1.
Basirat, Farzad, et al.
(författare)
Hydraulic Modeling of Induced and Propagated Fractures : Analysis of Flow and Pressure Data From Hydromechanical Experiments in the COSC-1 Deep Borehole in Crystalline Rock Near Åre, Sweden
2021
Ingår i: Water resources research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0043-1397 .- 1944-7973. ; 57:11
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
To characterize the coupled hydromechanical behavior of rock fractures, the step-rate injection method for fracture in-situ properties (SIMFIP) was conducted with a specialized downhole probe developed by Guglielmi et al. (2014, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0517-1). In June 2019, a field campaign was carried out near Åre, Sweden, where the SIMFIP probe was applied in the Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides-1 scientific borehole to understand the dynamics of injection-induced fracture initiation, fracture opening, and shearing due to water injection-withdrawal in a borehole interval isolated by two packers. Three intervals were investigated at ∼500 m depth: (a) an unfractured section (intact rock), (b) a section with non-conductive fractures, and (c) a section with hydraulically conductive fractures. Pressure, injection flow rate, and borehole wall displacement were simultaneously measured during the tests. In the present study, the geometry of the induced fracture and deformation of existing fractures at different time stages of the tests are determined based on a hydrologic model by using the measured pressure and flow data during each time stage of the experiment. A numerical model for the fluid flow within the fracture and the packed-off borehole interval is implemented within COMSOL Multiphysics. By matching model simulations with observed data for all three sections, estimates of the induced and propagated fractures' radius and aperture at successive time stages have been obtained in each case. We could also determine the non-linear relationship between fracture aperture and pressure for values above fracture opening pressures. The model results provide insights for the understanding of pressure-induced fracture initiation and propagation in crystalline rock.
2.
Larsson, Martin, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
A new approach to account for fracture aperture variability when modeling solute transport in fracture networks
2013
Ingår i: Water resources research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0043-1397 .- 1944-7973. ; 49:4, s. 2241-2252
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
A simple yet effective method is presented to include the effects of fracture aperture variability into the modeling of solute transport in fracture networks with matrix diffusion and linear sorption. Variable apertures cause different degrees of flow channeling, which in turn influence the contact area available for these retarding processes. Our approach is based on the concept of specific flow-wetted surface (sFWS), which is the fraction of the contact area over the total fracture surface area. Larsson et al. [2012] studied the relationship between sFWS and the standard deviation σln K of the conductivity distribution over the fracture plane. Here an approach is presented to incorporate this into a fracture network model. With this model, solute transport through fracture networks is then analyzed. The cases of sFWS=0 and sFWS=1 correspond to those of no matrix diffusion and full matrix diffusion respectively. In between, a sFWS break point value can be defined, above which the median solute arrival time is proportional to the square of sFWS. For values below the critical sFWS (more channeled cases), the change is much slower, converging to that of no matrix diffusion. Results also indicate that details of assigning sFWS values for individual fractures in a network are not crucial; results of tracer transport are essentially identical to a case where all fractures have the mean σln K (or corresponding mean sFWS) value. This is obviously due to the averaging effect of the network.
3.
Larsson, Martin, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
Understanding the effect of single fracture heterogeneity from single well injection withdrawal (SWIW) tests
2013
Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - New York : Springer-Verlag New York. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 21:8, s. 1691-1700
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
The single well injection withdrawal (SWIW) tracer test on a fracture or fracture zone is a method used to estimate its tracer retardation properties. In this study, the effects of single fracture aperture heterogeneity on SWIW test tracer breakthrough curves are examined by numerical modelling. The effects of the matrix diffusion and sorption is accounted for by using a particle tracking method through the addition of a time delay added to the advective transport time. For a given diffusion and sorption property value (Pm) and for a heterogeneous fracture, the peak concentration is larger compared to a homogeneous fracture. The cumulative breakthrough curve for a heterogeneous fracture is similar to that for a homogeneous fracture and a less sorptive/diffusive tracer. It is demonstrated that the fracture area that meets the flowing water, the so-called specific flow-wetted surface (sFWS) of the fracture, can be determined by comparing the observed breakthrough curve for a heterogeneous fracture with that for a homogeneous fracture. SWIW tests are also simulated with a regional pressure gradient present. The results point to the possibility of distinguishing the effect of the regional pressure gradient from that of diffusion through the use of multiple tracers with different Pm-values.
4.
Geier, Joel E., et al.
