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Title: Mathematical Modelling of Fault Reactivation Induced by Water Injection

Abstract

Faults in the host rock that might exist in the vicinity of deep geological repositories for radioactive waste, constitute potential enhanced pathways for radionuclide migration. Several processes might trigger pore pressure increases in the faults leading to fault failure and induced seismicity, and increase the faults’ permeability. In this research, we developed a mathematical model to simulate fault activation during an experiment of controlled water injection in a fault at the Mont-Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland. The effects of in-situ stress, fault shear strength parameters and heterogeneity are assessed. It was shown that the above factors are critical and need to be adequately characterized in order to predict the faults’ hydro-mechanical behaviour.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Ottawa, ON (Canada)
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) (Switzerland)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
OSTI Identifier:
1572002
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Minerals
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 2075-163X
Publisher:
MDPI
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; fault activation; mathematical model; poromechanics

Citation Formats

Nguyen, Thanh Son, Guglielmi, Yves, Graupner, Bastian, and Rutqvist, Jonny. Mathematical Modelling of Fault Reactivation Induced by Water Injection. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.3390/min9050282.
Nguyen, Thanh Son, Guglielmi, Yves, Graupner, Bastian, & Rutqvist, Jonny. Mathematical Modelling of Fault Reactivation Induced by Water Injection. United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/min9050282
Nguyen, Thanh Son, Guglielmi, Yves, Graupner, Bastian, and Rutqvist, Jonny. Wed . "Mathematical Modelling of Fault Reactivation Induced by Water Injection". United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/min9050282. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1572002.
@article{osti_1572002,
title = {Mathematical Modelling of Fault Reactivation Induced by Water Injection},
author = {Nguyen, Thanh Son and Guglielmi, Yves and Graupner, Bastian and Rutqvist, Jonny},
abstractNote = {Faults in the host rock that might exist in the vicinity of deep geological repositories for radioactive waste, constitute potential enhanced pathways for radionuclide migration. Several processes might trigger pore pressure increases in the faults leading to fault failure and induced seismicity, and increase the faults’ permeability. In this research, we developed a mathematical model to simulate fault activation during an experiment of controlled water injection in a fault at the Mont-Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland. The effects of in-situ stress, fault shear strength parameters and heterogeneity are assessed. It was shown that the above factors are critical and need to be adequately characterized in order to predict the faults’ hydro-mechanical behaviour.},
doi = {10.3390/min9050282},
journal = {Minerals},
number = 5,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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