Abstract
Analytical models are presented to provide enhanced capabilities for modeling fluid flow through natural fractures nested in parallel plate type configurations. The modeled fractures may be arbitrarily positioned, but subgrouped according to the consistent parallel sequences. The derived analytical expressions for fracture permeability can be considered as an extension to those in which flow within fractures is uniform and isotropic. This modification offers a correction for the traditional permeability calculations whenever fractures are oblique to the flow orientation. For the fracture flow scenarios, the graphical solutions show the permeability envelope normal to any arbitrary planes within the calculated domain. Consideration of rock anisotropy may significantly improve the accuracy in determining the formation permeability in cases where natural fractures exhibit a dominant control in regional fluid flow.
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Chen, M., Bai, M. & Roegiers, JC. Permeability Tensors of Anisotropic Fracture Networks. Mathematical Geology 31, 335–373 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007534523363
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007534523363