in the sample cup
and capillary stem, the combination being referred toas the penetrometer. Pressure is applied to the mercury in the capillary either by a gas (air) or a liquid(oil). The pressure is transmitted from the far end of
the capillary to the mercury surrounding the sample inthe sample cup.
The capillary stem is constructed of glass (anelectrical insulator), is filled with mercury (an electrical conductor), and the outer surface of the capillarystem is plated with metal (an electrical conductor).
The combination of two concentric electrical conductors separated by an insulator produces a co-axial
capacitor. The value of the capacitance is a functionof the areas of the conductors, the dielectric constantof the insulator, and other physical parameters. In thecase of this particular capacitor, the only variable isthe area of the interior conductor as mercury leaves
the capillary and enters the sample voids and pores,
or as it moves back into the capillary when pressure is7reduced. This is mechanically analogous to amercury thermometer in which case mercury moves
in and out of a calibrated capillary from a large bulb
at one end. A small volume of mercury entering or
leaving a small capillary causes the length (and area)of the mercury column to change significantly, thus
providing volume-measuring sensitivity and resolution. In the case of the thermometer, the change involume is proportional to the change in temperatureby the coefficient of volumetric expansion of mercury.
The capacitance value of the stem is monitored bya capacitance detector that, similar to the pressuretransducer electronics, produces an electrical signalthat is proportional to capacitance. Capacitancemeasurements are transformed into volume measurements by knowledge of the diameter of the precisioncapillary and the equation governing coaxial capacitors.

SECTION II.
OBTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT THE
SAMPLE MATERIALPART A. Information Obtained Using Volume
and Mass Measurements Only
Part A discusses characteristics of the sample thatcan be deduced directly from the intrusion volumes
combined with physical properties of the sample andsystem. Detailed Pressure data are not required, nor is
Washburn’s equation.
Total Pore Volume
Total pore volume is the most direct determination of a physical property by mercury intrusion,
involving only the volume of mercury entering thesample bulk and not requiring Washburn’s equation
or a pore model. At the lowest filling pressure,
intrusion is considered nil and no pore volume ofinterest has been filled. Pressure is increased tomaximum; at this pressure mercury has been forced
into all voids of the sample accessible to the mercury
at maximum pressure. The volume of mercury
required to fill all accessible pores is considered thetotal pore volume. Dividing this value by the mass ofthe sample gives total specific pore volume in units ofvolume per unit mass.
Material Volume and Density
The concepts of volume and density seem simple atfirst consideration. However, they become complex
when an attempt is made to rigorously define eachterm. The Glossary section of this document con8

tains various definitions. For a more complete
discussion of density and volume, refer to
Micromeritics’ publication, ”Volume and Density for
Particle Technologists.”(6)Bulk and Envelope Volume and Density: Bulk
volume (as applied to a collection of pieces) is thesum of the volumes of the solids in each piece, thevoids within the pieces, and the voids among thepieces. Envelope volume (as applied to a single
piece) is the volume of a particle or monolith as
would be obtained by tightly shrinking a film around
it. Therefore, it is the sum of the volumes of the solid
components, the open and closed pores within eachpiece, and the voids between the surface features ofthe material and the close-fitting imaginary film thatsurrounds the piece. Bulk and skeletal densities
follow from dividing the respective material mass byvolume.
Mercury porosimetry tests in general incorporate
the majority of steps in Archimedes’ displacement
method for volume determination. Including theremaining steps requires additional weights otherwise
not necessary for pore characterization. Examples ofdensity determinations are given below. Powderedand solid (monolithic) forms of sample materials are
considered separately because of a slight but important difference between volumes determined for asolid object compared to that of a finely divided
powder.
Assume, then, that two samples are to be analyzed, one a solid piece of irregularly shaped material, and the other a quantity of powder, both of
known mass. Prior to the tests, empty sample containers are weighed, filled with mercury, and thenweighed again. From these measurements and thedensity of mercury, the exact volume of each container is calculated. After the samples have been
loaded into the containers and the containers refilledwith mercury, the mercury surrounds the samples.
Being a non-wetting liquid with only atmosphericpressure applied, it does not enter small indentions,cracks, and crevices on the surface nor into pores
within the structure of the material. In the case offine powders, mercury does not invade the interparticle voids.
The weight of the surrounding mercury in eachcase is calculated from values obtained by reweighing
the filled sample container and subtracting the weightof the empty sample container and sample. Mercury
volume follows from density and weight. The differ-ence in volumes of mercury in the sample container
before and after introducing the sample is equal to thebulk volume (in the case of the solid piece), or
envelope volume (in the case of the powder).
Whether the term ‘bulk’ or ‘envelope’ applies depends on the sample form (powder, single piece,
granules, etc.) as well as the applications-specificdefinitions of these terms.
Skeletal and True Volume and Density: A pore
may have access to the surface (open pores), or may
be isolated from the surface (closed or blind pores).
Skeletal volume, as applied to discrete pieces of solidmaterial, is the sum of the volumes of the solidmaterial in the pieces and the volume of closed pores
within the pieces. True volume is the volume only of
the solid material, excluding the volume of open
pores and closed pores. Skeletal and true densities
follow from dividing the respective material mass byvolume.
If a sample contains both open and closed pores,at maximum applied pressure, only open pores in thesample are filled with mercury. The volume of
mercury intruded into the pores subtracted from thebulk or envelope volume of the sample gives its
skeletal volume. The volume measured is the true
volume if the sample contains no blind pores and allpore space is filled. Finely grinding materials withclosed pores (when appropriate) may allow true
volume and density also to be determined. If so, thenthe volume measurements obtained prior to and after
grinding provide a means for obtaining the total
volume of closed pores by subtracting true volume
from skeletal volume.
If the sample contains pores smaller than theminimum pore size into which mercury can intrude at
maximum instrument pressure, then skeletal and true
volumes cannot be obtained accurately. This may
represent a small, perhaps insignificant, volume
percent when using an instrument capable of generating 60 kpsia (414 MPa). For these samples, volumes
determined by gas pycnometry are smaller than thoseobtained by mercury porosimetry because gases suchas helium and nitrogen can penetrate into micropores
where mercury cannot. The difference in skeletal
density obtained by mercury porosimetry and by gas
pycnometry serves as a good approximation of porevolume in the range from essentially the size of thegas molecule to the lower size represented by thehighest pressure obtained by mercury porosimetry.

porosimetry, it should be recognized that the value
obtained is pressure-dependent up to the pressure atwhich all particle voids and pores are filled. The
pressure required for total pore filling may be only
several thousand psi, but may require the full pressure
range of the instrument. At higher pressures, one must
be aware of material compressibility, which will
reduce the reported skeletal volume. More information about compressibility is presented in a subsequent section.
Interstitial Void Volume
Interstitial void volume, sometimes called interparticle void, is the space between packed particles.
Such voids were taken into consideration in thedefinition of envelope volume, above. These voids
typically are larger than voids in the individual
particles and therefore fill at lower pressure. Beinglarger, they also hold more mercury than particle
pores. This means that the rate of intrusion of
mercury with increasing pressure is greater whenfilling the interstitial void than when filling pores
within the sample material. The completion ofinterparticle void volume filling is indicated by an
abrupt change in filling rate observed on the intrusion
curve. The total volume of the interparticle voids isthe volume of mercury intruded at the inflection
point.
Percent Porosity and Percent Porosity Filled
Knowing the bulk or envelope volume (VB or VE)of a sample and total porosity (VPt) allows percent
porosity to be calculated by the simple relationship
P% = (VPt/V*) x 100%.

