Fluid dynamics models are used by the petroleum industry to model single-and/or multi-phase flow within fractured rock formations, in order to facilitate extraction of fluids such as oil and natural gas, and in other areas of engineering to study groundwater flow, as well as to estimate contaminant seepage and transport. In this paper, the numerical modelling software Comsol is used to simulate air and water flow through a specimen of granite with a single vertical fracture subjected to triaxial loading conditions. The intent of the model is to simulate triaxial test findings on a rock specimen with a natural fracture. Fluid flow is simulated at various confining and inlet pressures using the cubic law. Model results were in good agreement with laboratory findings. Pressure distribution along the fracture and across the specimen are as expected with a near linear pressure distribution along the length of the fracture. A drawdown effect on pressure distribution across the specimen in the vicinity of the fracture is also observed. Pressure gradient was largely uniform; however, some localised zones of high gradient along the fracture are observed.
Failure analysis of an ice floe impacting on a fixed arctic offshore structure has been carried out. The ice floe has been idealized to be an edge-loaded, inertia-driven, thin circular disk made of an elastic-brittle material obeying the Drucker-Prager failure envelope. The location of failure initiation and the associated load have been calculated. Fracture mechanics of global splitting of the floe by crack propagation has been presented. An appropriate limit analysis solution of the problem has also been developed. A comparison of the various results developed in the paper leads to some interesting conclusions.
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