Rock fractures and fluid flow : contemporary understanding and applications / Committee on Fracture Characterization and Fluid Flow ... [et al.].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Fracture Characterization and Fluid Flow.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rocks--Fracture.

Rocks.

Rock mechanics.

Fluid dynamics.

Hydrogeology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (567 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Scientific understanding of fluid flow in rock fractures--a process underlying contemporary earth science problems from the search for petroleum to the controversy over nuclear waste storage--has grown significantly in the past 20 years. This volume presents a comprehensive report on the state of the field, with an interdisciplinary viewpoint, case studies of fracture sites, illustrations, conclusions, and research recommendations. The book addresses these questions: How can fractures that are significant hydraulic conductors be identified, located, and characterized? How do flow and transport occur in fracture systems? How can changes in fracture systems be predicted and controlled? Among other topics, the committee provides a geomechanical understanding of fracture formation, reviews methods for detecting subsurface fractures, and looks at the use of hydraulic and tracer tests to investigate fluid flow. The volume examines the state of conceptual and mathematical modeling, and it provides a useful framework for understanding the complexity of fracture changes that occur during fluid pumping and other engineering practices. With a practical and multidisciplinary outlook, this volume will be welcomed by geologists, petroleum geologists, geoengineers, geophysicists, hydrologists, researchers, educators and students in these fields, and public officials involved in geological projects.

Contents:

Rock Fractures And Fluid Flow

Copyright

Preface

Contents

Executive Summary

RECOMMENDATIONS

1 Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow: Practical Problems

PROBLEMS INVOLVING FRACTURES IN ENGINEERING PRACTICE

Reservoirs

Petroleum Reservoirs

Geothermal Reservoirs and Hot Dry Rock

Water Supply Reservoirs

Groundwater Contamination

Toxic and Hazardous Wastes

High-Level Nuclear Waste

Mining

Structures

Natural and Artificially Cut Slopes

Dams and Surface Storage Reservoirs

Underground Structures

Underground Fluid Storage and Transport Structures

CONCLUSION

Appendix 1.A Fractures In The Geysers Field

Appendix 1.B Superfund Site: Byron Salvage Yard

REFERENCES

2 Physical Characteristics of Fractures and Fracture Patterns

DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION

GENESIS OF FRACTURES

FLAWS, STRESS CONCENTRATION, AND FRACTURE INITIATION

FRACTURE PROPAGATION AND INTERNAL STRUCTURES

FRACTURE GEOMETRIES

Geometry of Single Joints

Geometry of Single Small Faults

FRACTURE SETS

Fault Sets

INTERACTION AND LINKAGE OF JOINTS

INTERACTION AND LINKAGE OF FAULTS

FRACTURE ZONES

Joint Zones

Fault Zones

MULTIPLE SETS OF FRACTURES

Multiple-Joint Patterns

Multiple Fault Patterns

Normal Faults

Thrust Faults

Strike-Slip Faults

SCALING UP FRACTURE PROPERTIES

IMPLICATIONS FOR FRACTURE NETWORK MODELS

Appendix 2.A Diagenetic Enhancement Of Natural Fracture Permeability

FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS

INFLUENCE OF DIAGENESIS ON FRACTURE BEHAVIOR

INFLUENCE OF LARGE DRAWDOWNS ON FRACTURE PERMEABILITY

Appendix 2.B Fracture Patterns In Frontier Formation Sandstones, Southwestern Wyoming

Appendix 2.C Role Of Pore Fluids In The San Andreas Fault

3 Physical Properties and Fundamental Processes in Fractures

GEOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND STRESS EFFECTS.

Roughness of Fracture Surfaces

Void Geometry

STRESS EFFECTS ON FRACTURE VOID GEOMETRY

Normal Stress Effects

Shear Stress Effects

Effects of Fracture Origin

SINGLE-PHASE FLUID FLOW IN FRACTURES

Normal Stress Conditions

Shear Stress Conditions

Thermal and Chemical Effects

SOLUTE TRANSPORT

TWO-PHASE IMMISCIBLE FLUID FLOW

Static and Quasi-Static Conditions

Dynamic Conditions

SEISMIC PROPERTIES

Effective Media Models

Velocity

Attenuation

Discrete Fracture Effects

Relationship to Hydraulic Properties

ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES

Bulk Properties

Relationship Between Hydraulic and Electrical Properties

SUMMARY

Appendix 3.A Seismic Displacement Discontinuity Theory

Appendix 3.B Gravity-Driven Infiltration Flow Instability

Appendix 3.C Influence of Two-Phase Structure On Fracture Permeability And Solute Transport

4 Fracture Detection Methods

SURFACE METHODS

Seismic Reflection

P Waves

S Waves

Electrical and Electromagnetic Methods

Electrical Methods

Electromagnetic Methods

Ground-Penetrating Radar

Tiltmeters

Geological Observations

BOREHOLE-BOREHOLE AND BOREHOLE-SURFACE METHODS

Vertical Seismic Profiling

Transmission Tomography

Seismic Tomography

Radar Tomography

Electromagnetic Tomography

Electric Resistivity Tomography

Borehole Reflection Methods

Cross-Hole Seismic Reflection

Borehole Radar

Coupled Inversion of Transmission and Reflection Data

Acoustic Emissions

SINGLE-HOLE METHODS

Core Inspection

Conventional Well Logs

Borehole Imaging Logs

Acoustic Waveform Logging Methods

High-Resolution Flowmeter Methods

FLUID FLOW MONITORING USING GEOPHYSICAL METHODS

DISCUSSION

Appendix 4.A Directional Borehole Radar System.