(7)

The type of volume used in the equation for V*
determines what volumes are considered ‘porosity.’
Volumes associated with interstitial voids and withporosity can be differentiated as discussed previously.
In some applications, it is desired to know whatpercent of total porosity has been filled (or remains
unfilled, or has emptied) at a certain pressure or poresize boundary. This information also is readily
available from mercury porosimetry data since, once
total intrusion volume (total porosity) is known, thecumulative intrusion scale can be represented in unitsof percent porosity.
PART B. INFORMATION OBTAINED BY APPLICATION
OF WASHBURN’S EQUATIONThe characteristics of a sample discussed in PartA, with the exception of percent porosity filled at a

When measuring volume (density) by mercury
9pore size boundary, are not dependent on any geometrical pore model. When the sizes of pores are to
be determined and associated with volume determinations, Washburn’s equation and a pore model are
required. Characteristics that require models are
discussed in Part B.
Pore Volume Distribution by Pore Size
Rather than pumping the system immediately tomaximum pressure as in the example of obtaining
total pore volume, pore size distribution analyses
achieve maximum pressure by a series of smallpressure steps or by controlled-rate scanning. In step
mode, pressure and volume are measured after
intrusion (or extrusion) equilibration is achieved. The
cumulative intrusion volume of mercury at eachmeasured pressure is determined by subtracting thevolume of mercury remaining in the stem from theoriginal volume.
Applying Washburn’s equation to each measured
pressure provides the pore size associated with eachpressure, that is, the pore size class interval boundaries. In the great majority of cases and in the form of
Washburn’s equation derived and presented as Eq. 5,
the pore is considered to be a right circular cylinder.
The volume of mercury intruded as the result of eachpressure step is the difference between the respective
cumulative intrusion volumes. This value and theassociated pressure (pore size) values yield a table ofpore size intervals and incremental volumes associated with each interval. This is sufficient data for abar graph of pore volume versus size class. For acontinuous curve, only a single size value is required
to represent the size class. This value may be theupper or lower size boundary or some representative
size between the two boundaries (the average size, forexample).
Pore Area and Number of Pores
Since the Washburn model is based on cylindricalcapillaries, the pore shape is assumed to be cylindrical with a circular opening. Therefore, the equivalentcylindrical pore size is obtained from the data. In
principle, any pore opening geometry (cavity crosssection) is applicable as long as the equation is known
for equilibrium between the external pressure applied
over the spanned area of the opening and for the
resistive force produced by interfacial tension aroundthe perimeter of the opening (the solid, liquid, vapor
interface).
A cylindrical pore model is used almost exclu10

sively in practice. From this model, pore wall area iseasily determined from incremental pore volume VIii
by the equation
AWi = Di/4VIi(8)where Di is the representative diameter for the size class(the average class diameter, for example). A certain incremental pore volume and diameter implies a pore
length L since the relation between the length, diameter, and volume of a cylinder is
L = 4V/πD2 (9)If a representative diameter is combined with arepresentative pore length (thickness of the sample,
for example), then the number of pores in the size
range can be calculated because each pore would
have a specific volume, VPi, and the total volume ofall pores in the class is known. The number of poresof a specific size, then, is
N =VIi/VPi (10)Rootare and Prenzlow (7) take a modelessapproach to obtaining surface area information from
mercury porosimetry curves. Their calculations begin
with an expression of the reversible work required toimmerse in mercury a unit area of a solid surface.
That expression is simply the difference in the surface
tension of the solid-vacuum interface (γ s-v) and theinterfacial tension of the solid-mercury interface (γ s-l),
which reduces to γ L cos θ, where γ L is the surface freeenergy of liquid mercury in vacuo and θ is the contact
angle between the mercury and solid surface. Differentiation over area (a) gives
dW = γ L cos θ da

(11)

In a porosimeter, the work is supplied by pressure P
forcing a volume V of mercury into a pore, therefore
work is PdV. Substitution into Eq. 11 and subsequent
integration yields
a = -∫ PdV ( γ L cos θ )−1(12)PART C. INFORMATION OBTAINED BY APPLICATION OF
SPECIAL OR MULTIPLE MODELS
Mercury porosimetry has been employed for decades
to characterize sample materials in regard to thephysical parameters described in Parts A and B,
above. More recently, theoretical models of mercury
intrusion and extrusion mechanisms have been
introduced allowing additional information about the
sample material to be extracted. These methods ofdata reduction are the subject of this part.

Particle Size Distribution
In 1965, Mayer and Stowe (8) published a paper
expanding the work of Frevel and Kressley (9) on the
mercury breakthrough pressure required to penetrate a
bed of packed spheres and the subsequent filling of
the interstitial void. This work relates particle size to
breakthrough pressure. Later work by Pospech andSchneider (10) led to a method for determining thesize distribution of particles from the intrusion data in
the range of interstitial filling.
This method is based on models of penetration of
fluids into the void spaces of a collection of uniform
solid spheres packed in a regular manner. The forces
resisting penetration of mercury between particles
originates from interfacial tensions just as withpenetration of mercury into capillaries. However, thegeometric model is considerably different andtherefore is not described by the Washburn equationof equilibrium. The simplest geometry exists when
the particles are monosized spheres and the shapes ofthe void necks and void cavities of such a system are
exemplified in Figure 6. The figure shows the rangeof angular relationships between spheres centered at
W, X, Y, and Z in a plane section.

Figure 6. Ordered packing of spheres with crosssectional view of the shapes of mercury filling theresulting voids. Also shown is the 3-dimensional
shape of the void in a rhombohedral packing.
Regardless of the actual particle shape, theparticle size distribution derived from this method is
the size distribution of spheres that, when applied tothe mathematical model, most closely reproduces theexperimental penetration data. The size unit, then, is‘equivalent spherical size.’ How closely the resultscompare to that obtained by other methods of particle
sizing depends largely on how closely the sample
material conforms to the model of closely packed
spheres.

