A continuum model for coupled stress and fluid flow in discrete fracture networks

Acknowledgments This work is a partial result of support from the US Department of Energy under project DOE-DE-343 EE0002761. This support is gratefully acknowledged. We also acknowledge the data from the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas at Austin.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cyclic Permeability Evolution during Repose then Reactivation of Fractures and Faults

Cyclic growth and decay of permeability in fractures is explored during repeated reactivation and repose of saw‐cut fractures of Green River shale. These slide‐hold‐slide experiments are supported by measurements of fracture normal deformation and optical surface profilometry. Overall, we observe continuous permeability decay during repose (holds) and significant permeability enhancement during slow reactivation (slide). The permeability decay is accompanied by fault compaction. Both hydraulic aperture change (Δb_h) and measured compaction (Δb_s) are consistent with time‐dependent power law closure with a power exponent of ~0.2–0.4. These dual compaction magnitudes are positively correlated but Δb_h > Δb_s in late stage holds. Permeability enhancement during reactivation is typically also accompanied by fault dilation. However, we also observe some cases where hydraulic aperture change decouples from the measured deformation, conceivably driven by mobilization of wear products and influenced by the development of flow bottlenecks. Pretest and posttest surface profiles show that the surface topography of the fractures is planed down by shear removal. The shear removal is significant with initial laboratory prepared surface (~10 μm of aperture height) but less significant following consecutive reactivations (~2 μm). The flattened surfaces retain small‐scale, ~10–20 μm wavelength, roughness. Flow simulations, constrained by the surface topography and measured deformation, indicate that small‐scale roughness may control permeability at flow bottlenecks within a dominant flow channel. These results suggest cycles of permeability creation and destruction are an intrinsic component of the natural hydraulic system present in faults and fractures and provide an improved mechanistic understanding of the evolution of permeability during fault repose and reactivation

The influence of fault reactivation on injection-induced dynamic triggering of permeability evolution

Mechanisms controlling fracture permeability enhancement during injection-induced and natural dynamic stressing remain unresolved. We explore pressure-driven permeability (k) evolution by step-increasing fluid pressure (p) on near-critically stressed laboratory fractures in shale and schist as representative of faults in sedimentary reservoirs/seals and basement rocks. Fluid is pulsed through the fracture with successively incremented pressure to first examine sub-reactivation permeability response that then progresses through fracture reactivation. Transient pore pressure pulses result in a permeability increase that persists even after the return of spiked pore pressure to the null background level. We show that fracture sealing is systematically reversible with the perturbing pressure pulses and pressure-driven permeability enhancement is eminently reproducible even absent shear slip and in the very short term (order of minutes). These characteristics of the observed fracture sealing following a pressure perturbation appear similar to those of the response by rate-and-state frictional healing upon stress/velocity perturbations. Dynamic permeability increase scales with the pore pressure magnitude and fracture sealing controls the following per-pulse permeability increase, both in the absence and presence of reactivation. However, initiation of the injection-induced reactivation results in a significant increase in the rate of permeability enhancement (dk/dp). These results demonstrate the role of frictional healing and sealing of fractures at interplay with other probable processes in pore pressure-driven permeability stimulation, such as particle mobilization

The influence of fault reactivation on injection-induced dynamic triggering of permeability evolution

Mechanisms controlling fracture permeability enhancement during injection-induced and natural dynamic stressing remain unresolved. We explore pressure-driven permeability (k) evolution by step-increasing fluid pressure (p) on near-critically stressed laboratory fractures in shale and schist as representative of faults in sedimentary reservoirs/seals and basement rocks. Fluid is pulsed through the fracture with successively incremented pressure to first examine sub-reactivation permeability response that then progresses through fracture reactivation. Transient pore pressure pulses result in a permeability increase that persists even after the return of spiked pore pressure to the null background level. We show that fracture sealing is systematically reversible with the perturbing pressure pulses and pressure-driven permeability enhancement is eminently reproducible even absent shear slip and in the very short term (order of minutes). These characteristics of the observed fracture sealing following a pressure perturbation appear similar to those of the response by rate-and-state frictional healing upon stress/velocity perturbations. Dynamic permeability increase scales with the pore pressure magnitude and fracture sealing controls the following per-pulse permeability increase, both in the absence and presence of reactivation. However, initiation of the injection-induced reactivation results in a significant increase in the rate of permeability enhancement (dk/dp). These results demonstrate the role of frictional healing and sealing of fractures at interplay with other probable processes in pore pressure-driven permeability stimulation, such as particle mobilization

