Interpretation of a Network-Scale Tracer Experiment in Fractured Rock

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Howroyd ◽  
Kent Novakowski
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Control Volume ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Tracer Experiment ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Network Scale ◽  
Observation Wells

<p>The presence of fractures in consolidated media allows for rapid transport of aqueous contaminants through convoluted pathways and for diffusion into the rock matrix adjacent to the fracture, which significantly complicates our ability to make transport predictions. Despite the need to predict transport in fractures over substantive distances, very few tracer experiments have been conducted at large scale (>50m) due to experimental difficulty and cost associated with such experiments.  Even where these studies have been conducted, the results have often been difficult to model accurately without the use of extra fitting parameters. The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of key transport processes in complex large-scale fracture networks in carbonate rock by simulating the results of a tracer experiment conducted at a network scale. The tracer experiment used for this study was conducted previously by injecting a conservative dye tracer into an isolated 10 m section of a well and with breakthrough in six downstream observation wells open over a similar depth range. These observation points were located at distances of up to 245 m from the injection well. Measurement of the tracer breakthrough was conducted using a downhole fluorometer, allowing for observation of the full concentration profile in each well over time. To simulate the results, a DFN approach with a control-volume finite element model is used, which allows for irregular grid blocks and maintenance of the mass balance within the simulation domain. Because of the measurement of full concentration profiles, simulating transport inside the observation wells is also a focus of this study. In order to achieve a fit between the simulated and measured data, combinations of various fracture network geometries with aperture and matrix porosity heterogeneity are examined.</p>

scholarly journals A dual fracture model to simulate large-scale flow through fractured rocks

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1302-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Z Wang ◽  
Z Q Yue ◽  
L G Tham ◽  
Y Tsui ◽  
H T Wang
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Network Models ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Seepage Flow ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Fracture Model ◽  
Rock Masses ◽  
Rock Matrix

Discrete fracture network models can be used to study groundwater flow in fractured rock masses. However, one may find that it is not easy to apply such models to practical projects as it is difficult to investigate every fracture and measure its hydraulic parameters. To overcome such difficulties, a dual fracture model is proposed. Taking into account the hydraulic characteristics of the various elements of the fracture system, a hydrogeological medium is assumed to consist of two components: the dominant fracture network and the fractured rock matrix. As the dominant fracture network consists of large fractures and faults, it controls the groundwater flow in rock masses. Depending on the permeabilities of the in-fill materials, these fractures and faults may serve as channels or barriers of the flow. The fractured rock matrix, which includes rock blocks and numerous small fractures, plays a secondary role in groundwater flow in such medium. Although the small fractures and rock blocks possess low permeability, their numbers and their total porosity are relatively large. Therefore, they provide large volume for groundwater storage. In this paper, the application of the proposed model to simulate the groundwater flow for a hydropower station before and after reservoir storage is reported. The implications of the results on the design of the station are also highlighted.Key words: seepage flow, dual fracture model, dominant fracture, fractured rock matrix, case studies, rock-filled dam.

scholarly journals Field experimental design for pesticide leaching – a modified large-scale lysimeter

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 41-44
Author(s):  
Bertel Nilsson ◽  
Jens Aamand ◽  
Ole Stig Jacobsen ◽  
René K. Juhler
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Natural Fracture ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Flow And Transport ◽  
Preferential Flow Paths

