Simulating flow through fractures in a rock mass using analog material

International Journal of Geomechanics

Volumn 14, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 8-19

  Singh, Kunal Kumar ^a   Singh, D N ^a   Ranjith, P G ^b  

^a INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BOMBAY   (India)

^b MONASH UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Fluid flow; Fracture; Laboratory studies; Rock mass

Indexed keywords

CRYSTALLINE ROCKS; FRACTURE; FRACTURE TESTING; REYNOLDS NUMBER; ROCK MECHANICS;

CONFINING STRESS; FRACTURE APERTURES; FRACTURE NETWORK; FRACTURED ROCK MASS; LABORATORY STUDIES; LABORATORY TESTING; ROCK MASS; SIMULATING FLOWS;

FLOW OF FLUIDS;

FLOW FIELD; FLOW MODELING; FRACTURE FLOW; LABORATORY METHOD; REYNOLDS NUMBER; ROCK MECHANICS; TURBULENT FLOW;

EID: 84892857891     PISSN: 15323641     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000295     Document Type: Article

References (84)

1. ASTM. (2004). "Standard test methods for measurement of hydraulic conductivity of saturated porous materials using a flexible wall permeameter." D-508403, West Conshohocken, PA, 1-23.
2. Balberg, I., and Binenbaum, N. (1983). "Computer study of the percolation threshold in a two-dimensional anisotropic system of conducting sticks." Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter, 28(7), 3799-3812.
3. Bandis, S. C., Lumsden, A. C., and Barton, N. R. (1983). "Fundamentals of rock joint deformation." Int. J. Rock Mech. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 20(6), 249-268.
4. Barraud, J., Gardien, V., Allemand, P., and Grandjean, P. (2001). "Analogue modeling of melt segregation and migration during deformation." Phys. Chem. Earth Part A, 26(4-5), 317-323.
5. Barton, N., Bandis, S., and Bakhtar, K. (1985). "Strength, deformation and conductivity coupling of rock joints." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 22(3), 121-140.
6. Barton, N., and de Quadros, E. F. (1997). "Joint aperture and roughness in the prediction of flow and groutability of rock masses." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 34 (3-4), 252.e1-252.e14.
7. Bernabe, Y. (1991). "Pore geometry and pressure dependence of the transport properties in sandstones." Geophysics, 56(4), 436-446.
8. Brace, W. F. (1980). "Permeability of crystalline and argillaceous rocks." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 17(5), 241-251.
9. Brown, S., Caprihan, A., and Hardy, R. (1998). "Experimental observation of fluid flow channels in a single fracture." J. Geophys. Res., 103(B3), 5125-5132.
10. Brown, S. R. (1987). "Fluid flow through rock joints: The effect of surface roughness." J. Geophys. Res., 92(B2), 1337-1347.
11. Brown, S. R., and Scholz, C. H. (1985). "Broad bandwidth study of the topography of natural rock surfaces." J. Geophys. Res., 90(B14), 12575- 12582.
12. Camac, B. A., Hunt, S. P., and Boult, P. J. (2006). "Local rotations in borehole breakouts-observed and modeled stress field rotations and their implications for the petroleum industry." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/ (ASCE)1532-3641(2006)6:6(399), 399-410.
13. Chen, S., Qiang, S., Shahrour, I., and Egger, P. (2008). "Composite element analysis of gravity dam on a complicated rock foundation." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2008)8:5(275), 275-284.
14. Cook, N. G. W. (1992). "Natural joints in rock: Mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behavior and properties under normal stress." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 29(3), 198-223.
15. Dapples, E. C., and Rominger, J. F. (1945). "Orientation analysis of fine grained clastic sediments." J. Geol., 53(4), 246-261.
16. David, C., Wong, T. F., Zhu, W., and Zhang, J. (1994). "Laboratory measurements of compaction induced permeability change in porous rock: Implications for the generation and maintenance of porepressure excess in the crust." Pure Appl. Geophys., 143(1-3), 425- 456.
17. Dhawan, K. R., Singh, D. N., and Gupta, I. D. (2004). "Three-dimensional finite element analysis of underground caverns." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2004)4:3(224), 224-228.
