Joint spacing: analogue and numerical simulations

Rives, T.; Razack, Moumtaz; Petit, Jean‐Pierre; Rawnsley, Keith

doi:10.1016/0191-8141(92)90024-q

Cited by 237 publications

(115 citation statements)

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“…Wilder and Yow (1984) report that fracture spacing at the Climax stock is approximately exponentially distributed. This supports other studies where fracture spacing is thought to be an exponentially distributed random variable (Rives et al, 1992;Brooks et al, 1996;Wines and Lilly, 2002). A Poisson process is used to assign fracture centers within the FCM domain, where joint uniform distributions in three dimensions lead to exponentially distributed spacing between fracture centers (Ross, 1985).…”

Section: Fractures and Faultssupporting

confidence: 57%

Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Climax Mine sub-CAU, Nevada Test Site

Pohlmann¹,

Ye²,

Reeves³

et al. 2007

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Section: Fractures and Faultssupporting

confidence: 57%

Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Climax Mine sub-CAU, Nevada Test Site

Pohlmann¹,

Ye²,

Reeves³

et al. 2007

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“…Thus, a minimum spacing approximately equal to layer thickness is expected for parallel, equally-spaced opening-mode fractures, and such a fracture set is termed "saturated," as there is no room for additional fractures to grow (Rives et al, 1992;Wu and Pollard, 1994). patterns in rock and other layered materials, but it cannot explain fracture swarms or other situations where local fracture spacing is significantly less than layer thickness ( Figure 5.2).…”

Section: Fracture Spatial Arrangementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An 5,6,12,13 The combined prediction of all fracture attributes is possible using geomechanics, and the mechanistic approach as postulated in this paper requires less direct fracture sampling than typical statistical methods. The subcritical fracture index, a rock parameter that can be measured from core samples, can be used to constrain the distributions of aperture, spacing and length.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advanced Technology for Predicting the Fluid Flow Attributes of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs From Quantitative Geologic Data and Modeling

Olson

Lake

Laubach

2003

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Abstract:This report summarizes the work carried out during the period of September 29, 2000 to September 28, 2001. Our goal is to establish an integrated methodology of fractured reservoir characterization and show how that can be incorporated into fluid flow simulation. We have made progress in the characterization of mineral infilling of natural fractures. The main advancement in this regard was to recognize the strong interplay between diagenetic and mechanical processes. We accomplished several firsts in documenting and quantifying these processes, including documenting the range of emergent threshold in several formations and quantifying the internal structures of crack-seal bridges in fractures. These results will be the basis for an appreciation of fracture opening and filling rates that go well beyond our original goals. Looking at geochemical modeling of fracture infilling, our theoretical analysis addressed the problem of calcite precipitation in a fracture. We have built a model for the deposition of calcite within a fracture. The diagenetic processes of dissolution and partial cementation are key controls on the creation and distribution of natural fractures within hydrocarbon reservoirs. Even with extensive data collection, fracture permeability still creates uncertainty in reservoir description and the prediction of well performance. Data on the timing and stages of diagenetic events can provide explanation as to why, when and where natural fractures will be open and permeable. We have been pursuing the fracture mechanics testing of a wide range of rocks, particularly sandstone using a key rock property test that has hitherto not been widely applied to sedimentary rocks. A major accomplishment in this first year has been to identify sample suites available in the core repository at the University of Texas that represent a wide range of diagenetic alteration and to begin to test these samples. The basis for the fluid flow simulations to be carried out in this part of the project is the adequate spatial characterization of fracture networks. Our initial focus has been on the tendency of fracture sets to cluster into highly fracture zones that are often widely separated. Our preliminary modeling work shows the extent of this clustering to be controlled by the subcritical fracture index of the material. With continued progress, we move toward an integrated fracture characterization methodology that will ultimately be applied through detailed reservoir simulation.iv Fig. 3.1. Features associated with the crack-seal mechanism. Fig. 3.2. Evidence of fracture opening mechanics. Fig. 3.3. Demonstrations of how new imaging techniques reveal mechanically significant microstructures. Fig. 3.4. Internal structure of synkinematic cement bridges. Fig. 3.5. Complex crack-seal texture within an almost completely quartz-filled macrofracture. Fig. 3.6. Limited wavelength (UV-blue) gray-scale CL image showing crack-seal texture at the bases of euhedral quartz crystals growing into a macrofracture. Fig. 3.7. Compari...

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“…This is readily seen by taking a • oo or a "total shadow." For/x =/: 0, and for this case we obtain the case treated by Rives et al [1992], where the minimum spacing between joints is /x (cm) and the maximum number per unit length is therefore /x -1. A more detailed discussion of the compliane a is given below.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Model of joint spacing distribution based on shadow compliance

Rabinovitch¹,

Bahat²

1999

J. Geophys. Res.

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Abstract. Fracture spacing is analyzed with a special reference to the functional shape of a shadow, which allows some presence of joints in the proximity of existing ones. A new term, the "shadow compliance" a, is mathematically defined. A good agreement is obtained between this model and several fracture populations. We obtained a -1 (a = 0.884 _+ 0.070) for a spacing distribution that occurred in layers that were connected to their neighbors with major differences in mechanical properties across the lithologic boundaries. In this situation, different strains along the boundaries influenced joint spacing according to the Cox-Hobbs model. Their theory asserts that stress release behaves as a first power of distance, implying, in our theory, a = 1. On the other hand, we obtained a • 3 (a = 2.904 _+ 0.!56) for a spacing distribution where fracture occurred in layers of uniform elastic properties, which were disconnected from their neighboring ones by fractures, so that the stress reduction was not dependent on material properties along the boundaries. In this case the Pollard and Segall model was the appropriate one for analyzing joint spacing. Their theory asserts that stress release behaves as a third power of distance, which indeed implies, for our theory, a = 3. Our model shows that in a given joint set, a is not sensitive to variations in strains that were caused by a "normal mechanism." However, a mechanism of very intense jointing can drastically change a either to an unrealistic range or to a state of being indefinable. 2.The Model Physical ConsiderationsWe assume a one-dimensional case throughout. Let x be the distance from an existing fracture, and let q(x) dx be the probability that an additional fracture appears between x and x + dx. The form of q(x) will be dealt with later. We wish to obtain the fracture spacing distribution p (e) if q (x) is known, p(e) de being the probability that starting from a given fracture, no additional fracture occurred between x = 0 and x = 4877

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Joint spacing: analogue and numerical simulations

Cited by 237 publications

References 29 publications

Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Climax Mine sub-CAU, Nevada Test Site

Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Climax Mine sub-CAU, Nevada Test Site

Advanced Technology for Predicting the Fluid Flow Attributes of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs From Quantitative Geologic Data and Modeling

Model of joint spacing distribution based on shadow compliance

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