skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Experimental study of miscible displacement fronts in rough self-affine fractures

Abstract

Miscible fluid displacements are studied experimentally in a radial flow between two complementary replica of a self-affine rough granite fracture surface. The displacement front between a dyed fluid and a transparent (but otherwise identical) one is followed optically through one face of the cell. The evolution of its geometry is studied as a function of time, flow-rate, and normal and lateral relative displacements between the two surfaces. For a purely normal displacement, the front is globally smooth, due to the constant local distance between surfaces. For a finite lateral displacement, the front is rough due to spatial variations of this distance; its geometry is fractal and its dimension is directly related to the Hurst exponent H{approximately}0.8 of the surface. The fractal regime is observed only above a lower cut-off scale that depends on the normal spacing of the surfaces and an upper one that increases with the injected volume and with the amplitude of the lateral displacement.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
(US)
OSTI Identifier:
40203355
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review E
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 63; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.63.066306; Othernumber: PLEEE8000063000006066306000001; 132106PRE; PBD: Jun 2001; Journal ID: ISSN 1063-651X
Publisher:
The American Physical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; AMPLITUDES; DIMENSIONS; FLOW RATE; FRACTALS; FRACTURES; GEOMETRY; GRANITES; REPLICAS

Citation Formats

Auradou, Harold, Hulin, Jean-Pierre, and Roux, Stephane. Experimental study of miscible displacement fronts in rough self-affine fractures. United States: N. p., 2001. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.63.066306.
Auradou, Harold, Hulin, Jean-Pierre, & Roux, Stephane. Experimental study of miscible displacement fronts in rough self-affine fractures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.63.066306
Auradou, Harold, Hulin, Jean-Pierre, and Roux, Stephane. 2001. "Experimental study of miscible displacement fronts in rough self-affine fractures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.63.066306.
@article{osti_40203355,
title = {Experimental study of miscible displacement fronts in rough self-affine fractures},
author = {Auradou, Harold and Hulin, Jean-Pierre and Roux, Stephane},
abstractNote = {Miscible fluid displacements are studied experimentally in a radial flow between two complementary replica of a self-affine rough granite fracture surface. The displacement front between a dyed fluid and a transparent (but otherwise identical) one is followed optically through one face of the cell. The evolution of its geometry is studied as a function of time, flow-rate, and normal and lateral relative displacements between the two surfaces. For a purely normal displacement, the front is globally smooth, due to the constant local distance between surfaces. For a finite lateral displacement, the front is rough due to spatial variations of this distance; its geometry is fractal and its dimension is directly related to the Hurst exponent H{approximately}0.8 of the surface. The fractal regime is observed only above a lower cut-off scale that depends on the normal spacing of the surfaces and an upper one that increases with the injected volume and with the amplitude of the lateral displacement.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevE.63.066306},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/40203355}, journal = {Physical Review E},
issn = {1063-651X},
number = 6,
volume = 63,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001},
month = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001}
}