Pore Cavity to Pore Throat Size Ratio
For many materials, porosity is composed of a
network of interconnected voids of various sizes.
Small pores at the surface may connect to large pores
within the material; the openings are referred to as
pore throats and the spaces within the material as porecavities. There are numerous methods for extracting
pore shape information from mercury injection data.
These often are based on specific pore models andmay require some knowledge of the pore structure inorder to select the appropriate method. A few of thesemethods are discussed here.
Most pore shape evaluation methods are based on
the hypothesis that hysteresis in mercury porosimetryis attributable to pore shape. Indeed, if each pore
were a simple, uniform cylinder and the intrusion andextrusion contact angles are known and applied, one
would expect there to be no hysteresis since theintrusion and extrusion processes both are controlled
by the same mechanism and known parameters.
However, hysteresis loops of various shapes often are
observed and many do not close when pressure is
reduced from some elevated value to ambient. This
is attributed to large cavities being interconnected bysmaller pore throats. This applies even if the shape ofthe throats and cavities are cylindrical. Although large
pores fill at low pressures, a large cavity connected tothe surface by a small throat cannot fill until thepressure is sufficient to fill the smaller connecting
throat. Upon decompression, the small throat empties at the same pressure at which it filled, but thelarge cavity behind the throat remains filled because
the internal forces in this volume of relatively large
radius is insufficient to overcome the external forcesat the current pressure (see Section I). The pore will
empty at the lower pressure associated with its radius,or it may not empty at all if the path to the surface iscomposed of pores of inappropriate sizes.
So, intrusion of mercury into a cavity is controlled by the size of the pore throat radius while theradius of the cavity and its connectivity controls
extrusion of mercury from the cavity. A way tocharacterize the relationship between pore throat andcavity existing in a material is by the ratio of thesesizes and is calculated in the following manner.
Assume that at some pressure Px relating to poresize Rx that Vx cm3 of mercury is contained by poresin the sample. Intrusion continues to pressure Pz atwhich all pores are filled (Vz). Then, pressure is
reduced and extrusion begins. If there is hysteresis
11(as is typical), pressure must fall to a value lower thanPx, say Pw, before sufficient mercury extrudes toreduce the volume of mercury within the sample
again to Vx. The pore size that relates to Pw is Rw,
and this is the cavity size that is paired with throat
size Rx,; the pore throat to pore cavity size ratio, then,is Rx/Rw.

The pressure increased again to maximum,
reduced to Pw, raised to maximum, reduced to Pv, andso on until the range of interest is sampled. The datathus obtained are reduced to yield a three-dimensional
data set providing the distribution of pore cavity
volumes versus cavity sizes behind each of a series ofpore throat sizes.

Intrusion volume is expressed in terms of fractionof total porosity filled in order to normalize data forsample-to-sample comparisons. The fraction ofporosity filled is the ratio of the cumulative intrusion
volume at any point to the total intrusion volume.
The pore cavity to pore throat ratio method does not
relate the cavity size to the size of the throat throughwhich it was filled; rather it relates the fraction ofporosity filled to the pore sizes that control this state
during intrusion and extrusion.

Material Permeability and the Conductivity
Formation Factor

The Distribution of Pore Cavity Sizes AssociatedWith a Pore Throat Size
Reverberi and Ferraiolo (11) devised a means bywhich to determine the distribution of cavity sizes
connected to a pore throat of a specific size. They
constructed a pore model that relates hysteresis solely
to the existence of inkwell- shaped pores. An
inkwell-shaped pore has a cylindrical pore throat(radius R1) that connects to a larger cylindrical porecavity (radius R2).
The test is performed first by allowing intrusion
to occur up to maximum pressure Pz, thereby filling
all throats and cavities from size Rz (at minimumpressure) to Ra (at maximum pressure) with Vz unitsof mercury. The intrusion curve is a record of
cumulative intrusion at each point in the pressure
ramp. Pressure is then lowered a few percent to somesub-maximum pressure Py that corresponds to capillary size Ry. This empties only pores and porecavities with diameters between Rz and Ry. The
difference in the cumulative intrusion observed at Pyon the intrusion branch and Py on the extrusion branch
is the volume of cavities with sizes greater than Ry.
Pressure is increased again to Pz. The intrusion curve
will not take the same path as the original intrusion
curve if mercury was trapped since these pores
already are filled. Pressure is reduced from Pz to apressure Px where Px<Py<Pz. The total intruded
volume remaining in the pore space is recorded. Porethroats and cavities in the size range Rx to Rz empty.
The pressure is raised again to maximum. The
intrusion path retraces neither path Pa to Pz nor path Py
to Pz because a different set of pores is being filled.
12

Permeability is the inherent ability of a porous
medium to transmit a fluid and is a property of thematerial. It relates to porosity in the sense that it is the“proportionality constant” linking fluid flow rate toapplied pressure across a porous medium. There
have been many attempts over the years to relatepermeability to some relevant microstructurallydefined length scale. (12) The work of Katz andThompson (13, 14) provides an important contribution to mass transport studies in facilitating theprediction of fluid permeability of materials from
mercury injection data.
Katz and Thompson introduced two expressions
for calculating absolute permeability (k) using datafrom a single mercury injection capillary pressure
curve. The equations were derived from percolation
theory. The first provided rigorous results by incorporating the measured conductivity formation factor(conductance ratio) σ/σo as a parameter. Here σ is therock conductivity at characteristic length Lc, and σothe conductance of brine in the pore space. Mercury
porosimetry data are used to determine the characteristic length Lc of the pore space. The equation for
permeability is
k = 1/226(Lc)2 σ/σo (13)The second equation provides for an estimation ofσ/σo to be obtained from the same mercury intrusion
data as were used to determine k. This equation, in
addition to Lc, requires the value of the length (poresize) at which hydraulic conductance is maximum(Lmax), and the fraction of total porosity φ filled at Lmax
(symbolized by S(Lmax)). The equation is
k = (1/89)(Lmax)2(Lmax/Lc)φS(Lmax)(14)

