A Two-Dimensional Partitioning of Fracture–Matrix Flow in Fractured Reservoir Rock Using a Dual-Porosity Percolation Model

Fractures and micropores have varying contributions to the gas permeability of fractured reservoirs. The quantification of the contribution of fractures and micropores that form a dual-porosity system for gas permeability is critical when attempting to accurately evaluate gas production. However, due to insufficient knowledge of fracture–matrix flow partitioning in such dual-porosity systems, it is challenging for previous models to quantitatively characterize the fracture heterogeneity and accurately evaluate the gas flow and permeability in fractured rocks. In this study, we propose a dual-porosity percolation model to quantitatively investigate the contributions of fractures and matrix micropores towards the gas permeability of fractured rocks. Using percolation theory, we establish fracture networks with complex heterogeneity, which are characterized by various fracture densities and percolation probabilities within a porous matrix with various fracture/matrix permeability ratios. The compressible Navier–Stokes and Brinkman equations were adopted to describe the gas flow in the fractures and porous matrix, respectively. The simulation results indicate that the gas permeability of the dual-porosity system has an exponential relationship with the fracture density and matrix permeability. The contribution of fractures and matrix micropores toward gas permeability can be classified by establishing a two-dimensional partitioning of the fracture–matrix flow related to the fracture heterogeneity and fracture/matrix permeability ratio. The contribution of matrix micropores cannot be neglected if the fracture density is lower than a critical value.

Hydrofractures and crustal-scale fluid flow

<p>Fluids can circulate in all levels of the crust, as veins, ore deposits and chemical alterations and isotopic shifts indicate. It is furthermore generally accepted that faults and fractures play a central role as preferred fluid conduits. Fluid flow is, however, not only passively reacting to the presence of faults and fractures, but actively play a role in their creation, (re-) activation and sealing by mineral precipitates. This means that the interaction between fluid flow and fracturing is a two-way process, which is further controlled by tectonic activity (stress field), fluid sources and fluxes, as well as the availability of alternative fluid conduits, such as matrix porosity. Here we explore the interaction between matrix permeability and dynamic fracturing on the spatial and temporal distribution of fluid flow for upward fluid fluxes. Envisaged fluid sources can be dehydration reactions, release of igneous fluids, or release of fluids due to decompression or heating.</p><p> </p><p>Our 2D numerical cellular automaton-type simulations span the whole range from steady matrix-flow to highly dynamical flow through hydrofractures. Hydrofractures are initiated when matrix flow is insufficient to maintain fluid pressures below the failure threshold. When required fluid fluxes are high and/or matrix porosity low, flow is dominated by hydrofractures and the system exhibits self-organised critical phenomena. The size of fractures achieves a power-law distribution, as failure events may sometimes trigger avalanche-like amalgamation of hydrofractures. By far most hydrofracture events only lead to local fluid flow pulses within the source area. Conductive fracture networks do not develop if hydrofractures seal relatively quickly, which can be expected in deeper crustal levels. Only the larger events span the whole system and actually drain fluid from the system. We present the 10 square km hydrothermal Hidden Valley Mega-Breccia on the Paralana Fault System in South Australia as a possible example of large-scale fluid expulsion events. Although field evidence suggests that the breccia formed over a period of at least 150 Myrs, actual cumulative fluid duration may rather have been in the order of days only. This example illustrates the extreme dynamics that crustal-scale fluid flow in hydrofractures can achieve.</p>

Characterizing Preferential Flow Paths in Texturally Similar Soils under Different Land Uses by Combining Drainage and Dye-Staining Methods

