Flow visualization and relative permeability measurements in rough-walled fractures
- Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA (United States)
Two-phase flow conditions are likely to exist in the rock formations surrounding high level nuclear waste repositories such as Yucca Mountain and WIPP. Two-phase (gas-liquid) flow experiments were done in a natural rock fracture and transparent replicas of natural fractures. Liquid was injected at constant volume flow rate, and gas was injected at either constant mass flow rate or constant pressure. When gas was injected at constant mass flow rate, the gas inlet pressure, and inlet and outlet capillary pressures, generally did not reach steady state by cycled irregularly. Flow visualization showed that this cycling was due to repeated blocking and unblocking of gas flow paths by liquid. Relative permeabilities calculated from flow rate and pressure data show that the sum of the relative permeabilities of the two phases is much less than 1, indicating that each phase interferes strongly with the flow of the other. Comparison of the relative permeability curves with typical curves for porous media (Corey curves) show that the phase interference is stronger in fractures than in typical porous media.
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States); American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 145409
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930408--Vol.2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Flow visualization and relative permeability measurements in rough-walled fractures
Two-phase flow visualization and relative permeability measurement in natural rough-walled rock fractures