Underground nuclear weapon testing produces radionuclide gases which may seep to the surface. Barometric pumping of gas through explosion-fractured rock is investigated using a new sequentially-coupled hydrodynamic rock damage/gas transport model. Fracture networks are produced for two rock types (granite and tuff) and three depths of burial. The fracture networks are integrated into a flow and...

Fractured-rock aquifers display spatially and temporally variable hydraulic conductivity generally attributed to variable fracture intensity and connectivity. Empirical evidence suggests fracture aperture and hydraulic conductivity are sensitive to in situ stress. This study investigates the sensitivity of fractured-rock hydraulic conductivity, groundwater flow paths, and advectiondominated tra...

The transport of variably sized colloids (polydisperse) in a fracture with uniform aperture is investigated by a particle-tracking model that treats colloids as discrete particles with unique transport properties while accounting for either matrix diffusion or irreversible colloid deposition. For the special case of a monodisperse colloid suspension the particle-tracking model is in perfect agr...

[1] Water-rock interactions within variable aperture fractures can lead to dissolution of fracture surfaces and local alteration of fracture apertures, potentially transforming the transport properties of fractures over time. Because fractures often provide dominant pathways for subsurface flow and transport, developing models that effectively quantify the role of dissolution on changing transp...

We report flow-through experiments on a natural fracture in novaculite under moderate effective stresses (∼1.4 MPa) and temperatures (20–120 °C) to examine the effect on flow and transport characteristics. The efflux of fluid and dissolved minerals were measured throughout the 3150-h experiment. After the experiment the fracture was imaged by X-ray CT, impregnated with Wood's metal, and a cast ...

Multiphase flow and transport phenomena within fractures are important because fractures often represent primary flow conduits in otherwise low permeability rock. Flows within the fracture, between the fracture and the adjacent matrix, and through the pore space within the matrix typically happen on different length and time scales. Capturing these scales experimentally is difficult. It is ther...

A new method is used to quantify the relationships between stress field and primary fracture characters (aperture, density) in low-permeability sandstone reservoirs based on laboratory experiments and mathematical development, through which, quantitative fracture modeling is set up. Using this modeling, we can load it into the stress analysis software (Ansys 10.0) to acquire 3D palaeo stress fi...

many large oil and gas fields in the most productive world regions happen to be fractured. the exploration and development of these reservoirs is a true challenge for many operators. these difficulties are due to uncertainties in geological fracture properties such as aperture, length, connectivity and intensity distribution. to successfully address these challenges, it is paramount to improve ...

Fracture networks dominate the permeability of crystalline geothermal reservoir rocks. Insitu stress conditions have a significant impact on the flow, transport and exchange characteristics of fracture networks. Here a geomechanical model is presented which describes fracture closure under effective stress and the change in parameters such as storage, permeability, porosity and aperture. The mo...