Approaching a universal scaling relationship between fracture stiffness and fluid flow.

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 scalin

SUBMITTER: Pyrak-Nolte LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4754337 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature