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Connecting microstructural attributes and permeability from 3D tomographic images of in situ shear‐enhanced compaction bands using multiscale computations
Author(s) -
Sun WaiChing,
Andrade José E.,
Rudnicki John W.,
Eichhubl Peter
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2011gl047683
Subject(s) - compaction , in situ , geology , shear (geology) , permeability (electromagnetism) , computation , materials science , mineralogy , geotechnical engineering , petrology , computer science , algorithm , physics , membrane , biology , meteorology , genetics
Tomographic images taken inside and outside a compaction band in a field specimen of Aztec sandstone are analyzed by using numerical methods such as graph theory, level sets, and hybrid lattice Boltzmann/finite element techniques. The results reveal approximately an order of magnitude permeability reduction within the compaction band. This is less than the several orders of magnitude reduction measured from hydraulic experiments on compaction bands formed in laboratory experiments and about one order of magnitude less than inferences from two‐dimensional images of Aztec sandstone. Geometrical analysis concludes that the elimination of connected pore space and increased tortuosities due to the porosity decrease are the major factors contributing to the permeability reduction. In addition, the multiscale flow simulations also indicate that permeability is fairly isotropic inside and outside the compaction band.