Recent research on Danish groundwater has focused on clarifying the fate and transport of pesticides that leach through clayey till aquitards with low matrix permeability. Previously, these aquitards were considered as protective layers against contamination of underlying groundwater aquifers due to their low permeability characteristics. However, geological heterogeneities such as fractures and macropores have been recognised as preferential flow paths within low permeable clayey till (e.g. Beven & Germann 1982). The flow velocities within these preferential flow paths can be orders of magnitude higher than in the surrounding clay matrix and pose a major risk of transport of contaminants to the underlying aquifers (e.g. Nilsson et al. 2001). Previous studies of transport in fractured clayey till have focused on fully saturated conditions (e.g. Sidle et al. 1998; McKay et al. 1999). However, seasonal fluctuations of the groundwater table typically result in unsaturated conditions in the upper few metres of the clay deposits, resulting in different flow and transport conditions. Only a few experiments have examined the influence of unsaturated conditions on flow and solute (the dissolved inorganic and organic constituents) transport in fractured clayey till. These include smallscale laboratory column experiments on undisturbed soil monoliths (e.g. Jacobsen et al. 1997; Jørgensen et al. 1998), intermediate scale lysimeters (e.g. Fomsgaard et al. 2003) and field-scale tile drain experiments (e.g. Kjær et al. 2005). The different approaches each have limitations in terms of characterising flow and transport in fractured media. Laboratory studies of solute transport in soils (intact soil columns) are not exactly representative of field conditions due to variations in spatial variability and soil structure. In contrast, field studies hardly allow quantification of fluxes and mechanisms of transport. Column and lysimeter experiments are often limited in size, and tile-drain experiments on field scale do not provide spatial resolution and often have large uncertainties in mass balance calculations. Thus, in order to represent the overall natural fracture network systems on a field scale with respect to acquiring insights into flow and transport processes, the lysimeter needs to be larger than normal lysimeter size (< 1 m3). A modified large-scale lysimeter was therefore constructed by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) at the Avedøre experimental field site 15 km south of Copenhagen (Fig. 1). This lysimeter consisted of an isolated block (3.5 ×3.5 ×3.3 m) of unsaturated fractured clayey till with a volume sufficient to represent the overall preferential flow paths (natural fracture network) within lowpermeable clayey till at a field scale.

Parallel Computing for Analysis on Intersections between Fractures in Rock Masses

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 3001-3005
Author(s):  
Zhi Yu Li ◽  
Ming Yu Wang ◽  
Jian Hui Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Parallel Computing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Rock Masses ◽  
Geothermal Resources ◽  
Intersection Analysis

Fractures dominate the path for fluid flow in fractured rock masses, which is a main concern in groundwater protection, coal mine safety and energy exploitation, e.g., petroleum and geothermal resources. Intersection analysis is one crucial procedure for discrete fracture network modeling as it can provide necessary information for evaluating the connectivity of fractures. This paper is proposed to improve the performance of intersection analysis by means of parallel computing. The algorithm is designed in view of both the computational efficiency and the smooth connection with other procedures in modeling. Numerical study indicates that the proposed parallel algorithm is practical and can significantly reduce the calculation time of intersection analysis under large scale simulations.

Diffraction signatures of fracture intersections

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. SF55-SF68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Grasmueck ◽  
Tijmen Jan Moser ◽  
Michael A. Pelissier ◽  
Jan Pajchel ◽  
Kenri Pomar
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Fracture Geometry ◽  
3D Gpr ◽  
Fracture Models ◽  
Fracture Opening ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Seismic Scale ◽  
Similarity Law

Fractured rock causes diffractions, which are often discarded as noise in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic data. Most fractures are too thin, too steep, and their displacement is too small to be imaged by reflections, and diffractions are the only detectable signal. To decipher the information about fracture geometry and distribution contained in diffractions, we compare 3D synthetic ray-Born modeling with high-density 3D GPR data and outcrop observations from the Cassis Quarry in Southern France. Our results reveal how the intersection between two fractures is the basic geologic element producing a recordable diffraction. In this new model, two intersecting fractures are represented by one finite-length line diffractor. The intersection of three fractures is a 3D cross composed of three line diffractors. Fractures extending over several meters in the outcrop display linear clusters of diffraction circles in unmigrated GPR time slices. Such large-scale fracture intersections are composed of many aligned short subwavelength line diffractors due to fracture roughness and variations of fracture opening. The shape irregularities and amplitude variations of composite diffraction signatures are a consequence of the geometry and spacing of the intersecting fractures generating them. With three simple base-type intersecting fracture models (horizontal dip, gentle dip, and steep dip), the fracture network geometry can be directly deciphered from the composite diffraction signatures visible on unmigrated time slices. The nonrandom distribution of diffractions is caused by fracture trends and patterns providing information about fracture dip, spacing, and continuity of fractured domains. With the similarity law, the diffraction phenomena observed in GPR data are very similar in character to those seen on the seismic scale with the wavelength as the scaling link. GPR data serve as a proxy to decipher seismic diffractions.