Preferential flow paths have been widely characterized by many visualization methods. However, the differences in preferential flow paths under various land uses and their relationships to hydraulic properties remain uncertain. The objectives of this study are to (1) characterize preferential flow paths under various land uses (forest and orchard) by combining drainage and dye-staining methods and to (2) build a connection between preferential flow paths and hydraulic-related parameters and extract the proportion of preferential flow paths from the compounding effects of matrix flow and preferential flow. The dye-staining experiments were conducted in five sandy soils and one sandy clay loam in situ, including four soils from forest and two soils from orchards. A total of 47 soil cores, 4 cm in height and 9 cm in diameter, were collected in each layer of the dye-stained soils for drainage experiments in the laboratory. Dye coverage and hydraulically equivalent macropore parameters (macroporosity, pore size distribution, and number of macropores) and their relationships were analyzed. The results show that the volume of preferential flow is partly affected by the total macropore volume. The effect of macropores on preferential flow varies by macropore size distribution. Dye coverage exhibited a significant (P < 0.01) correlation with macroporosity (correlation coefficient 0.83). Based on the value of macroporosity or steady effluent rates, the part of the dye coverage that was due to preferential flow on the surface dye-stained soil (resulting from both matrix and preferential flow) could be identified in this study. Compared with orchards, forestland has more preferential flow paths in both surface soil and subsoil. Further studies are needed to quantify the 3-D preferential flow paths and build a connection between preferential flow paths and hydraulic properties.

Quantifying the Importance of Preferential Flow in a Riparian Buffer

HighlightsRiparian buffers and vegetative filter strips are uniquely susceptible to preferential flow.An innovative method is proposed to partition infiltration into matrix and macropore domains.Riparian buffer matrix and plot-scale infiltration experiments were simulated with HYDRUS-1D and VFSMOD.Preferential flow accounted for 32% to 47% of infiltration depending on hydrologic conditions.Preferential flow mechanisms should be incorporated into riparian buffer design tools and models.Abstract. Riparian buffers are uniquely susceptible to preferential flow due to the abundance of root channels, biological activity, and frequent wetting and drying cycles. Previous research has indicated such susceptibility and even measured the connectivity of preferential flow pathways with adjacent streams and rivers. However, limited research has attempted to partition the riparian buffer infiltration between matrix and preferential flow domains. The objectives of this research were to develop an innovative method to quantify soil matrix infiltration at the plot scale, develop a method to partition infiltration into matrix and macropore infiltration at the plot scale, and then use these methods to quantify the significance of macropore infiltration at a riparian buffer site. This research further demonstrated the importance of considering preferential flow processes in design tools and models to evaluate riparian buffer effectiveness. Sprinkler and runon field experiments were conducted at an established riparian buffer site with sandy loam soil. Trenches were installed and instrumented with soil moisture sensors along the width of the riparian buffer (i.e., along the flow path toward the stream) for detecting non-uniform flow patterns due to preferential flow. Riparian buffer parameters, including soil hydraulic parameters, were estimated using HYDRUS-1D for the sprinkler experiments and VFSMOD for the runon experiments. This research partitioned the infiltration into matrix and preferential flow domains by assuming negligible exchange of water between the soil matrix and preferential flow pathways in comparison to the magnitude of soil matrix flow. For these experimental conditions with 0.20 to 0.48 L s-1 of runon and initial soil water contents of 0.29 to 0.32 cm3 cm-3, preferential flow accounted for at least 27% to 32% of the total runon water entering the riparian buffer. This corresponded to approximately 32% to 47% of the total infiltration. While increasing the riparian buffer plot soil hydraulic conductivity in single-porosity models can adequately predict the total infiltration and therefore the surface outflow from the buffer, design tools and models should specifically consider preferential flow processes to improve predictive power regarding the actual infiltration processes and correspondingly the non-equilibrium flow and solute transport mechanisms. Keywords: Flow partitioning, HYDRUS, Matrix flow, Preferential flow, Riparian buffer, VFSMOD.

Coupling of unsaturated and saturated flow modelling - a strong point of the small research catchment Uhlířská

Modelling results in the small (1.78 km2) experimental catchment Uhlířská located in the northern part of the Czech Republic at the average elevation of 822 m a.s.l. are presented. While the basic hydrological and meteorological monitoring has started already in 1982, investigation of the subsurface flow adjoined in 1995. A detailed survey of water and isotope (18O, 2H, 3H, 3H/3He) fluxes across the catchment storage compartments has been in operation since 2006. The combined vadose/saturated zones modeling with support of partial extrapolation of 18O content in precipitation yielded the following mean balance for the period 1961-2014: 456 out of 1220 mm annual precipitation depth are percolating through the soil matrix domain and 534 mm through the preferential domain in the hillslope soil profile. The saturated zone is recharged annually by 416 mm, consisting of the entire matrix flow and 12,5 % of the preferential flow from the permeable hillslopes covered by Cambisols and Podzols, as well as by the contribution of 22 mm from the less permeable riparian wetland Histosols. The aquifer geometry was determined by means of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) including inverse modelling (RES2DINV). Water and isotope fluxes were computed using a sequence of models. They include S1D software for the vadose zone modeling including 18O transport and Modflow, Modpath and MT3DS determining residence time and flow trajectories in the saturated zone. Isotopes 3H and 3H/3He improved the model confidence. The water residence time on the hillslopes does not exceed 1 year, while the saturated zone indicates about 10 years, with a 20% portion of water older than 100 years in the deepest part of the aquifer. The combination of numerical modelling approaches with computation of water balance and isotope-supported calibration is considered innovative, particularly the 3H/3He method to determine water residence times of young groundwater in the saturated zone.