Evolution of permeability in sand injectite systems

The author would like to thank the financial support from the Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining (China University of Mining and Technology), the grant No. SKLCRSM16KFC01. We would also appreciate the discussion and data support from Qinghua Lei at Imperial College London, Antonio Grippa at the University of Aberdeen, and Valeri Mourzenko at the Institut Pprime CNRS.Peer reviewedPostprin

Coupled hydro-mechanical evolution of fracture permeability in sand injectite intrusions

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the support in using FracPaQ from Roberto Rizzo in the University of Aberdeen. We also appreciate the financial support from the Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining (China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing) (Grant No. SKLCRSM16KFC01).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seismicity triggered by fluid injection–induced aseismic slip

Anthropogenic fluid injections are known to induce earthquakes. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood, and our ability to assess the seismic hazard associated with geothermal energy or unconventional hydrocarbon production remains limited. We directly measure fault slip and seismicity induced by fluid injection into a natural fault. We observe highly dilatant and slow [~4 micrometers per second (µm/s)] aseismic slip associated with a 20-fold increase of permeability, which transitions to faster slip (~10 µm/s) associated with reduced dilatancy and micro-earthquakes. Most aseismic slip occurs within the fluid-pressurized zone and obeys a rate-strengthening friction law µ = 0.67 + 0.045ln (v/v_0) with v_0 = 0.1 µm/s. Fluid injection primarily triggers aseismic slip in this experiment, with micro-earthquakes being an indirect effect mediated by aseismic creep

The Role of Mineral Composition on the Frictional and Stability Properties of Powdered Reservoir Rocks

The growing hazard of induced seismicity driven by the boom in unconventional resources exploitation is strongly linked to fault activation. We perform laboratory measurements on simulated fault gouges comprising powdered reservoir rocks from major oil and gas production sites in China, to probe the control of mineral composition on fault friction and stability responses during reservoir stimulation. Double direct shear experiments were conducted on gouges with phyllosilicate content ranging from 0 to 30wt.% and grain sizes <150m, at constant normal stresses of 10-40MPa and conditions of room temperature and water saturation. The velocity step and slide-hold-slide sequences were employed to evaluate frictional stability and static healing, respectively. Results indicate that the mineralogy of the gouges exhibit a strong control on the frictional strength, stability, and healing. Phyllosilicate-rich samples show lower frictional strength and higher values of (a-b), promoting stable sliding. For the gouges studied, the frictional strength decreases monotonically with increasing phyllosilicate content, and a transition from velocity weakening to velocity strengthening behavior is evident at 15wt.% phyllosilicates. Intermediate healing rates are common in gouges with higher content of phyllosilicates, with high healing rates predominantly in phyllosilicate-poor gouges. As an indispensable component in reservoir rocks, the carbonates are shown to affect both the frictional stability and healing response. These findings can have important implications for understanding the effects of mineralogy on fault behavior and induced seismic potential in geoengineering activities, particularly in reservoirs in China.National Natural Science Foundation of China [41672268, 41772286]; U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) [DE-FE0023354]6 month embargo; published online: 5 February 2019This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Critical Chemical-Mechanical Couplings that Define Permeability Modifications in Pressure-Sensitive Rock Fractures

This work examined and quantified processes controlling changes in the transport characteristics of natural fractures, subjected to coupled thermal-mechanical-chemical (TMC) effects. Specifically, it examined the effects of mineral dissolution and precipitation mediated by mechanical effects, using laboratory through-flow experiments concurrently imaged by X-ray CT. These were conducted on natural and artificial fractures in cores using water as the permeant. Fluid and mineral mass balances are recorded and are correlated with in-sample saturation, porosity and fracture aperture maps, acquired in real-time by X-ray CT-imaging at a maximum spatial resolution of 15-50 microns per pixel. Post-test, the samples were resin-impregnated, thin-sectioned, and examined by microscopy to define the characteristics of dissolution and precipitation. The test-concurrent X-ray imaging, mass balances, and measurements of permeability, together with the post-test microscopy, were used to define dissolution/precipitation processes, and to constrain process-based models. These models define and quantify key processes of pressure solution, free-face dissolution, and shear-dilation, and the influence of temperature, stress level, and chemistry on the rate of dissolution, its distribution in space and time, and its influence on the mechanical and transport properties of the fracture