Skip to main content
Log in

Permeability of Self-Affine Fractures

  • Published:
Transport in Porous Media Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The permeability of self-affine fractures with various roughness exponents H is investigated by direct three-dimensional numerical simulations. A scaling behavior with an exponent H is exhibited in the self-affine scale range. Permeability can be related to the fractional open area and to the percolation probability by simple models.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, P. M.: 1992, Porous Media: Geometry and Transports, Butterworth/Heinemann, Stoneham, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, P. M. and Thovert, J.-F.: 1999, Fractures and Fracture Networks, Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barton, N. and Choubey, V.: 1977, The shear strength of rock joints in theory and practice, Rock Mech. 10, 1-54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. R. and Scholz, C. H.: 1985, Broad bandwidth study of the topography of natural rock surfaces, J. Geophys. Res. 90, 12575-12582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. R.: 1989, Transport of fluid and electric current through a single fracture, J. Geophys. Res. 94, 9429-9438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durham, W. B. and Bonner, B.P.: 1994, Self-propping and fluid flow in slightly offset joints at high effective pressures, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 9391-9399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutfraind, R. and Hansen, A.: 1995, Study of fracture permeability using lattice gas automata, Transport in Porous Media 18, 131-149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hakami, E. and Barton, N.: 1990, Aperture measurements and flow experiments using transparent replicas of rock joints, in: Barton and Stephansson (Eds), Rock Joints, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 383-390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kant, R.: 1996, Statistics of approximately self-affine fractals: random corrugated surface and time series, Phys. Rev. B 53, 5749-5763.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marrink, S. J., Paterson, L. and Knackstedt, M. A.: 2000, Definition of percolation thresholds on self-affine surface, Physica A 280, 207-214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mourzenko, V. V., Thovert, J.-F. and Adler, P.M.: 1995, Permeability of a single fracture; Validity of the Reynolds equation, J. Phys. II 5, 465-482.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mourzenko, V. V., Thovert, J.-F. and Adler, P.M.: 1996, Geometry of simulated fractures, Phys. Rev. E 53, 5606-5626.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mourzenko, V. V., Thovert, J.-F. and Adler, P. M.: 1999, Percolation and conductivity of self-affine fractures, Phys. Rev. E 59, 1-20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plouraboué, F.: 1996, Propriétés géométriques et propriétés de transport des fractures `a parois rugueuses, Ph.D. Thesis, Université Paris VII, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, P. J., Stanley, H. E. and Klein, W.: 1980, Phys. Rev. B 21, 1223-1245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahimi, M. and Mukhopadhyay, S.: 1996, Scaling properties of a percolation model with long-range correlations, Phys. Rev. E., 54, 3870-3880.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmittbuhl, J., Sornette, J.-P. and Roux, S.: 1993, Percolation through self-affine surfaces, J. Phys. A 26, 6115-6133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stesky, R. M.: 1986, Electrical conductivity of brine saturated rock, Geophysics 51, 1585-1593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volik, S., Mourzenko, V. V., Thovert, J.-F. and Adler, P. M.: 1997, Thermal conductivity of a single fracture, Transport in Porous Media 27, 305-325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., Knackstedt, M. A. and Sahimi, M.: 1996, Fluid flow across mass fractals and self-affine surfaces, Physica A 233, 835-847.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mourzenko, V.V., Thovert, JF. & Adler, P.M. Permeability of Self-Affine Fractures. Transport in Porous Media 45, 89–103 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011859722257

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011859722257

Navigation