scholarly journals Trapping zones: The effect of fracture roughness on the directional anisotropy of fluid flow and colloid transport in a single fracture

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Boutt ◽  
Giovanni Grasselli ◽  
Joanne T. Fredrich ◽  
Benjamin K. Cook ◽  
John R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Colloid Transport ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Fracture Roughness ◽  
Directional Anisotropy

scholarly journals Analysis of Fracture Roughness Control on Permeability Using SfM and Fluid Flow Simulations: Implications for Carbonate Reservoir Characterization

Geofluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miller Zambrano ◽  
Alan D. Pitts ◽  
Ali Salama ◽  
Tiziano Volatili ◽  
Maurizio Giorgioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Reservoir Characterization ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Carbonate Reservoir ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Parallel Plates ◽  
Surface Mapping ◽  
Navier Stokes Equation ◽  
Hydraulic Aperture ◽  
Fracture Modeling

Fluid flow through a single fracture is traditionally described by the cubic law, which is derived from the Navier-Stokes equation for the flow of an incompressible fluid between two smooth-parallel plates. Thus, the permeability of a single fracture depends only on the so-called hydraulic aperture which differs from the mechanical aperture (separation between the two fracture wall surfaces). This difference is mainly related to the roughness of the fracture walls, which has been evaluated in previous works by including a friction factor in the permeability equation or directly deriving the hydraulic aperture. However, these methodologies may lack adequate precision to provide valid results. This work presents a complete protocol for fracture surface mapping, roughness evaluation, fracture modeling, fluid flow simulation, and permeability estimation of individual fracture (open or sheared joint/pressure solution seam). The methodology includes laboratory-based high-resolution structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry of fracture surfaces, power spectral density (PSD) surface evaluation, synthetic fracture modeling, and fluid flow simulation using the Lattice-Boltzmann method. This work evaluates the respective controls on permeability exerted by the fracture displacement (perpendicular and parallel to the fracture walls), surface roughness, and surface pair mismatch. The results may contribute to defining a more accurate equation of hydraulic aperture and permeability of single fractures, which represents a pillar for the modeling and upscaling of the hydraulic properties of a geofluid reservoir.

scholarly journals Experimental observation of fluid flow channels in a single fracture

1998 ◽  
Vol 103 (B3) ◽  
pp. 5125-5132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Brown ◽  
Arvind Caprihan ◽  
Robert Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Experimental Observation ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Flow Channels

Fluid Flow and Solute Transport though a Fracture Intersecting a Canister - Analytical Solutions for the Parallel Plate Model

2003 ◽  
Vol 807 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Liu ◽  
I. Neretnieks
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Parallel Plate ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Volumetric Flow Rate ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Plate Model ◽  
Specific Scenario

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we are concerned with a specific scenario where a large fracture intersects, at its center, a canister that contains spent nuclear fuel. Assuming that a nuclide is free to release from the canister into groundwater flowing through the fracture, a detailed formulation of the volumetric flow rate and the equivalent flow rate are made for the parallel plate model. The formulas proposed have been validated by numerical examinations; they are not only simple in forms but also universal in applications where the flow may be taken normal, inclined or parallel to the axis of the canister. Of great importance, they provide a convenient way to predict the average properties of fluid flow and solute transport through a single fracture with spatially variable apertures.

A Cut-Cell Polyhedral Finite Element Model for Coupled Fluid Flow and Mechanics in Fractured Reservoirs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Shovkun ◽  
Hamdi A. Tchelepi
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Mechanical Deformation ◽  
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Fracture Model ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Cut Cell ◽  
Flux Approximation

Abstract Mechanical deformation induced by injection and withdrawal of fluids from the subsurface can significantly alter the flow paths in naturally fractured reservoirs. Modeling coupled fluid-flow and mechanical deformation in fractured reservoirs relies on either sophisticated gridding techniques, or enhancing the variables (degrees-of-freedom) that represent the physics in order to describe the behavior of fractured formation accurately. The objective of this study is to develop a spatial discretization scheme that cuts the "matrix" grid with fracture planes and utilizes traditional formulations for fluid flow and geomechanics. The flow model uses the standard low-order finite-volume method with the Compartmental Embedded fracture Model (cEDFM). Due to the presence of non-standard polyhedra in the grid after cutting/splitting, we utilize numerical harmonic shape functions within a Polyhedral finite-element (PFE) formulation for mechanical deformation. In order to enforce fracture-contact constraints, we use a penalty approach. We provide a series of comparisons between the approach that uses conforming Unstructured grids and a Discrete Fracture Model (Unstructured DFM) with the new cut-cell PFE formulation. The manuscript analyzes the convergence of both methods for linear elastic, single-fracture slip, and Mandel’s problems with tetrahedral, Cartesian, and PEBI-grids. Finally, the paper presents a fully-coupled 3D simulation with multiple inclined intersecting faults activated in shear by fluid injection, which caused an increase in effective reservoir permeability. Our approach allows for great reduction in the complexity of the (gridded) model construction while retaining the solution accuracy together with great saving in the computational cost compared with UDFM. The flexibility of our model with respect to the types of grid polyhedra allows us to eliminate mesh artifacts in the solution of the transport equations typically observed when using tetrahedral grids and two-point flux approximation.

scholarly journals Laboratory Simulation of Flow through Rough-Walled Microfractures under High Hydraulic Gradient

Geofluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Zhang ◽  
Wei-Guo Qiao ◽  
Yan-Zhi Li ◽  
Wei-Jie Song ◽  
Jun-Ling Qin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Hydraulic Gradient ◽  
Strain Sensors ◽  
Surface Strain ◽  
Laboratory Simulation ◽  
Roughness Coefficient ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Hydraulic Pressure ◽  
Flow Through

Laboratory experiments on fluid flow through fracture are important in solving the fluid-in-rush problems that happen during the tunnel excavation. In order to study the mechanism of fluid flow through a rough-walled microfracture, fluid flow experiments were carried out and the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors were applied to monitor the deformation of the microfracture surface during the seepage process. Considering the difficulty of collection of undisturbed rock samples from the deep locations, a methodology to simulate fluid flow through a fractured rock mass using analog materials containing a single fracture was developed. This method is easy to simulate the fluid flow through a fracture of certain aperture. Experimental data showed that Forchheimer equation could provide an excellent description of the nonlinear relationship between hydraulic gradient and flow velocity, and the variations of Forchheimer coefficients with joint roughness coefficient (JRC) were studied. It was found that the deformation of the microfracture surface subjected to seepage could be accurately captured by the quasi-distributed FBG strain sensors. The test results also demonstrated that the surface strain is significantly affected by hydraulic pressure.

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