18. Eid, H. T. (2007). "A technique for estimating permeability of a randomly fractured rock mass." Acta Geotech., 2(2), 97-102.
19. Engelder, T., and Scholz, C. H. (1987). "Fluid flow along very smooth joints at effective pressures up to 200 megapascals." Mechanical behavior of crustal rocks, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC.
20. Esaki, T., Du, S., Mitani, Y., Ikusada, K., and Jing, L. (1999). "Development of a shear-flow test apparatus and determination of coupled properties for a single rock joint." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 36(5), 641-650.
21. Folk, R. L. (1968). Petrology of sedimentary rocks, Hemphill's, Austin, TX.
22. Gangi, A. F. (1978). "Variation of whole and fractured porous rock permeability with confining pressure." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 15(5), 249-257.
23. Gauthier, B. D. M., Franssen, R. C. W. M., and Drei, S. (2000). "Fracture networks in Rotliegend gas reservoirs of the Dutch offshore: Implications for reservoir behavior, Geologie en Mijnbouw/Netherlands." J. Geosci. (Prague), 79(1), 45-57.
24. Glennie, K. W. (1990). "Lower Permian Rotliegend." Introduction to the petroleum geology of the North Sea, K. W. Glennie, ed., Blackwell Scientific Publication, Oxford, U.K., 120-152.
25. Gutscher, M. A., Kukowski, N., Malavieille, J., and Lallemand, S. (1996). "Cyclical behavior of thrust wedges: Insights from high basal friction sandbox experiments." Geology, 24(2), 135-138.
26. Hakami, E., and Larsson, E. (1996). "Aperture measurement and flow experiments on a single natural fracture." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 33(4), 395-404.
27. Hassanizadeh, S. M., and Gray, W. G. (1987). "High velocity flow in porous media." Transp. Porous Media, 2(6), 521-531.
28. Huitt, J. L. (1956). "Fluid flow in simulated fractures." AIChE J., 2(2), 259-264.
29. Indraratna, B., Ranjith, P. G., and Gale, W. (1999). "Single phase water flow through rock fractures." Geotech. Geol. Eng., 17(3-4), 211-240.
30. Itasca Consulting Group. (1996). User's manuals: Version 3.0, (1, 2 and 3), UDEC-Universal Distinct ElementCode ITASCA,NRC, Washington,DC.
31. Iwai, K. (1976). "Fundamental studies of fluid flow though a single fracture." Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA.
32. Jha, S., and Kumar, M. S. M. (2011). "Pattern of two-phase (DNAPL-water) flow through single fracture under temporal evolution of aperture." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000080, 131-141.
33. Kleine, T., Pointe, P. L., and Forsythet, B. (1997). "Realizing the potential of accurate and realistic fracture modeling in mining." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 34(3-4), 158.e1-158.e11.
34. Kranzz, R. L., Frankel, A. D., Engelder, T., and Scholz, C. H. (1979). "The permeability of whole and jointed barre granite." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 16(4), 225-234.
35. Krumbein, W. C., and Pettijohn, E. T. (1938). Manual of sedimentary petrography, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 521-537.
36. Li, L., and Aubertin, M. (2009). "Numerical investigation of the stress state in inclined backfilled stopes." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)1532- 3641(2009)9:2(52), 52-62.
37. Li, Q., Wang, T., Xie, X., Shao, S., and Xia, Q. (2009). "A fracture network model and open fracture analysis of a tight sandstone gas reservoir in Dongpu Depression, Bohaiwan Basin, eastern China." Geophys. Prospect., 57(2), 275-282.
38. Li, S. P., Wu, D. X., Xie, W. H., Li, Y. S., Wu, Z. Y., Zhou, G., and Zhao, H. Y. (1997). "Effect of confining pressure, pore pressure and specimen dimension on permeability of Yinzhuang sandstone." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 34(3-4), 175.e1-175.e11.
39. Lomize, G. M. (1951). Water flow through jointed rock, Gosenergoizdat, Moscow (in Russian).
40. Louis, C. (1969). "A study of groundwater flow in jointed rock and its influence on the stability of rock masses." Rock Mechanics Research Rep. No. 10, Imperial College, London.