scholarly journals Vibration characteristics of triple-gear-rotor system in compressed air energy storage under variable torque load

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 003685042098705
Author(s):  
Xinran Wang ◽  
Yangli Zhu ◽  
Wen Li ◽  
Dongxu Hu ◽  
Xuehui Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Rotor System ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
System Response ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Torque Load ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Two Stages

This paper focuses on the effects of the off-design operation of CAES on the dynamic characteristics of the triple-gear-rotor system. A finite element model of the system is set up with unbalanced excitations, torque load excitations, and backlash which lead to variations of tooth contact status. An experiment is carried out to verify the accuracy of the mathematical model. The results show that when the system is subjected to large-scale torque load lifting at a high rotating speed, it has two stages of relatively strong periodicity when the torque load is light, and of chaotic when the torque load is heavy, with the transition between the two states being relatively quick and violent. The analysis of the three-dimensional acceleration spectrum and the meshing force shows that the variation in the meshing state and the fluctuation of the meshing force is the basic reasons for the variation in the system response with the torque load. In addition, the three rotors in the triple-gear-rotor system studied show a strong similarity in the meshing states and meshing force fluctuations, which result in the similarity in the dynamic responses of the three rotors.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the atmospheric transport in a GCM using radon measurements: sensitivity to cumulus convection parameterization

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 2811-2832 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Zhang ◽  
H. Wan ◽  
M. Zhang ◽  
B. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Surface Concentration ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Convection Parameterization

Abstract. The radioactive species radon (222Rn) has long been used as a test tracer for the numerical simulation of large scale transport processes. In this study, radon transport experiments are carried out using an atmospheric GCM with a finite-difference dynamical core, the van Leer type FFSL advection algorithm, and two state-of-the-art cumulus convection parameterization schemes. Measurements of surface concentration and vertical distribution of radon collected from the literature are used as references in model evaluation. The simulated radon concentrations using both convection schemes turn out to be consistent with earlier studies with many other models. Comparison with measurements indicates that at the locations where significant seasonal variations are observed in reality, the model can reproduce both the monthly mean surface radon concentration and the annual cycle quite well. At those sites where the seasonal variation is not large, the model is able to give a correct magnitude of the annual mean. In East Asia, where radon simulations are rarely reported in the literature, detailed analysis shows that our results compare reasonably well with the observations. The most evident changes caused by the use of a different convection scheme are found in the vertical distribution of the tracer. The scheme associated with weaker upward transport gives higher radon concentration up to about 6 km above the surface, and lower values in higher altitudes. In the lower part of the atmosphere results from this scheme does not agree as well with the measurements as the other scheme. Differences from 6 km to the model top are even larger, although we are not yet able to tell which simulation is better due to the lack of observations at such high altitudes.

Dual-Permeability Modeling of Capillary Diversion and Drift Shadow Effects in Unsaturated Fractured Rock

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford K. Ho ◽  
Bill W. Arnold ◽  
Susan J. Altman
Keyword(s):  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Constitutive Relations ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Grid Refinement ◽  
Capillary Pressures ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Capillary Pressure Curves ◽  
The Impact

The drift-shadow effect describes capillary diversion of water flow around a drift or cavity in porous or fractured rock, resulting in lower water flux directly beneath the cavity. This paper presents computational simulations of drift-shadow experiments using dual-permeability models, similar to the models used for performance assessment analyses of flow and seepage in unsaturated fractured tuff at Yucca Mountain. Comparisons were made between the simulations and experimental data from small-scale drift-shadow tests. Results showed that the dual-permeability models captured the salient trends and behavior observed in the experiments, but constitutive relations (e.g., fracture capillary-pressure curves) can significantly affect the simulated results. Lower water flux beneath the drift was observed in both the simulations and tests, and fingerlike flow patterns were seen to exist with lower simulated capillary pressures. The dual-permeability models used in this analysis were capable of simulating these processes. However, features such as irregularities along the top of the drift (e.g., from roof collapse) and heterogeneities in the fracture network may reduce the impact of capillary diversion and drift shadow. An evaluation of different meshes showed that at the grid refinement used, a comparison between orthogonal and unstructured meshes did not result in large differences.

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