Although appearing similar, the Katz-Thompson
expression for conductivity formation factor isfundamentally different from the classical Archie’slaw. For Equations 13 and 14, k is reported in unitsof millidarcys and has fundamental units of area.
As pressure is increased, mercury is forced toinvade smaller and smaller pore openings in thepermeable material. Ultimately, a critical pressure isreached at which the mercury spans the sample. This
conduction path is composed of pores of diameter
equal to and larger than the diameter calculated fromthe Washburn equation for the critical pressure. This
diameter, Lc in equation 13, is a unique transport
length scale and dominates the magnitude of thepermeability.
To obtain this characteristic length Lc from themercury intrusion data set, pressure is determined at
the point of inflection in the rapidly rising range ofthe cumulative intrusion curve. This inflection point
was determined experimentally by Katz and Thompson to correspond closely to the pressure at whichmercury first spans the sample and the point at whichpercolation begins. This pressure point is defined as
the threshold pressure (Pt). The value of Lc is the pore
diameter (or length scale) calculated from the
Washburn equation for Pt. Having obtained Lc issufficient if σ/σo has been measured independently
and is known.
To use the second form of the equation, which
estimates σ/σo, the cumulative intrusion volume Vt atthreshold pressure (Pt) is determined. Then, thequantity Vt is subtracted from each intrusion volume
value at each pressure in the data set from thresholdpressure to maximum pressure. Data points prior to
the threshold pressure are excluded. The net volume(Vc - Vt in cm3) times the diameter-cubed(micrometer3) for the corresponding pressure is
calculated as a function of pore diameter(micrometers). This is the hydraulic conductancefunction, or permeability path. The pore diametercorresponding to the maximum y-value is Lmax, thecumulative volume of mercury intruded at thisdiameter is VLmax. The fraction S(Lmax) is calculated as
the ratio of VLmax/Vt and is the fractional volume ofconnected pore space composed of pore width of size
Lmax and larger.
For both data reduction methods (using enteredvalues for σ/σo or calculating an estimated σ/σo), theequations depend on a judicious choice of the point at
which inflection occurs and the resulting values ofthreshold pressure (Pt) and threshold volume (Vt).
The computer program performs the first approximation and the initial value for permeability is reported
on this basis. However, the intrusion curve should be
inspected and the choice of the appropriate inflection
point confirmed. There are cases in which there are

multiple inflection points and a judgment isneeded to determine which most likely
represents the onset of percolation, or if themethod is even applicable to the sample.
Therefore, permeability calculations usuallyrequire a second pass through the data
reduction routine using adjusted parameters. It should be noted also that a change
in permeability value would affect the reported value for tortuosity.
In the literature, one frequently finds references
to the K-T method, both in regard to determining
permeability by mercury injection, and to their
method of identifying the percolation region, theoptimum path for permeability, and the thresholdpressure from mercury intrusion data. These parameters are in other methods discussed in this document.

Pore Fractal Dimensions
Many natural and man-made materials havecomplex pore structure that changes only in size, but
not in geometrical shape, over a range of porevolumes. This type of geometry has the quality of‘self-similarity’ and can be described in terms of its
fractal dimensions.
Angulo, Alvarado, and Gonzalez (15) published amethod by which mercury porosimetry data can be
reduced to extract information about the fractal
characteristics of the pore space of the sample
material. For their method to be applicable, there
must be one or more linear regions on a log-log plotof intrusion volume versus pressure. The plot
describes the volume scaling of the pore space andlinearity implies that pore volume has fractal dimensions. The equation describing a linear region isdetermined and the value of the fractal dimension of
the material in the linear range is extracted from theinverse log of the equation. Two regions of linearity
are found in the data from some materials; this is
attributed to there being two different processes
related to pore space. The lower pressure linear
region occurs during ‘backbone formation’ whenmercury is finding a conductivity path through thepore structure. The adjacent linear region at higher
pressure occurs during ‘percolation’ where flow
through the medium is optimized.
For fractal analysis to be of value, the implications of fractal geometry must be appreciated. For
anyone unfamiliar with fractal geometry, a simple,
instructive exercise can be performed. First, draw a13

square of dimension L, where L is any dimension.
The square will be the conserved geometry, so every
sub-element also will be a square, only smaller.
Divide the original square into four squares of equal
size (L/2 x L/2). Then, remove any one of the small
squares. Divide each of the remaining three squares
into four smaller squares (L/4 x L/4). From each of
the three new groups, remove one square. Continue
this process n times, where n is a positive integer.
The result is a set of very small squares forming
larger squares, all but the smallest having voids ofvarious sizes. The dimension of the smallest squarefrom which all other squares are composed, is called
the length scale. The dimension of the smallest
square is calculated using the formula L/2n, where n is
the number of times the original square was divided.
The numerator is the original length of a side of thesquare, and the number 2 in the denominator is thenumber of equal parts into which the original length
was divided. The number N of remaining squares atthe end of the exercise equals 3n, where the number 3
is derived from the number of remaining squares after
each divide-and-discard step.
In general, a self-similar set of this type is expressed by the equation
N(δ) = δ-D(15)

where N(δ) is the number of elements of dimension
δ, δ is the smallest dimension after n divisions, and D
is the fractal dimension.
Taking the logarithm of this equation provides asolution for D, which is
D = log[N(δ)]/log(1/δ)(16)

For the example given, N(δ) = 3n and δ = 1/2n.
Substituting these values into equation 10 gives
D = log(3n)/log(2n)= nlog(3)/nlog(2)= log(3)/log(2) = 1.58

(17)

Note that the fractal dimension does not depend
upon the number of iterations, n. Ultimately, it
depends upon the fraction by which the length scale isdivided and the number of remaining elements after
each iteration. The total number of elements and thelength scale, however, are functions of n.
Following the example above, the total area of theremaining object is equal to the number of minor
elements times the area of each, or
14

A = N(δ) δ2 (18)Since N(δ) = δ-D,A = δ(2-D)(19)

where D in this case is the area fractional dimension.
An expression for volumetric fractal dimension isderived as above, yielding
V = δ(3-D)(20)

If a sample has pore space that is fractal, then thevolume of mercury intruded with increasing pressure
also will scale as a fractal. Using a pressure scalerather than a length scale, and subtracting the threshold pressure Pt from the capillary pressure P, Equation 14 is expressed as
V = (P-Pt)(3-D)(21)