Response of Preferential Soil Flow to Different Infiltration Rates and Vegetation Types in the Karst Region of Southwest China

The widespread preferential flow phenomenon has an important impact on the water resource allocation of vegetation restoration in karst regions. In this study, four kinds of water infiltration experiments were conducted on six kinds of vegetation types (Pinus yunnanensis Franch. var. tenuifolia plantation forestlands, Eucalyptus robusta Smith plantation forestlands, Platycladus orientalis (L.) Francoptmxjjkmsc plantation forestlands, secondary forestlands, scrublands, and natural grasslands) separately to evaluate the effect of vegetation restoration on preferential flow in karst regions. The distribution of soil water infiltration was visualized via Brilliant Blue staining (290 images of soil vertical section staining) and data were processed via structural equation model (SEM). Results showed that 15–35 mm water accumulation was beneficial to the visualization of preferential flow. The experimental statement of a higher matrix flow in grassland than in plantations made it possible to draw conclusions of economic importance. Therefore, undergrowth of vegetation coverage in plantation forestlands should be increased. Experimentally analyzing the water-vegetation-soil interaction, shows an increase in vegetation coverage inhibits the development of matrix flow, an increase in soil erodibility may inhibit the development of preferential flow, and an increase in soil clay content may promote the deepening of matrix flow depth. The artificial forest can improve the soil structure and can effectively restore the degree of soil fragmentation; vegetation can be restored reasonably to prevent desertification in karst regions. Therefore, identifying and analyzing the structure characteristics of the soil macropore network under the conditions of natural vegetation communities and artificial vegetation communities in karst-geologic settings is an urgent study, which can provide a reference for improving the restoration measures of artificial forests and sustainable forestry development in karst desertification areas.

Effects of Grass and Forests and the Infiltration Amount on Preferential Flow in Karst Regions of China

&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160; Preferential flow is an important water infiltration phenomenon in karst regions because it can quickly transport surface water to deep soil and increases available water for underground root growth. The response of preferential flow to vegetation restoration requires urgent investigation due to the special soil structure of karst regions. In order to study the effect of vegetation restoration on water movement in karst regions, four kinds of ponded water infiltration experiments were carried out in Pinus Yunnanensis plantation forestland, secondary forestland, and natural grassland. A brilliant blue dyeing experiment was conducted to visualize the distribution of water infiltration in soil (a total of 150 stained images from vertical soil slices). Results showed that the average depth of matrix flow in natural grassland was approximately six times those in plantation and secondary forestlands. An increase in matrix flow will have a negative effect on the development of preferential flow. Water transported in preferential flow paths affects the distribution of nutrients and organic matter in the soil. However, preferential flow in grassland can promote the accumulation of available nutrients, and preferential flow in plantations can inhibit the loss of organic matter. Preferential flow in grasslands and forest plantations is less than that in native forests soils. The results of SEM showed that preferential flow increases the percolation of water in soils. The effect is that preferential flow can obstructs water uptake by the roots under low rainfall conditions, and decreases surface runoff before soil saturation under high rainfall conditions. In the process of nutrient element migration, preferential flow has a good contribution, which is conducive to the migration and accumulation of elements required for surface vegetation growth. The contribution of preferential flow needs to be considered in studies on vegetation restoration planning and land degradation. Reasonable allocation of plantation forests has a certain mitigation effect on soil erosion in Karst areas, and preferential flow under this special geomorphological type is worth studying. Preferential flow can transport nutrients to deeper soil for roots according to the data of this study. Therefore, plantation is feasible under karst landform conditions, but it is better to combine herbaceous plants in a plantation. The results could provide suggestions for the restoration of rocky desertification and the advantages or disadvantages of vegetation restoration engineering in karst areas.&lt;/p&gt;

