U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
Water infiltration and intermittent flow in rough-walled fractures
Abstract
Flow visualization experiments were conducted in transparent replicas of natural rough-walled fractures. The fracture was inclined to observe the interplay between capillary and gravity forces. Water was introduced into the fracture by a capillary siphon. Preferential flow paths were observed, where intermittent flow frequently occurred. The water infiltration experiments suggest that intermittent flow in fractures appears to be the rule rather than the exception. In order to investigate the mechanism causing intermittent flow in fractures, parallel plates with different apertures were assembled using lucite and glass. A medium-coarse-fine pore structure is believed to cause the intermittency in flow. Intermittent flow was successfully produced in the parallel plate experiments using the lucite plates. After several trials, intermittent flow was also produced in the glass plates.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States); Swiss National Cooperative for the Storage of Nuclear Waste, Baden (Switzerland)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 453754
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-37462
ON: DE97004138; TRN: 97:002147
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- Resource Type:
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis (M.S.); PBD: May 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; GEOLOGIC FRACTURES; FLOW VISUALIZATION; UNSTEADY FLOW; HYDRAULIC FRACTURES; Geothermal Legacy
Citation Formats
Su, Grace. Water infiltration and intermittent flow in rough-walled fractures. United States: N. p., 1995.
Web. doi:10.2172/453754.
Su, Grace. Water infiltration and intermittent flow in rough-walled fractures. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/453754
Su, Grace. 1995.
"Water infiltration and intermittent flow in rough-walled fractures". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/453754. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/453754.
@article{osti_453754,
title = {Water infiltration and intermittent flow in rough-walled fractures},
author = {Su, Grace},
abstractNote = {Flow visualization experiments were conducted in transparent replicas of natural rough-walled fractures. The fracture was inclined to observe the interplay between capillary and gravity forces. Water was introduced into the fracture by a capillary siphon. Preferential flow paths were observed, where intermittent flow frequently occurred. The water infiltration experiments suggest that intermittent flow in fractures appears to be the rule rather than the exception. In order to investigate the mechanism causing intermittent flow in fractures, parallel plates with different apertures were assembled using lucite and glass. A medium-coarse-fine pore structure is believed to cause the intermittency in flow. Intermittent flow was successfully produced in the parallel plate experiments using the lucite plates. After several trials, intermittent flow was also produced in the glass plates.},
doi = {10.2172/453754},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/453754},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1995},
month = {Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1995}
}