Macroscopic Dielectric Constant for Microstructures of Sedimentary Rocks

An approximate method to calculate dielectric response and relaxation functions for water saturated sedimentary rocks is tested for realistic threedimensional pore space images. The test is performed by comparing the prediction from the approximate method against the exact solution. The approximate method is based on image analysis and local porosity theory. An empirical rule for the specification of the length scale in local porosity theory is advanced. The results from the exact solution are compared to those obtained using local porosity theory and various other approximate mixing laws. The calculation based on local porosity theory is found to yield improved quantitative agreement with the exact result.