Flux fields affect the spatial distribution of phosphorus in a tilled loamy soil

&lt;p&gt;Heterogenous flow pathways through the soil are a major component in the transport of water, dissolved and particle-bound nutrients like phosphorus (P) to water resources, and promote the eutrophication of water bodies. Non-uniform water flow patterns may also influence the spatial variability of the P-content in soils.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study was designed to understand the spatial distribution of P in agriculturally used soils and the mechanism causing P accumulation and depletion at the centimeter scale. We conducted three replicate dye tracer experiments using Brilliant Blue on a loamy Stagnosol in North-Eastern-Germany. The plant-available phosphorus of stained and unstained areas was analyzed using double lactate extraction and diffusive gradients on thin films (DGT).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The DL-extractable P and the DGT-extractable P were strongly correlated (p&lt;0.001, R&amp;#178;=0.63) confirming that DL-P is a good measure for the mobile phase of soil phosphorus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The plant available P contents of the topsoil were significantly higher than those of the subsoil in all three replicates. The topsoil&amp;#8217;s stained areas showed higher P contents than unstained areas, while the opposite was found for the subsoil. The P contents varied strongly over the soil profiles (0.4 to 11.2 mg&amp;#160;P&amp;#160;100&amp;#160;g&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;) and different categories of flow patterns (matrix flow, flow fingers, preferential flow and no flow). The P contents of these flow patterns differed significantly from each other and followed the order: P&lt;sub&gt;matrix flow&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; P&lt;sub&gt;finger flow&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; P&lt;sub&gt;no flow&lt;/sub&gt; &gt; P&lt;sub&gt;preferential flow&lt;/sub&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We conclude that P tends to accumulate along flow pathways in managed and tilled topsoils, while in subsoils at a general lower P level, P is depleted from the prominent preferential flow domains. It is likely, that P in the shallow groundwater origins from preferred flow zones from the subsoil.&lt;/p&gt;

Hydrofractures and crustal-scale fluid flow

&lt;p&gt;Fluids can circulate in all levels of the crust, as veins, ore deposits and chemical alterations and isotopic shifts indicate. It is furthermore generally accepted that faults and fractures play a central role as preferred fluid conduits. Fluid flow is, however, not only passively reacting to the presence of faults and fractures, but actively play a role in their creation, (re-) activation and sealing by mineral precipitates. This means that the interaction between fluid flow and fracturing is a two-way process, which is further controlled by tectonic activity (stress field), fluid sources and fluxes, as well as the availability of alternative fluid conduits, such as matrix porosity. Here we explore the interaction between matrix permeability and dynamic fracturing on the spatial and temporal distribution of fluid flow for upward fluid fluxes. Envisaged fluid sources can be dehydration reactions, release of igneous fluids, or release of fluids due to decompression or heating.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our 2D numerical cellular automaton-type simulations span the whole range from steady matrix-flow to highly dynamical flow through hydrofractures. Hydrofractures are initiated when matrix flow is insufficient to maintain fluid pressures below the failure threshold. When required fluid fluxes are high and/or matrix porosity low, flow is dominated by hydrofractures and the system exhibits self-organised critical phenomena. The size of fractures achieves a power-law distribution, as failure events may sometimes trigger avalanche-like amalgamation of hydrofractures. By far most hydrofracture events only lead to local fluid flow pulses within the source area. Conductive fracture networks do not develop if hydrofractures seal relatively quickly, which can be expected in deeper crustal levels. Only the larger events span the whole system and actually drain fluid from the system. We present the 10 square km hydrothermal Hidden Valley Mega-Breccia on the Paralana Fault System in South Australia as a possible example of large-scale fluid expulsion events. Although field evidence suggests that the breccia formed over a period of at least 150 Myrs, actual cumulative fluid duration may rather have been in the order of days only. This example illustrates the extreme dynamics that crustal-scale fluid flow in hydrofractures can achieve.&lt;/p&gt;