Progress on flow visualization and relative permeability measurement in transparent replicas of natural fractures from Yucca Mountain

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/60916· OSTI ID:60916

Persoff, P; Pruess, K; Petersen, L P ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States). Earth Sciences Div.

Small sections (75 mm x 75 mm) of two natural rock fractures from outcrop boulders of Tiva Canyon tuff have been reproduced as transparent replicas. Aperture maps were drawn from images of the replicas filled with dye. Apertures were measured by the areas occupied by liquid drops of known volume. For both these fractures, the average aperture is about 350 {mu}m, while the hydraulic aperture is less (72 and 130 {mu}m). Two-phase (air-water) flow experiments have been conducted in these replicas to measure relative permeability and capillary pressures. The results obtained confirm the results of previous fracture experiments, and theoretical analysis, that the sum of relative permeabilities is much less than 1 at intermediate saturations. The welded tuffs in the vadose zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are being investigated as the potential site of a geological repository for high-level nuclear wastes.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 60916
• Report Number(s): LBL--36614; ON: DE95006723
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW VISUALIZATION
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PERMEABILITY
PORE PRESSURE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
TWO-PHASE FLOW
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project