An Investigation of Radial Tracer Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

This study presents a general solution for the radial flow of tracers in naturally fractured reservoirs. Continuous and finite step injection of chemical and radioactive tracers are considered. The reservoir is treated as being composed of two regions: a mobile region where longitudinal dispersion and convection take place and a stagnant region where only diffusion and adsorption are a1 1 owed. Radioactive decay is considered in both regions. The model of this study is thoroughly compared to those previously presented in literature by Moench and Ogata, Tang et al., Chen et al. , and Hsieh et al. The solution is numerically inverted by means of the Crump algorithm. A detailed validation of the model with respect to solutions previously presented and/or simplified physical conditions solutions (i.e., homogeneous case) or limit solutions (i.e., for short times) was carried out. The influence of various dimensionless parameters that enter into the solution was investigated. A discussion of results obtained through the Crump and Stehfest algorithm is presented, concluding that the Crump method provides more reliable tracer concentrations.