Taking the logarithm of this equation giveslog(V) = (3-D)log(P-Pt)(22)

where (3-D) is the slope of the log(V) vs. log(P-Pt)
plot. Pt is the pressure identified by Katz and Thompson (see the section on permeability) as thepressure at which mercury first percolates and spansthe porous medium.
The equations developed above are based on
regular geometry, as are most models, the cylindricalpore model of the Washburn equation, being an
example. The application of this data reduction
method indicates, by the occurrence of a linear range
on the log(V) vs. log(P-Pt) plot, that pore volume
filling is indicative of pores of fractal dimension.
Reduction of data in that area provides the fractal
dimension.
Fractal dimensions often are compared with othereffects of porosity to test for correlation. For example, materials with fractal geometry often havequite different fluid transport characteristics than domaterials having random geometry. Therefore, fractal
dimensions can be important physical parameterswhen studying reservoir rocks and catalysts and othermaterials through which fluid must flow. The factthat the porosity has or does not have fractal geometry also may be indicative of the physical processes
that formed the material.
In practice, determinations of the fractal dimensions of the backbone formation and percolation
regions are accomplished after the log(V) vs. log(PPt) plot has been examined and the boundaries of thelinear regions identified. Another variable that may
require adjustment after the analysis is Pt, the threshold pressure. Since these determinations only can bemade after seeing certain reduced data, parameter
adjustments and a second pass through the data
reduction routine is required, this time only producing
the reports on which changes are expected.
Pore Tortuosity and Tortuosity Factor
The terms tortuosity and tortuosity factor express
two different characteristics of a material. Tortuosity
is the ratio of actual distance traveled between two
points to the minimum distance between the sametwo points. Tortuosity factor is commonly used in thearea of heterogeneous catalysis and is the ratio of
tortuosity to constriction.
The tortuosity factor characterizes the efficiency
of diffusion of fluids through a porous media.
Diffusion-controlled processes are of particularimportance in catalysts where the solid support
usually contains a pore network with pores ranging
from micro- through to macropores. The manner inwhich pores interconnect can have a profound effecton the accessibility of reactants to the active sites andon the removal of products.

ing the Hager and Katz-Thompson expressions
provides a means for determining tortuosity fromdata collected by mercury porosimetry.
Obviously, if the Katz-Thompson value forpermeability is used for tortuosity, permeability mustfirst be determined appropriately. This means that theK-T point of inflection must have been accurately
identified. Furthermore, for minimum error, thevalue of σ/σ should be known and entered as aoparameter in the K-T data reduction routine. However, the K-T method can be used to estimate σ/σ buto,estimation diminishes the reliability of the calculated
tortuosity value.
The dependency of tortuosity determinations on
permeability determinations means also that any
recalculation that affects the reported permeability
also affects the reported value for tortuosity. Therefore, if permeability is recalculated for any reason (abetter estimate of the inflection point, for example),then the system should be allowed also to recalculate
and report tortuosity using the updated value of
permeability.

In 1998, Jörgen Hager (16) in his Ph. D. thesis at
Lund University (Sweden) derived an expression formaterial permeability based on a capillary bundlemodel in which pores are homogeneously distributedin random directions. Using the Hagen-Poiseuillecorrelation for fluid flow in cylindrical geometries,
making substitutions with measurable parameters, andcombining with Darcy’s law, he derived an expression for material permeability in terms of total porevolume, material density, pore volume distribution bypore size, and material tortuosity. All parameters but
tortuosity are obtainable from mercury porosimetry
tests.

Material Compressibility
It has long been noted that for many materials theintrusion curve at near maximum pressure takes asudden upward swing. In some cases, the apparent
uptake of mercury by the sample actually is caused bymercury filling the void in the sample cup producedby the collapse or compression of the sample material. If the extrusion curve follows the intrusion curvein this region, the material is demonstrating restitution
or elasticity and returning to its original shape orvolume. If the extrusion curve fails to retrace theintrusion curve, the material, to some extent, ispermanently deformed. A pore filled with mercury
applies pressure to the pore walls essentially with thesame pressure as applied by the bulk mercury surrounding the sample. Therefore, structural collapse is
not likely caused by collapse of the open pore
structure, but more likely is due to voids that are
inaccessible to the mercury. However, there is no
way mercury porosimetry can determine whether the
upward swing in the intrusion curve was caused bymaterial compression, void collapse, filling of open
pores, or a more common combination of these.

As presented previously, Katz and Thompson also
derived an expression for material permeability basedon measurements obtainable from mercury
porosimetry. Their expression does not depend on
knowledge of material tortuosity. Therefore, combin-

Compressibility data are more reliable whenworking with non-porous materials and, in thisapplication, any apparent uptake of mercury in thehigh or low pressure regions may be attributed tomaterial compression. However, before data reduc-

Also, characterization of the pore structure,including tortuosity, of porous filtration membranes
such as microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes
is an important determination. Modeling the transportof contaminants through soil or other porous matrices
also depends on knowledge of the materials tortuosity.

15

tion can be performed, there must be available a“blank run” file consisting (at least ideally) of a run
made with the same penetrometer that is to be used in
the compressibility test and on the same instrument
ports as will be used in the compressibility run. The
pressure range of the blank run must, at a minimum,
fully encompass the planned range to be used in thecompressibility measurement. This greatly improves
the accuracy of the data by eliminating any deviationsin the baseline caused by components in the system.
Quantifying compressibility consists of first
identifying the range of data in which compressibility
occurs, or in which the compressibility function is tobe determined. The default range is the entire
intrusion curve and this may need to be changed byhaving pre-knowledge of the desired range, or byinspection of the intrusion curve after the analysis.
By the latter method, a second pass through the data
reduction routine is required if the calculation range ischanged from the pre-analysis values.
The compression function is expressed as aquadratic equation derived from the change involume with pressure. Assume that at each experimental pressure, Pn, the corresponding blank corrected intrusion, V(Pn), can be computed using thesecond order polynomial expression
V(Pn) = Vo + B*Pn + C*Pn2 .

(23)

where Vo is the exact volume of the sample material
computed as the ratio of thesample weight andthe sample density supplied by the user or,
alternatively, supplied as the pre-measured sample
volume by the user; B is the linear pressure
coefficient of volumetric compressibility; and C is
the quadratic pressure coefficient of volumetriccompressibility.
The instrument will determine the best fit of thisquadratic equation to the experimental data by
adjusting the B and C appropriately. A plot of theexperimental data overlaid with the predicted data canbe inspected for goodness of fit. If the two plots
closely agree, then the derived function expresses thecompression response of the material to pressure in
the range of calculation.
It is expected that the knowledgeable user willneed to fully take into account various limitations in
the art and technique. A blank correction run will
provide a reference that will compensate for most ofthese variables. Perhaps the least controllable vari16

able is temperature increases which create a “thermometer effect” in the penetrometer system and arecaused by compression of the hydraulic fluid aspressure is built. The amount of temperature increasedepends upon the exact rate and time pattern withwhich the pressure is increased but can be as high as
50 C if maximally rapid pressurization of a small
penetrometer is done.
Relation of Mercury Porosimetry to Other
Porosimetry Techniques
Gas sorption and mercury porosimetry arecomplementary techniques. Physical adsorption
techniques can extend the lower size measurement
down to about 0.00035 mm diameter, thus probing
the intraparticle microstructure. Mercury porosimetryis paired with the gas sorption technique to obtain
porosity information in the large size range (greaterthan about 0.3 mm diameter up to about 360 mm),which is not attainable by gas sorption. When using
two different techniques (two very different models),
one should not expect necessarily to obtain the same
results in the overlapping or common range of both
instruments. However, comparable results have beenreported (17) for some materials.
One potential difficulty in comparing porosity
data sets obtained in the smaller size range by mercury porosimetry with data gathered in the samerange by gas sorption is that sample compression is apossibility with mercury porosimetry. If sample
compression occurs, an apparent uptake of mercury issuperimposed on the intrusion curve leading to anerroneous indication of pore volume, and one not
reproduced by the gas adsorption analysis.
As was mentioned in the sections on volume anddensity, mercury porosimetry data can be comparedwith gas pycnometry data to reveal additional porosity not detected by the mercury intrusion method
alone. Indeed, comparing data obtained by different
techniques for the same material characteristics canreveal information not attainable by either method
alone. The requirement, of course, is that the measurement theories of both techniques be well understood.

