Hydraulic characterization of a fault zone from fracture distribution

Romanò, Valentina; Bigi, Sabina; Carnevale, Francesco; Hyman, Jeffrey D.; Karra, Satish; Valocchi, Albert J.; Tartarello, Maria Chiara; Battaglia, Maurizio

doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104036

Cited by 34 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We investigated fracture networks with the orthogonal set of fractures with relatively high fracture intensity and a constant fracture size. Similar fracture networks are often observed in nature (Belayneh, 2004; Kang et al., 2019; Runkel et al., 2018), and fractured media with P 32 higher than 3 have been observed in nature (Brixel et al, 2020; Makedonska et al., 2020; Romano et al., 2020). The fracture network is also motivated by a recent study that investigated tracer transport in 2‐D fracture networks with orthogonal fracture sets (Kang et al., 2017, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Higher P 32 implies higher fracture intensity meaning more fracture surface area per unit volume. Fractured media with P 32 higher than 3 have been observed in nature (Brixel et al, 2020; Makedonska et al., 2020; Romano et al., 2020). These sites tend to be disturbed/damaged zones, for example, regions surrounding faults or rubblized zones due to civil and industrial endeavors such as hydraulic fracturing.…”

Section: Flow and Transport Simulations In 3‐d Dfnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Anomalous Transport in Three‐Dimensional Discrete Fracture Networks: Interplay Between Aperture Heterogeneity and Injection Modes

Kang

Hyman

Han

et al. 2020

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We study how the interplay between fracture aperture heterogeneity and tracer injection mode controls fluid flow and tracer transport in three‐dimensional (3D) discrete fracture networks (DFNs). The direct 3‐D DFN simulations show that tracer injection mode has substantial effects on tracer spreading across all levels of aperture heterogeneity. The key controlling factor for effective transport is the initial Lagrangian velocity distribution, which is determined by the interplay between injection mode and aperture heterogeneity. The fundamental difference between initial Lagrangian velocity distribution and domain‐scale Eulerian velocity distribution plays a vital role in determining anomalous transport. We effectively capture the observed anomalous transport using an upscaled transport model that incorporates initial velocity distribution, stationary velocity distribution, velocity correlation length, and average advective tortuosity. With the upscaled transport model, we accurately capture the evolution of Lagrangian velocity distribution and predict longitudinal spreading in 3‐D DFN.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Flow and Transport Simulations In 3‐d Dfnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anomalous Transport in Three‐Dimensional Discrete Fracture Networks: Interplay Between Aperture Heterogeneity and Injection Modes

Kang

Hyman

Han

et al. 2020

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We incorporate these variable fracture apertures into a set of 3D DFNs whose parameters are loosely based on observed fractured zones in Marcellus shale (Gale et al, 2014;Kavousi et al, 2017;Pankaj et al, 2018;Wang & Carr, 2013) in alignment with the experiments described above, but the networks do not represent a particular site. Flow through such micro-fracture networks are important in shale formations, which occur at these length scales, and are believed to control hydrocarbon production in unconventional reservoirs and changes of permeability in damage zones around faults (Gomila et al, 2021;Hyman, Jiménez-Martínez, et al, 2016;Middleton et al, 2017;Mitchell & Faulkner, 2009;Romano et al, 2020). DFN models explicitly represent fractures as 2D planar objects in 3D space and typically model apertures as perfectly smooth parallel plates.…”

Section: Dfn Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scale‐Bridging in Three‐Dimensional Fracture Networks: Characterizing the Effects of Variable Fracture Apertures on Network‐Scale Flow Channelization

Hyman

Sweeney

Frash

et al. 2021

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The flow of fluids and the associated transport of dissolved chemicals through low-permeability fractured media in the subsurface is primarily confined to fractures and the interconnected networks that they form (Berkowitz, 2002; National Research Council, 1996;Neuman, 2005). A distinguishing geophysical feature of fractured media is the multi-scale heterogeneity that occurs within the system. Although networks are composed of individual fractures, they exhibit fundamentally different behavior than the individual units of which they are comprised. In a single fracture, flow field organization is predominantly determined by surface roughness, aperture and contact area, which result from a variety of different geophysical processes such as mechanical deformation and/or chemical reactions (

show abstract

“…Subarea A was treated differently, since the kinematics of the Pirola fault highly affect the fracture orientations especially in the northern sector. Therefore, distinctive fracture sets from other sites and virtual outcrops are observable, as a consequence of the presence of a major shear zone (Romano et al 2020). Measured from selected transects on site and converted to P 32 value a (Priest and Hudson 1981) Measured from selected transects and converted to P 32 value (Priest and Hudson 1981) From UAV model, when both measurements are present.…”

Section: Fracture Orientationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Comparison of data for a conceptualization of the basin could be easily provided by geochemical markers, as well as isotopic ones (Vallet et al 2015;Hilberg 2016;Achtziger-Zupančič et al 2017a), requiring only periodical sampling of the springs. Nonetheless, the main drawback of this approach is the difficulty in reaching a quantitative understanding of groundwater flow through numerical detailed modeling, requiring validation through direct flow data (Massaro et al 2018;Romano et al 2020).…”

Section: Approach Applicability and Suggested Workflowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of photogrammetry from unmanned aerial vehicles, field measurements and discrete fracture network modeling to understand groundwater flow in remote settings: test and comparison with geochemical markers in an Alpine catchment

Binda¹,

Pozzi²,

Spanu³

et al. 2021

Hydrogeol J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fast and cost-effective techniques for hydrogeological modeling are of broad interest for water resources exploitation, especially in remote settings, where hydrogeological measurements are difficult to perform. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based techniques are potentially useful for these aims, but their application is still limited. In this study, a field-based approach and UAV-based approach are integrated for the computation of a discrete fracture network model of a fractured aquifer in the Central Alps. Then, calculated directions of the hydraulic conductivity components were compared with a geostatistical analysis of geochemical markers from sampled spring waters, to infer a conceptual model of groundwater flow. The comparison of field-based and UAV-based fracture measurements confirmed a good matching for fracture orientations and recognized a more reliable estimation of fracture dimensions for the UAV-based dataset. Nonetheless, an important variable for hydrogeological modeling—fracture aperture—is not measurable using UAV, as this requires field measurements. The calculated directions of the main conductivities fit well with the analyzed geochemical markers, indicating the presence of two partially separated fractured aquifers and describing their possible groundwater flow paths. The adopted integrated approach confirms UAV-based measurements as a potential tool for characterization of fracture sets as the input for hydrogeological modeling and for a fast and effective surveying tool, reducing time and cost for other following measurements.

show abstract

Hydraulic characterization of a fault zone from fracture distribution

Cited by 34 publications

References 62 publications

Anomalous Transport in Three‐Dimensional Discrete Fracture Networks: Interplay Between Aperture Heterogeneity and Injection Modes

Anomalous Transport in Three‐Dimensional Discrete Fracture Networks: Interplay Between Aperture Heterogeneity and Injection Modes

Scale‐Bridging in Three‐Dimensional Fracture Networks: Characterizing the Effects of Variable Fracture Apertures on Network‐Scale Flow Channelization

Integration of photogrammetry from unmanned aerial vehicles, field measurements and discrete fracture network modeling to understand groundwater flow in remote settings: test and comparison with geochemical markers in an Alpine catchment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About