Approaching a universal scaling relationship between fracture stiffness and fluid flow.
Nat Commun 2016;
7:10663. [PMID:
26868649 PMCID:
PMC4754337 DOI:
10.1038/ncomms10663]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
A goal of subsurface geophysical monitoring is the detection and characterization of fracture alterations that affect the hydraulic integrity of a site. Achievement of this goal requires a link between the mechanical and hydraulic properties of a fracture. Here we present a scaling relationship between fluid flow and fracture-specific stiffness that approaches universality. Fracture-specific stiffness is a mechanical property dependent on fracture geometry that can be monitored remotely using seismic techniques. A Monte Carlo numerical approach demonstrates that a scaling relationship exists between flow and stiffness for fractures with strongly correlated aperture distributions, and continues to hold for fractures deformed by applied stress and by chemical erosion as well. This new scaling relationship provides a foundation for simulating changes in fracture behaviour as a function of stress or depth in the Earth and will aid risk assessment of the hydraulic integrity of subsurface sites.
Fractures in rock can be altered geochemically and deformed under stress, affecting fluid flow rates across many orders of magnitude. Here, the authors present a universal scaling relationship between fluid flow and fracture specific stiffness, which will aid the interpretation of subsurface sites.
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