Determining effects of acoustic energy on fluid and rock interactions

1 . A system for determining effects of acoustic energy on fluid and rock interactions, the system comprising:

a housing comprising a housing body and a cover;

an elastomeric base disposed within the housing body;

a gasket disposed between the housing body and the cover when the cover is installed on the housing body;

a cylinder simulating a wellbore protruding through the cover and a connection port attached at one end of the cylinder;

one or more sensors disposed on the housing body; and

an acoustic transducer disposed in the cylinder.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pump fluidly coupled to the connection port to pump fluids into the housing and pressurize the housing to a specified pressure.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the specified pressure is between 500 and 1000 pounds per square inch.

4 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising one or more fluid cylinders fluidly coupled between the pump and the housing.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing body defines an interior cavity with a volume between 5 and 10 cubic inches.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein a rock sample having a central bore comprises a volume between 5 and 10 cubic inches.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an acoustic generator electrically coupled to the acoustic transducer.

9 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising a computing device operable to control a temperature of the housing, a pressure of the housing, and the acoustic generator.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing body and the cover comprise steel.

11 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a heating jacket disposed around the housing.

12 . A method for determining effects of acoustic energy on fluid and rock interactions, the method comprising:

inserting a cylinder simulating a wellbore into a central bore of a rock sample;

inserting an acoustic transducer into the central bore of the rock sample through the cylinder;

injecting fluids into the rock sample through the cylinder using a pump;

measuring a first flow rate of fluids through the rock sample;

determining a first permeability of the rock sample based on the first flow rate;

generating acoustic waves traveling through the rock sample using the acoustic transducer disposed within the central bore of the rock sample;

measuring a second flow rate of fluids through the rock sample while generating the acoustic waves; and

determining a second permeability of the rock sample based on the second flow rate;

determining the effects of acoustic energy based on the first and second flow rates and the first and second permeabilities.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising heating the rock sample to a reservoir temperature.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein heating the rock sample comprises heating the rock sample using a heating element or a heating jacket.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising regulating a pressure of the fluids in the rock sample to maintain a reservoir pressure within the rock sample.

16 . A method for assembling a system for determining effects of acoustic energy on fluid and rock interactions, the method comprising:

obtaining a housing comprising a housing body and a cover;

placing an elastomeric base inside the housing;

placing a rock sample inside the housing on top of the elastomeric base;

placing a gasket on the rock sample and the housing body;

inserting a cylinder simulating a wellbore into a central bore of the rock sample, the cylinder protruding through the cover;

securing the cover to the housing body with the gasket between the housing body and the cover; and

inserting an acoustic transducer into the central bore of the rock sample through the cylinder.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising fluidly coupling a pump to a connection port attached to an end of the cylinder.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising injecting fluid into the rock sample to pressurize the housing body.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein securing the cover to the housing body comprises securing the cover to the housing body using threaded rods and nuts.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising coupling one or more sensors to the housing to measure properties of fluids in the rock sample.