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Laboratory Studies of Gas Flow Through a Single Natural Fracture
Author(s) -
Schrauf T. W.,
Evans D. D.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr022i007p01038
Subject(s) - fracture (geology) , mechanics , flow (mathematics) , aperture (computer memory) , pressure gradient , materials science , nonlinear system , fluid dynamics , geology , geotechnical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , acoustics
The relationship between the aperture and gas conductivity of a single natural fracture was investigated in the laboratory. Fracture conductivity was evaluated as a function of both the applied fluid pressure gradient and average fracture aperture, the latter ranging from 600 to 200 μ m. Fracture apertures were determined independently on the basis of both fracture deformation and fracture volume measurements. Flow generally occurred in the linear and transitional flow regime between linear and fully nonlinear flow. The transition was found to be smooth and well described by an equation of the form: −( dp / dx ) = av + bv 2 , where dp / dx is the pressure gradient and v is the fluid velocity. The linear and nonlinear fracture conductivities were found to be functions of the aperture and surface roughness of the fracture in agreement with existing empirical equations. A new physical model for fracture flow is also formulated based on an analogy to pipe flow.