Geological input into models of fractured porous media

Conference · Sun Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5940378

Sharp, Jr, J M; Mayer, J R ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept of Geological Sciences

Flow and transport in aquifers, reservoirs, and low-permeability geological materials are important for development of groundwater resources and other fluids, such as petroleum and geothermal fluids, as well as for understanding the movement of anthropogenic and natural solutes in geological settings. Different relative permeabilities and storage properties allow differentiation of fractured media into purely fractured, fractured formations, double-porosity media, and heterogeneous media. A priori understanding of flow in these systems requires a knowledge of fracture orientations, connectivity, apertures, asperities, and spacing, as well as the effects of fracture skins, if present. A person's ability to characterize these parameters in natural settings is limited, and a number of modeling approaches have been developed. The parallel-plate and equivalent-porous-medium models are conceptually simple, but highly over-simplified. Discrete fracture models are limited by the difficulty in estimation of in situ hydraulic properties, whereas theoretical models with synthetic data and most double-porosity models are most useful only in predicting what to look for in the field. An equivalent parallel-plate, conceptual model is proposed to provide a more direct input of geologic data into regional-scale models. The model will be calibrated using a 3,800-km[sup 2] fractured carbonate aquifer in West Texas and southern New Mexico. Fracture geometry will be measured in the field and on air photos; fracture hydraulic properties will be inferred from previous hydrologic studies. Such a model, coupled with the other approaches, may lend greater insights into geological controls of flow and transport in fractured porous media, as well as better predictions of solute transport and the influence of fracture flow on other fundamental geological problems.

• OSTI ID: 5940378
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303212--
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 25:1; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150200 -- Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540210 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
58 GEOSCIENCES
580000 -- Geosciences
AQUIFERS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLOW MODELS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MINERAL RESOURCES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
POROUS MATERIALS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
WATER