Short- and Long-Term Observations of Fracture Permeability in Granite by Flow-Through Tests and Comparative Observation by X-Ray CT
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 9
Abstract
Having a grasp of the variation in the fracture contact area is a kernel in the understanding of the permeability evolution of fractured rocks. However, the number of studies that focus on measuring the long-term variation in the fracture contact area under different conditions is insufficient. In this study, a series of short- and long-term permeability tests under coupled conditions is performed to check the performance of permeability. The results reveal that the permeability measured in the short-term tests shows reversible behavior and a dependence on the applied confining pressures and temperature. In contrast, the permeability in the long-term tests displays irreversible behavior and an irregular change under the constant confining pressure. In order to verify the evolution of permeability, microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT) is developed to observe the changes in the internal fracture structure under the same conditions as those in long-term permeability tests by assembling a triaxial cell with heating capability. The fracture aperture and the fracture contact-area ratio are calculated by a CT image analysis technique. The image analysis results show that the estimated aperture is seen to decrease with an increase in the confining pressure and to also decrease with time under a constant confining pressure. Moreover, the increase in the fracture contact area under the constant confining pressure observed by X-ray CT is confirmed. This also corresponds to a decrease in permeability in long-term tests. The hydraulic aperture calculated from the permeability tests and that evaluated from the CT observation have a similar decreasing trend. Therefore, the CT observation can better capture the evolution of the internal fracture contact area. These experiments underscore the importance of mechanical compaction and/or mineral dissolution at contacts in determining the rates and the magnitude of permeability evolution within rock fractures.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the KAJIMA Foundation, Japan, and by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) scholarship (Project Code No. 2015-9056, Certificate No. 201508210170), Japan. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21 • Issue 9 • September 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jul 29, 2020
Accepted: Apr 2, 2021
Published online: Jun 17, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2021
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