There is no consensus about the proper theory and equation of permeability of porous media in spite of the numerous investigations conducted to date. Many different expressions have been proposed in the literature for permeability prediction and/or correlation. The presently available and frequently used models, including the popular Kozeny-Carman equation, have certain limitations and are inadequate for applications involving the geological porous media. The bottom-line question is just what is the equation of permeability of the geological porous formations?

This paper provides some insights into the relationship of the porosity and permeability. The bundle of leaky capillary hydraulic tubes with cross-flow model of porous media by Civan1-7 is shown to alleviate the deficiencies of the present models. This model adequately approximates the actual flow schemes in porous media because it allows for interactions between the capillary hydraulic paths. The porosity-permeability data of various core samples are analyzed with this model. It is demonstrated that the power law exponent of the leaky-tube model deviates significantly from the unity. Therefore, the Kozeny-Carman8-9 equation having a constant exponent of unity cannot describe such core data.

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