GLOSSARY
Angle of contact: see Contact Angle
Apparent quantity: find under name of specific quantity, i.e. Volume, Apparent
Archie’s Law: An empirical equation relating the electrical conductivity of a porous material and expressedasρ = ρ Aφ-m
R

F

where ρ is the electrical property of the rock, ρ theRFelectrical property of the fluid, φ the porosity of themedium, and A and m depend on the geometry of thepores.
Area, Incremental Specific: The total area of pores withthe size class defined by the increment boundaries. Thisvalue is calculated using incremental volume rather thancumulative volume. Therefore, the incremental porearea between the boundaries i and j is calculated by
Aij = 4(Vj-Vi)/Dm,
where Dm is the mean diameter (see definition).
Area, Cumulative Pore: The summation of pore area
over a range of pore sizes. Pore area is calculated fromthe geometry of a right circular cylinder beginning with
Cumulative Volume (as measured) and equals πD2h/4,
where D is the diameter of the pore and h is its depth.
Since the area of a right circular cylinder equals π Dh,
the relation between the volume and area is A= 4V/D.
Backbone: That part of the spanning cluster of connected pores and voids that takes the most direct paththrough the medium.
Backbone Formation: Development of the main paththrough which the fluid will percolate.
Bulk quantity: find under name of specific quantity, i.e.
Volume, Bulk
Capillarity: The action that causes the elevation or depression of a liquid surface in contact with a solid. It iscaused by the relative attraction of the liquid molecules
to each other and to the molecules of the solid. Same
as capillary action.
Capillary Pressure: The pressure differential across themeniscus; the driving force for capillary
penetration.
Characteristic Length: The pore diameter calculated

from the pressure at which percolation through the porous material first occurs.
Compact: Verb form- To increase the bulk density of a
granular material by the compression.
Noun form- A tablet or briquette resulting fromcompressing a granular or powdered material.
Conductivity Formation Factor: The ratio of the electrical conductance of a rock permeated with brine tothe electrical conductance of brine. The reduction in
conductivity is caused by the presence of the insulating
solid phase and therefore is related the porosity. It also
is affected by pore tortuosity and interconnectivity.
Connectivity: The degree to which pores, fractures, andvoids are joined to form continuous paths through a
medium. Directly related to Percolation.
Contact angle: The angle between the liquid and thesolid surface at the liquid-solid-vapor interface and tangent to the curve of the droplet. The contact angle of aliquid on a smooth, homogeneous surface; depends on
the surface energy of solid and liquid. The higher thesurface energy of the solid substrate, the better its
wettability and the smaller the contact angle. Related
to the Surface Tension by the Young’s Law.
Cumulative quantity: Total quantity accumulated (summation) over a range of operation (compare with Incremental quantity). For specific definitions, look under
the name of the specific quantity, i.e. Volume, Cumulative.
Darcy: A unit of permeability. Equal to the flow of 1
ml of fluid of 1 centipoise viscosity in 1 second under apressure gradient of 1 atmosphere across a 1cm2 and l
cm long section of porous material. Has units of area(cm2). 1 darcy = 1x10 -12 m2 or 1x10 -8 cm2 .
1
-15
2
-11
2
millidarcy (md) = 1x10 m or 1x10 cm .
Darcy’s Law: A law describing the rate of fluid flow
through a porous medium having specific physical properties. Mathematically,
Q = k∆P/ηl
Where Q is the rate of flow (ml/sec), ∆P the pressure
gradient, η the fluid viscosity, and l the length (thickness of sample) The material permeability (hydraulicconductivity) k is
k = r2/8
where r is the radius of the pore. Darcy’s Law is valid
only for steady-state, laminar fluid flow. See the HagenPoiseuille equation.
17

Density, Apparent (or Particle Density) is the mass
divided by the volume including both closed pores andopen pores. This is in contrast to the mass per unit
volume of the individual particles, which is a higher
value.
Density, Bulk (or Packing Density) are terms used in
powder technology. Bulk density or packing density is
the mass of particles composing the bed divided by thebulk volume of the bed.
Density, Packing see Density, Bulk
Density The mass of a substance per unit volume (D =m/V). Volume may be defined in different ways according to how it is measured. Therefore, the definition of density is determined by the definition of volume. Definitions can vary somewhat from industry toindustry.
Density, Bulk: The mass of the bulk quantity divided
by the bulk volume; see Volume, Bulk.
Density, Envelope: The mass of the specimen divided
by the envelope volume; see Volume, Envelope.
Density, Particle (or Envelope Density) is the mass ofthe particle divided by the volume of the particle including closed pores but excluding open pores.
Density, True (or Substance Density) is the mass divided by the solid volume or true skeletal volume. It is
usually determined after the substance has been reduced
to a particle size so small that it accommodates no internal voids.
Density, Theoretical is similar to true density except
theoretical density includes the requirement that the solidmaterial has an ideal regular arrangement at the atomic
level.
Density, Skeletal is usually the mass divided by the skeletal volume remaining after the volume of all open pores
larger than 0.005 micrometers have been subtracted.
Diameter / Radius: In mercury porosimetry, this is thedimension of the circular (or other) pore model. For
every collected pressure point, there is a corresponding
diameter obtained from the Washburn equation. Radius, when used, is obtained by dividing the calculated
diameter by two.
Diameter, Mean: The average diameter within a classor data range. Over a given range of diameters (pressures) from Di to Dj, the mean diameter is calculated as
Di-Dj/2.
Differential quantity: In general, the magnitude of the
18change in a quantity, or difference. Generally, the difference between two quantities, but in mercury
porosimetry, the differential quantity always will be poresize (diameter or radius). It is calculated by subtracting
the size of the pores corresponding to one pressure
boundary of the increment from that of the other pressure boundary. For specific definitions, look under thename of the specific quantity, i.e. Volume, Differential.
Diffusion: As used in this document, the transport ofmass by the spontaneous movement of particles (ions)through the liquid filling the pores.
Distribution (number, area, and volume): In mercury
porosimetry, pore size calculated from pressure is theindependent variable and this represents the distribution range. That which is distributed is the dependent
variable, either the number, area, or volume of pores at
each value throughout the range. For example, the porevolume distribution by pore sizes (diameter or radius).
Equilibration: The state at which mercury has ceased
to flow into the pore space at the current pressure.
Fluid: A substance having no resistance to deformation when subjected to a shearing force.
Formation Factor: See Conductivity Formation Factor:
Fractal: A shape that is composed of smaller replicasof the same shape, that is, having self similarity. A
simple example is a square area composed of small
squares that are themselves composed of smallersquares, ad infinitum. Characterized by a power law
distribution.
Geometric quantity: A dimension of an object of regular geometry such as a sphere or cylinder. For specificgeometries (shapes), look under the name of the shape,i.e. “Volume, Geometric”
Greenware: Ceramic ware that has not been fired. Also
applied to powdered metal compacts prior to sintering.
Hagen-Poiseuille Equation: An expression describing the laminar flow of fluid through a single cylindrical tube (capillary or pore) under the influence of a pressure gradient and as a function of fluid viscosity anddensity, capillary length and diameter, and flow velocity. Often expressed in terms of flow quantity, Q as
Q = V/t = (πr4/8η)(∆P/l)
Where V/t is the volume rate of flow, r the radius of thecapillary (pore), ηthe liquid viscosity, and ∆P/l the pressure differential over a length 1 of capillary. See Darcy’s