41. Mandal, A., Chakravarthy, C. P., Nanda, A., Rath, R., and Usmani, A. (2011). "Analysis and design approach for large storage caverns." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000180, 69-75.
42. Marsily, D. G. (1986). Quantitative hydrogeology, Academic Press, Orlando, FL.
43. Min, K-B., Rutqvist, J., and Elsworth, D. (2009). "Chemically and mechanically mediated influences on the transport and mechanical characteristics of rock fractures." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 46(1), 80-89.
44. Mishra, G. C., and Parida, B. P. (2006). "Earth dam with toe drain on an impervious base." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2006) 6:6(379), 379-388.
45. Mulder, G., Busch, V. P., Reid, I., Sleeswijk, V. T. J., and vanHeyst, B. G. (1992). "Sole pit: Improving performance and increasing reserves by horizontal drilling." Proc., European Petroleum Conf., Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX, 83-94.
46. Nair, R., Abousleiman, Y., and Zaman, M. (2005). "Modeling fully coupled oil-gas flow in a dual-porosity medium." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/ (ASCE)1532-3641(2005)5:4(326), 326-338.
47. Nemoto, K., Watanabe, N., Hirano, N., and Tsuchiya, N. (2009). "Direct measurement of contact area and stress dependence of anisotropic flow through rock fracture with heterogeneous aperture distribution." Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 281(1-2), 81-87. .
48. Neuzil, C. E., and Tracy, J. V. (1981). "Flow through fracture." Water Resour. Res., 17(1), 191-199.
49. Nicholl, M. J., and Detwiler, R. (2001). "Simulation of flow and transport in a single fracture: Macroscopic effects of underestimating local head loss." Geophys. Res. Lett., 28(23), 4355-4358.
50. Oron, A. P., and Berkowitz, B. (1998). "Flow in rock fractures: The local cubic law assumption reexamined." Water Resour. Res., 34(11), 2811- 2825.
51. Parrish, D. R. (1963). "Fluid flow in rough fractures." Proc., SPE-AIME, Prod. Res. Symp., Pan American Petroleum, Norman, OK.
52. Price, J., and Indraratna, B. (2005). "Development of an equivalent homogenous fluid model for pseudo-two-phase (air1water) flow through fractured rock." J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 10.1061/(ASCE)1090- 0241(2005)131:7(857), 857-866.
53. Pyrak-Nolte, L. J., and Morris, J. P. (2000). "Single fractures under normal stress: The relation between fracture specific stiffness and fluid flow." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 37(1-2), 245-262.
54. Pyrak-Nolte, L. J., Myer, L. R., Cook, N. G. W., and Witherspoon, P. A. (1987). "Hydraulic and mechanical properties of natural fractures in low permeability rock." Proc., 6th Int. Congress on Rock Mechanics, G. Herget and S. Vongpaisal, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 225-231.
55. Ranjith, P. G. (2010). "An experimental study of single and two-phase fluid flow through fractured granite specimens." Environ. Earth Sci., 59(7), 1389-1395.
56. Ranjith, P. G., and Viete, D. R. (2011). "Applicability of the 'cubic law' for non-Darcian fracture flow." J. Petrol. Sci. Eng., 78(2), 321-327.
57. Raven, K. G., and Gale, J. E. (1985). "Water flow in natural rock fractures as a function of stress and sample size." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 22(4), 251-261.
58. Rissler, P. (1978). Determination of the water permeability of jointed rock, Institute for Foundation Engineering, Soil Mech. and Water Ways Constr, Aachen Univ., Aachen, Germany.
59. Robinson, D. A., and Friedman, S. P. (2002). "Observations of the effects of particle shape and particle size distribution on avalanching of granular media." Physica A, 311(1-2), 97-110.
60. Rosenberg, C. L., and Handy, M. R. (2000). "Syntectonic melt pathways during simple shearing of a partially-molten rock analogue (norcamphor- benzamide)." J. Geophys. Res., 105(B2), 3135-3149.
61. Rossetti, F., Ranalli, G., and Faccenna, C. (1999). "Rheological properties of paraffin as an analogue material for viscous crustal deformation." J. Struct. Geol., 21(4), 413-417.