(författare)
Simplified representative models for long-term flow and advective transport in fractured crystalline bedrock
2019
Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 27:2, s. 595-614
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Simplified representative models (SRMs) of the hydrogeological system at radioactive-waste repository sites are presented and demonstrated to give useful predictions of the key hydrogeological factors affecting long-term safety. The SRM is constructed from complex site-descriptive models, which have been developed to be consistent with detailed site information and data from short-term (with duration of days, weeks, up to months) field experiments, by keeping elements that are important for long-term predictions into thousands of years and simplifying features of less importance. The simplified approach relies only on fundamental hydrogeological principles and the mathematics can be kept relatively simple. The purpose of SRM is to provide a means of verifying predictions from complex numerical models, with an approach that is easy to evaluate and allows transparent evaluation of factors influencing long-term results. The approach is applied to evaluations of sites for two repositories in fractured crystalline bedrock in Sweden: one for spent nuclear fuel rod assemblies and one for waste with lower levels of radioactivity. The results indicate that the SRMs are able to yield results similar to those of calculations based on much more complex models. Further, the approach allows an evaluation of additional sources of uncertainty that are difficult or expensive to conduct with the complex models. These capabilities make SRMs a very useful and transparent tool for regulatory review.
5.
Tsang, Chin-Fu, et al.
(författare)
Hydrologic testing during drilling : application of the flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging method to drilling of a deep borehole
2016
Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 24:6, s. 1333-1341
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Drilling of a deep borehole does not normally allow for hydrologic testing during the drilling period. It is only done when drilling experiences a large loss (or high return) of drilling fluid due to penetration of a large-transmissivity zone. The paper proposes the possibility of conducting flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging during the drilling period, with negligible impact on the drilling schedule, yet providing important information on depth locations of both high- and low-transmissivity zones and their hydraulic properties. The information can be used to guide downhole fluid sampling and post-drilling detailed testing of the borehole. The method has been applied to the drilling of a 2,500-m borehole at Åre, central Sweden, firstly when the drilling reached 1,600 m, and then when the drilling reached the target depth of 2,500 m. Results unveil eight hydraulically active zones from 300 m down to borehole bottom, with depths determined to within the order of a meter. Further, the first set of data allows the estimation of hydraulic transmissivity values of the six hydraulically conductive zones found from 300 to 1,600 m, which are very low and range over one order of magnitude.
6.
Dessirier, Benoît, et al.
(författare)
A new scripting library for modeling flow and transport in fractured rock with channel networks
2018
Ingår i: Computers & Geosciences. - : Elsevier BV. - 0098-3004 .- 1873-7803. ; 111, s. 181-189
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Deep crystalline bedrock formations are targeted to host spent nuclear fuel owing to their overall low permeability. They are however highly heterogeneous and only a few preferential paths pertaining to a small set of dominant rock fractures usually carry most of the flow or mass fluxes, a behavior known as channeling that needs to be accounted for in the performance assessment of repositories. Channel network models have been developed and used to investigate the effect of channeling. They are usually simpler than discrete fracture networks based on rock fracture mappings and rely on idealized full or sparsely populated lattices of channels. This study reexamines the minimal requirements to describe a channel network in terms of groundwater flow and solute transport, leading to an extended description suitable for unstructured arbitrary networks of channels. An implementation of this formalism in a Python scripting library is presented and released along with this article. A new algebraic multigrid preconditioner delivers a significant speedup in the flow solution step compared to previous channel network codes. 3D visualization is readily available for verification and interpretation of the results by exporting the results to an open and free dedicated software. The new code is applied to three example cases to verify its results on full uncorrelated lattices of channels, sparsely populated percolation lattices and to exemplify the use of unstructured networks to accommodate knowledge on local rock fractures.
7.
Dessirier, Benoit, et al.
(författare)
Channel Network Modeling of Flow and Transport in Fractured Rock at the Äspö HRL : Data‐Worth Analysis for Model Development, Calibration and Prediction
2023
Ingår i: Water resources research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0043-1397 .- 1944-7973. ; 59:5
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Performance assessment of nuclear waste disposal in deep crystalline bedrock demands a thorough understanding of the related flow and transport processes. Uncertainties may arise both from the selection of the conceptual model as well as the estimation of the related model parameters. Discrete fracture network (DFN) models are widely used for such modeling while channel network models (CNM) provide an alternative representation, the latter focusing on the fact that flow and transport in deep fractured media often are dominated by a small number of long preferential flow paths. This study applies the principle of channel networks, implemented in the Pychan3d simulator, to analyze the hydraulic and tracer transport behavior in a 450-m-deep fractured granite system at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, where extensive site characterization data, including hydraulic and tracer test data are available. Semi-automated calibration of channel conductances to field characterization data (flow rates, drawdowns, and tracer recoveries) is performed using PEST algorithm. It was observed that an optimal CNM connectivity map for channel conductance calibration can only be developed by jointly fitting flow rates, drawdowns and tracer mass recovery values. Results from data-calibrated CNM when compared to a corresponding calibrated DFN model shows that the CNM calibrates and adapts better than a DFN model with uniform fracture surfaces. This comparative study shows the differences and uncertainties between two models as well as examines the implications of using them for long term model predictions.
8.