Law.
Hydraulic Conductivity: Permeability in relation to thefluid; unlike permeability, hydraulic conductivity takes
into account the particular fluid that is present in themedium. See Permeability
Hydraulic Radius: The ratio of volume to surface areaof a porous material. Also, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of flow to the perimeter of the channel.
Hysteresis: In mercury porosimetry, hysteresis is used
to describe the failure of the extrusion curve to retrace
the intrusion curve, that is, at the same pressure on thetwo curves, the quantity of mercury contained in thepore system differs. The extrusion curve with no hysteresis will exactly retrace the intrusion curve, and withhysteresis, will always have volume values greater than
the intrusion curve at the same pressure. An error condition exists if the extrusion curve dips below the intrusion curve. The two curves seldom close to form a hysteresis loop as is required for gas adsorption -desorption curves.

Log differential quantity: The difference between
the logarithms of two quantities. In mercury porosimetry
discussions, log differential quantities refer to quantities calculated using the log of the differential pore size
(diameter or radius). For example, log(Di) - log(Dj).
Lognormal distribution: A distribution in which thelog values of sizes are distributed in a normal distribution.
Macropore: Pores with diameters exceeding 0.05 µm.
Meniscus: The free surface of a liquid-vapor boundary
near the walls of the containing vessel (a pore or capillary) and which assumes a curvature due to surface tension.
Mesopore: Pores with diameters between 0.002 µm
and 0.05 µm.
Micropore: Pores with diameters equal to or less than
0.002 µm.
Millidarcy: 10-3 Darcy; see Darcy.

Incremental quantity: A quantity summed between thetwo boundaries that define the increment (compare with
Cululative quantity). For specific definitions, lookunder the name of the specific quantity, i.e. Volume,
Incremental.

Model (Theoretical): A model, in the sense used in thisdocument, is a mathematical or physical system thatobeys specific conditions and whose behavior is used
to help understand an analogous physical system. In
mercury porosimetry, one theoretical model is that ofsystem cylindrical pores.

Interface: As used in this document, the boundary between any two phases, gas (vapor), liquid, or solid.
These include, vapor-liquid, vapor-solid, liquid-liquid,
liquid-solid, and solid-solid.

Optimum path for Permeability: The pore size at which
the product of intrusion volume and the cube of thepore size is maximum. The peak of the hydraulic conductance function in the Katz-Thompson method.

Interfacial Energy: The free energy of the surfaces at
the interface of two phases resulting from differencesin the tendencies of each phase to attract its own molecules. Also known as surface energy. See also, Surface Tension and Surface Energy.

Pascal: Unit of pressure. To convert Pascals to otherunits, use the table below.

Intergranular porosity: Void space between particles.
See Interstitial Space.

bar 1 x 10-5

Internal Energy (Forces): That portion of the total energy of a substance that is due to the kinetic and potential energy of the individual molecules; for example,
that possessed by a compressed fluid.
Interstitial Space (Voids): The void space formed between two or more particles packed together.
Katz-Thompson Method: A method by which to determine the permeability of a porous medium using dataobtained by mercury porosimetry.
Lithogenesis: The formation of rocks.

To convert Pascals to…
atmospheredynes/cm2

multiply by…

9.869 x 10-6

102kg/cm 1.020 x 10-5
psi or lb/in2

1.4508 x 10-4

torr or mm Hg 7.5028 x 10-3
Percolate (Percolation): The movement of a fluid
through a porous medium.
Penetrometer: A combination of a sample holder (cup)and the analytical mercury reservoir (stem) used in
mercury porosimetry. Also called a dilatometer.
19Permeability: The capacity of a material to transmit
fluid. The conductance of fluid flow that a porous or
fractured medium exhibits. Under special conditions,also referred to as Hydraulic Conductivity.
Pore Cavity: Any void laying beneath the surface andconnected to the surface by a smaller void or pore.
Pore, Closed: Strictly, a pore that has no conduit to thesurface. In regard to mercury porosimetry, a pore thathas no conduit to the surface of sufficient size for mercury to invade at maximum pressure.
Pore, Ink Well: A pore system composed of a small
cylindrical pore that opens into a larger cylindrical pore.
Pore, Open: A pore that is on the surface or has a conduit to the surface of the particle or specimen.
Pore Throat (neck): The opening at the surface (sometimes called simply ‘pore’). Also, a pore through whicha larger pore (cavity) is accessed.
Porosity: A dimensionless unit symbolized by φ andequal to the ratio of the void volume to the total volume (V /V ) of the porous medium, or the fraction ofVTthe total volume of a porous medium occupied by void
space. It also may be considered the storage capacityof a medium such as reservoir rock.
Power Law: A distribution of the form y = c xn.
Pressure: In general, the force pre unit area, F/A. In
mercury porosimetry, this value (measurement) is considered raw data, but actually is reduced to some extent
by head pressure correction and transducer offset correction. Nevertheless, it is the most fundamental pressure data used in further data reduction. For every collected pressure point, Pi, there is a corresponding collected volume data point Vi. In certain data reduction
routines, pressure data may be derived by interpolation
between two measured pressure data points.