Appendix 4.B Summary Of Conventional Log Applications In Fracture Studies

Appendix 4.C Flowmeter Case Studies

Appendix 4.D Example Of Shear-Wave Anisotropy In Fractured Reservoirs

5 Hydraulic and Tracer Testing of Fractured Rocks

HYDRAULIC TESTS

Hydraulic Testing in a Single Borehole

Open-Borehole Versus Packer Tests

Test Procedures

Models of Single-Borehole Hydraulic Tests

Estimation of Model Parameters

Wellbore Storage and Skin Effects

Hydraulic Testing with Multiple Boreholes

Models of Multiple-Borehole Hydraulic Tests

TRACER TESTS

Solute Transport Processes

Advection and Dispersion

Fracture Channels and Channelized Transport

Diffusion into Stagnant Water and Rock Matrix

Adsorption

Field Methodology

Natural Gradient Tracer Test

Divergent Flow Tracer Test

Convergent Flow Tracer Test

Two-Well Tracer Test

Borehole Dilution Test

Analysis of Tracer Tests

Research Needs

Appendix 5.A Example Of A Conductive Network Exhibiting Fractal Geometry

Appendix 5.B Using A Multiple-Borehole Test To Determine The Hydraulic Conductivity Tensor Of A Rock Mass

Appendix 5.C Using A Numberical Model And Inverse Method To Analyze A Multiple-Borehole Hydraulic Test

Appendix 5.D A Radially Convergent Flow Tracer Test In A Fractured Chalk Formation

Appendix 5.E A Large-Scale Flow And Tracer Experiment In Granite

Appendix 5.F Diagnostic Well Test Analysis At The Fracture Research Investigation

Appendix 5.G The Fracture Zone Project At Finnsjön

6 Field-Scale Flow and Transport Models

DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPTUAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS

Overview

Geology of the Fractured Rock

Scale of Interest

Purpose for Which the Model Is Being Developed

Development of a Conceptual Model.

Mathematical Models

EQUIVALENT CONTINUUM SIMULATION MODELS

The Continuum Approximation

Single-Porosity Models Developed in a Deterministic Framework

Fluid Flow

Solute Transport

Dual-Porosity Models

Stochastic Continuum Models

Assessment of Continuum Modeling

DISCRETE NETWORK SIMULATION MODELS

Why Consider Discrete Network Models?

Geological Issues in the Statistical Representation of Fracture Networks

Stochastic Models of Fracture Networks

Orthogonal Models and Their Extensions

Poisson Plane Models

Estimation of Model Parameters for Statistical Models of Fracture Networks

Fracture Density

Fracture Orientation

Fracture Size

Transmissivity of Individual Fractures

Applications of Discrete Network Models in Media with Significant Matrix Porosity

Assessment of Discrete Network Models

HYBRID METHODS: USING DISCRETE NETWORK MODELS IN BUILDING CONTINUUM APPROXIMATIONS

Estimation of Continuum Properties from Fracture Network Analysis

Estimation of Continuum Properties Based on Percolation Theory

DISCRETE NETWORK MODELS WITH SCALE-DEPENDENT PROPERTIES

Basic Issues

Geological Evidence of Scale-Dependent Properties

Geometric Models Incorporating Spatial Relationships Between Neighboring Fractures

Geometric Models Incorporating Clustering of Fractures

Geometric Models Based on Fracture Mechanics

Flow and Transport Models

Discrete Network Flow Models Conditioned on Hydraulic Behavior

Equivalent Discontinuum Models

Emerging Concepts

Assessment of Scale-Dependent Discrete Fracture Models

MODELS OF MORE COMPLEX HYDROGEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Modeling Flow and Transport in the Unsaturated Zone

Modeling Multiphase Flow in Fractured Rocks

Chemical Processes.

Modeling Heat Transfer in Fractured Rocks

Appendix 6.A Model Prediction Using A Continuum Approach: The URL Drawdown Experiment

Appendix 6.B Percolation Theory

Appendix 6.C Connectivity

7 Induced Changes to Fracture Systems

CHANGES IN FRACTURE VOID GEOMETRY DUE TO CHANGES IN EFFECTIVE STRESS

Changes in Fracture Aperture Due to Fluid Pressure Changes

Effective Stress and Fluid Flow

Effective Stress and Anisotropy

Determining Effective Stress

Predicting the Behavior of Stress-Sensitive Flow

Assessment of Models of Stress-Sensitive Fluid Flow

Creation or Extension of Fractures Due to Increases in Fluid Pressures

Fracture Initiation and Growth

Stress Sensitivity Tests

Monitoring of Fracture Location

Fracture Propagation Models

Deformation or Failure Owing to General Changes in the State of Stress

Stress Distribution and Stress-Permeability Relationships

Modeling Deformation and Failure

Deformation or Failure of Fractures Owing to Heating or Cooling of the Rock

Thermoelasticity and Flow

Coupled Heat, Flow, and Stress Models

CHANGES IN FRACTURE FLUIDS

Changes in Fluid Phase

Principles Governing Phase Changes

Changes in Fluid Interfaces

ADDITION OF SOLIDS

Proppant

Filtration for Proppants and Grouting

Proppant Engineering

Grouting

Grouting Principles

Models for Grouting

REDISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING SOLIDS BY CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Chemical Mobilization and Swelling of Clays

Dissolution and Precipitation

Models

Alteration of Existing Solids

Colloidal Suspensions

ENGINEERING UNDER UNCERTAIN CONDITIONS

Reducing Uncertainty

Explicit Consideration of Uncertainty in Decision Making

Adaptable/Observational Methods

SUMMARY OF DEFICIENCIES AND RESEARCH NEEDS

Appendix 7.A Natural Fracturing.

Appendix 7.B Drainage Methods In Construction.

Notes:

"National Research Council"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786610195893

9780309176880

0309176883

9781280195891

1280195894

9780309563482

0309563488

9780585024042

0585024049

OCLC:

42329043