Doughty, Christine, et al.
(författare)
Flowing fluid electrical conductivity logging of a deep borehole during and following drilling : estimation of transmissivity, water salinity and hydraulic head of conductive zones
2017
Ingår i: Hydrogeology Journal. - : SPRINGER. - 1431-2174 .- 1435-0157. ; 25:2, s. 501-517
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging is a hydrogeologic testing method that is usually conducted in an existing borehole. However, for the 2,500-m deep COSC-1 borehole, drilled at re, central Sweden, it was done within the drilling period during a scheduled 1-day break, thus having a negligible impact on the drilling schedule, yet providing important information on depths of hydraulically conductive zones and their transmissivities and salinities. This paper presents a reanalysis of this set of data together with a new FFEC logging data set obtained soon after drilling was completed, also over a period of 1 day, but with a different pumping rate and water-level drawdown. Their joint analysis not only results in better estimates of transmissivity and salinity in the conducting fractures intercepted by the borehole, but also yields the hydraulic head values of these fractures, an important piece of information for the understanding of hydraulic structure of the subsurface. Two additional FFEC logging tests were done about 1 year later, and are used to confirm and refine this analysis. Results show that from 250 to 2,000 m depths, there are seven distinct hydraulically conductive zones with different hydraulic heads and low transmissivity values. For the final test, conducted with a much smaller water-level drawdown, inflow ceased from some of the conductive zones, confirming that their hydraulic heads are below the hydraulic head measured in the wellbore under non-pumped conditions. The challenges accompanying 1-day FFEC logging are summarized, along with lessons learned in addressing them.
9.
Figueiredo, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
A study of changes in deep fractured rock permeability due to coupled hydro-mechanical effects
2015
Ingår i: International Journal of Rock Mechanics And Mining Sciences. - : Elsevier BV. - 1365-1609 .- 1873-4545. ; 79, s. 70-85
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
This paper presents a numerical study of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a fractured rock domain at 1000 m depth below the land surface as a function of different levels of fluid pore pressure. A 2D fractured rock domain is adopted based on data obtained from outcrop mapping, displaying multiple fracture sets, fracture intersections, dead-end and curved fractures. A continuum based numerical model is used to evaluate the effects of compressive boundary stresses, cracking by tension failure in the intact rock and fractures and shear displacement along fractures on its equivalent permeability. Two in situ stress boundary conditions are considered: an isotropic case SR1 with the two horizontal boundary compressive stresses having the same magnitude, and an anisotropic case SR2 with the ratio between these compressive stress components set to be 2. In the SR2 case, changes in the local stress and stress ratio distributions due to different fluid pore pressure levels are anisotropic and more significant than in the SR1 case, because of tension failures in the intact rock forming bridges between fractures. These failure regions opened new flow connections between fractures and thereby caused important anisotropic changes in the flow paths, and significant decrease in local gradients of fluid pore pressure. The equivalent permeability increases sharply when the fluid pore pressure is approximately 90% of the magnitude of the minimum stress at the boundaries of the fractured rock domain. Results show that the equivalent permeability of the fractured rock domain is most sensitive to the fractures normal stiffness, the permeability of the tension failure regions and the power-law exponent for permeability change.
10.
Jia, Yunzhong, et al.
(författare)
Hydraulic stimulation strategies in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) : a review
2022
Ingår i: Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources. - : Springer Nature. - 2363-8419 .- 2363-8427. ; 8
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
In enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), the natural permeability of deep rocks is normally not high enough and needs to be increased. Permeability increase can be achieved through various stimulation methods, such as hydraulic, chemical, and thermal stimulation. Among these, hydraulic stimulation is the most commonly used technique to increase both reservoir permeability and the specific area for heat exchange. A comprehensive understanding of the underlying processes towards an optimization of hydraulic stimulation performance while minimizing the potential of unwanted induced seismicity is a critical prerequisite for a successful development of any EGS site. In this paper, we review the hydraulic stimulation strategies that have been developed and implemented for EGS. We begin with a description of the underlying mechanisms through which the permeability and heat exchange area increases are achieved. We then discuss the mechanisms of fluid injection-induced seismicity during and after a hydraulic stimulation operation. After that, alternative hydraulic stimulation strategies, namely conventional hydraulic stimulation, multi-stage fracturing, and cyclic soft stimulation, are reviewed based on current research in theoretical studies as well as, laboratory, and in-situ field experiments. Finally, some representative EGS projects are reviewed, focusing on fluid injection strategies, seismic responses, and reservoir permeability enhancement performance. The review shows the importance and need of (a) a comprehensive geological characterization of the natural fracture system including the nearby fault zones as well as the in-situ stress conditions, prior to the development of the site, (b) a proper design of the well arrangement, such as the positioning of the injection and production wells, and (c) the selection of an appropriate fluid injection strategy for the system at hand.