mtorr or micron Hg
Pa or N/m2

5.171 x 104

6.8927 x 103

torr or mm Hg 51.71

Radius / Diameter: In mercury porosimetry, this is thedimension of the circular (or other) pore model. For
every collected pressure point, there is a corresponding
diameter obtained from the Washburn equation. Radius, when used, is obtained by dividing the calculated
diameter by two.
Saturation Zone (Saturated Zone): The region of porespace completely filled with fluid.
Self-similarity: Having the same properties at different
size scales.
Sinter: In powder metallurgy, to form a coherent bonded
mass by heat and pressure without melting.
Surface Energy: The energy per unit area of surface.
Compare with definitions of Surface Tension and Interfacial Energy.
Surface Tension: The internal force acting on the surface that tends to contract the surface into a configuration of minimum surface area. It is due to an unbalancein molecular forces at the interface of two materials.
The difference in molecular forces between a liquid andsolid determines the contact angle. Also, the work dW
necessary to increase the surface area by dA. Also
known as interfacial tension or interfacial force. Seealso, Surface Energy and Interfacial Energy.
Tortuosity: The ratio of the length of the path describedby the pore space to the length of the shortest path acrossa porous mass; the minimum value is 1.

Pressure, Threshold: The pressure at which fluid first
percolates through a porous medium.

Tortuosity Factor: Tortuosity factor is commonly usedin the area of heterogeneous catalysis and is the ratio of
tortuosity to constriction, where constriction is a function of the ratio of cross-sectional areas of the conduit.

PSIA: Units of absolute pressure. Pounds per Square
Inch Absolute. To convert PSIA to other units, use thetable below.

Transport Properties: The properties of a material thatare associated with the transport of mass through thematerial.

To convert PSIA to…. multiply by..
0.06805

Unsaturated Zone: The region of the pore space that ispartly filled with fluid.

6.8927 x 104

Viscosity: A measure of a fluid’s ability to resist deformation. High viscosity fluids flow more slowly thanlow viscosity fluids.

atmospherebar 0.06893
dynes/cm2kg/cm2 7.0309 x 10-2
20

Volume: The size of a specific region in three-dimen-sional space.

in the reported skeletal volume.

Volume, Bulk: Applied to finely divided samples andgranulated solid materials. Includes all pores, open andclosed, and includes interstitial space between particles.
In regard to a single solid specimen, often referred to as
envelope volume; see envelope volume.

Volume, Specific: The volume (intrusion or extrusion,
cumulative or incremental) divided by the sample
weight. This produced units of volume per unit weightand normalizes the data for convenient comparison tosimilar analyses using different quantities of sample
material.

Volume, Cumulative: In mercury porosimetry, the total
volume accumulated or accounted for over the range ofpressures or pore sizes. Considered raw data but may
have been blank-corrected. For every cumulative volume data point (Vi) collected, there is a corresponding
pressure point (Pi) collected.
Volume, Differential Specific: The incremental specificvolume divided by the difference between the pore sizeat one boundary of the increment and the pore size at
the other boundary. Incremental volume is used rather
than cumulative because the calculation involves anincremental step in pore size and volume intruded andnot the cumulative volume intruded at a specific poresize.
Volume, Envelope: The volume enclosed within a ‘form
fitting’ surface that covers or envelops a single solid
specimen of material. It includes the volume of small
surface irregularities, open pores, and closed pores.
Compare with Volume, Bulk.
Volume, Geometric is a theoretically ideal volume, derived from calculations with linear dimensions of regular shapes such as the radii (R) and heights (h) of cylinders (V=πR2h), the radii of spheres (V = 4/3 π R3), andthe lengths (l), heights (h), and widths (w) of rectangular cubes (V = lwh). It does not include surface irregularities that exist on “real” objects, nor pores or voids.
Volume, Incremental: For a given range of pressure
and cumulative volume data pairs, (Pi,Vi) to (Pj,Vj),
incremental volume is Vi-Vj (corresponding to a pressure difference of Pi - Pj, which converts to a size range
from Di to Dj). In certain data reduction routines, incremental volume data may be calculated using values
derived by interpolation between two measured volumedata points.
Volume, Skeletal (or True Volume): The volume of thesolid material only. Skeletal volume may be determinedby mercury porosimetry or helium pycnometry and mustbe performed on either non-porous materials or materials with no closed pores. The skeletal volume as determined by mercury porosimetry and helium
pycnometry may differ because mercury cannot intrude
into small micropores, therefore including these voids

Volume, True: see Volume, Skeletal
Washburn Equation: A mathematical expression of
dynamic equilibrium between external forces tending
to force a liquid into a capillary of size R and the internal forces repelling entry into the capillary. Assuming
a circular cross-section for the capillary opening spannedby a non-wetting liquid such a mercury, the equation
can be resolved in terms of the external pressure P and
the diameter of the capillary D, the smallest size into
which the liquid can be forced to enter at the prevailingpressure.
Young’s law: An expression of the relationship of thesolid-gas, solid-liquid, and liquid-gas interfacial tensions and the contact angle. Expressed mathematicallyasγ = γ γ cos θs,gs,l + l,g
where γ is the solid-gas interfacial tension, γ ,l the solids,gsliquid interfacial tension, γ the liquid gas interfaciall,gtension, and θ the contact angle
Young-Laplace Equation: An expression of thepressure differential (capillary pressure) across theliquid-gas interface (the meniscus). At equilibrium,∆p = γ (1/R + 1/R )12

where R and R are the radii of curvature of the inter1
2
face and γ is the surface tension of the liquid-gas interface. Within pores, the two radii are assumed to beequal to the pore size, D/2. Therefore, capillary pressure across the interface in a pore of size D is given by∆p = γ (2/D + 2/D) = 4γ /D.
NOTE: The expression for capillary pressure is derived
under the assumption that the fluids are in static equilibrium, i.e. there is no flow into or from the pore.

21

REFERENCES
1. Dirk T. Mayer and Claudia Dittmer, Printing Inks
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John M. Cimbala, Fluid Mechanics Electronic
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E.W. Washburn, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 7, 115(1921)
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R.P. Mayer and R.A. Stowe, J. Colloid Interface
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Sizes from Mercury Porosimetry”, Powder Technol. 59,
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22

E.J. Garboczi, Permeability Length Scales andthe Katz-Thompson Equation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, World Wide Web, http://
ciks.cbt.nist.gov/garbocz/paper10/node2.html
13. A.J. Katz and A.H. Thompson, “A Quantitative
Prediction of Permeability in Porous rock”, Phys. Rev.
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R.F. Angulo, V. Alvarado, and H. Gonzalez,“Fractal Dimensions from Mercury Intrusion Capillary
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