62. Samingan, A. S., Leong, E. C., and Rahardjo, H. (2003). "A flexible wall permeameter for measurement of water and air coefficients of permeability of residual soils." Can. Geotech. J., 40(3), 559-574.
63. Schrauf, T. W., and Evans, D. D. (1986). "Laboratory studies of gas flow through a single natural fracture." Water Resour. Res., 22(7), 1038-1050.
64. Shaik, A. R., Tran, N. H., Rahman, S. S., and Tran, T. (2011). "Estimating pressure losses in interconnected fracture systems: Integrated tensor approach." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000099, 353-363.
65. Shen, B., et al. (2011). "FRACOD modeling of rock fracturing and permeability change in excavation-damaged zones." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000034, 302-313.
66. Sivakugan, N., and Rankine, K. (2011). "Three-dimensional method of fragments to study drainage through hydraulic fill stopes." Int. J. Geomech., 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.00001581. 612-615.
67. Snow, D. T. (1965). "A parallel plate model of fractured permeable media." Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA.
68. Somerton, W. H., Soylemezoglu, I. M., and Dudley, R. C. (1975). "Effect of stress on the permeability of coal." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 12(5-6), 129-145.
69. Sour, L., and Ubbes, W. (1987). "Fracture flow response to applied stress: A field study." Proc., 28th U.S. Syrup. Rock Mech., Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 501-508.
70. Spiller, M., Forkel, C., and Köngeter, J. (2004). "Case study: Inflow of groundwater into open-cast mine Hambach, Germany." J. Hydraul. Eng., 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(2004)130:7(608), 608-615.
71. Thompson, M., and Brown, S. R. (1991). "The effect of anisotropic surface roughness on flow and transport in fractures." J. Geophys. Res., 96(B13), 21923-21932.
72. Tsang, Y. W. (1984). "The effect of tortuosity on fluid flow through a single fracture." Water Resour. Res., 20(9), 1209-1215.
73. Tsang, Y. W. (1992). "Usage of "equivalent apertures" for rock fractures as derived from hydraulic and tracer tests." Water Resour. Res., 28(5), 1451-1455.
74. Tsang, Y. W., and Witherspoon, P. A. (1981). "Hydromechanical behavior of a deformable rock fracture subject to normal stress." J. Geophys. Res., 86(B10), 9287-9298.
75. Tsang, Y. W., and Witherspoon, P. A. (1983). "The dependence of fracture mechanical and fluid flow properties on fracture roughness and sample size." J. Geophys. Res., 88(B3), 2359-2366.
76. Walsh, J. B. (1965). "The effects of cracks on the compressibility of rocks." J. Geophys. Res., 70(2), 381-389.
77. Walsh, J. B., and Brace, W. F. (1984). "The effect of pressure on porosity and the transport properties of rock." J. Geophys. Res., 89(B11), 9425- 9431.
78. Wang, J. A., and Park, H. D. (2002). "Fluid permeability of sedimentary rocks in a complete stress-strain process." Eng. Geol., 63(3-4), 291-300.
79. Wang, W. H., and Davis, D. M. (1996). "Sandbox model simulation of fore-arc evolution and noncritical wedges." J. Geophys. Res.,101(5), 329-339.
80. Witherspoon, P. A., Wang, J. S. Y., Iwai, K., and Gale, J. E. (1980). "Validity of cubic law for fluid flow in a deformable rock fracture." Water Resour. Res., 16(6), 1016-1024.
81. Worthington, P. F. (2008). "A diagnostic approach to quantifying the stress sensitivity of permeability." J. Petrol. Sci. Eng., 61(2-4), 49-57.
82. Zimmerman, R. W., Al-Yaarubi, A. H., Pain, C. C., and Grattoni, C. A. (2004). "Non-linear regimes of fluid flow in rock fractures." Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 41(3), 384-384.
83. Zimmerman, R. W., and Bodvarsson, G. S. (1996). "Hydraulic conductivity of rock fractures." Transp. Porous Media, 23(1), 1-30.
84. Zimmerman,R.W., andYeo, I. (2000). "Fluid flowin rock fractures: Fromthe Navier-Stokes equations to the cubic law." Dynamics of fluids in fractured rocks, B. Faybishenko, P. A. Witherspoon, and S. M. Benson, eds., Vol. 122, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 213-224.