A comparison of cross-hole electrical and seismic data in fractured rock

Cross‐hole anisotropic electrical and seismic tomograms of fractured metamorphic rock have been obtained at a test site where extensive hydrological data were available. A strong correlation between electrical resistivity anisotropy and seismic compressional‐wave velocity anisotropy has been observed. Analysis of core samples from the site reveal that the shale‐rich rocks have fabric‐related average velocity anisotropy of between 10% and 30%. The cross‐hole seismic data are consistent with these values, indicating that observed anisotropy might be principally due to the inherent rock fabric rather than to the aligned sets of open fractures. One region with velocity anisotropy greater than 30% has been modelled as aligned open fractures within an anisotropic rock matrix and this model is consistent with available fracture density and hydraulic transmissivity data from the boreholes and the cross‐hole resistivity tomography data. However, in general the study highlights the uncertainties that can arise, due to the relative influence of rock fabric and fluid‐filled fractures, when using geophysical techniques for hydrological investigations.     

Fluid‐dependent shear‐wave splitting in fractured media

Azimuthal anisotropy in rocks can result from the presence of one or more sets of partially aligned fractures with orientations determined by the stress history of the rock. A shear wave propagating in an azimuthally anisotropic medium splits into two components with different polarizations if the source polarization is not aligned with the principal axes of the medium. For vertical propagation of shear waves in a horizontally layered medium containing vertical fractures, the shear‐wave splitting depends on the shear compliance of the fractures, but is independent of their normal compliance. If the fractures are not perfectly vertical, the shear‐wave splitting also depends on the normal compliance of the fractures. The normal compliance of a fluid‐filled fracture decreases with increasing fluid bulk modulus. For dipping fractures, this results in a decrease in shear‐wave splitting and an increase in shear‐wave velocity with increasing fluid bulk modulus. The sensitivity of the shear‐wave splitting to fluid bulk modulus depends on the interconnectivity of the fracture network, the permeability of the background medium and on whether the fracture is fully or partially saturated.     

Damage evolution on different scale levels

The patterns of multiple fractures in a localized zone at the notch tip of metallic specimens are studied at different stages of static and cyclic loading. Cumulative number-length distributions of microcracks in the localized zone of fracture and amplitude distribution of acoustic emission signals accompanying the development of fracture are calculated. The influence of metal structure and loading conditions on multiple fracture kinetics is considered.     

广州地磁台转换函数的长期变化和季节变化

本文全面系统地研究了1960——1987年广州地磁台转换函数的变化.结果表明:(1)季节变化的特点是夏季幅度大,冬季幅度小,具有12和6个月的主要周期成份;长期变化则表现以每年0.0025的速率下降.转换函数 B 的长期变化和季节变化不明显;(2)由转换函数 A,B 求出的帕金森矢量的方向明显地受海洋的影响,反映了海洋效应;(3)转换函数 A,B 的逐月值与地磁活动相关,而年均值与地磁活动无关.A 的年均值无明显的11年或22年周期.长期变化可能主要受地球内部电性结构的影响.      

Experimental Research on the Load／Unload Response Ratio （LURR） Theory

Implementing acoustic emission experiments with large rock samples, LURR (Load/Unload Response Ratio) theory was studied. The loading conditions in the experiments were designed to simulate the complicated loading process of underground rocks. The damages emerging inside the rock samples were recorded by the acoustic emission technique during the loading process. The experimental results were consistent with prediction by LURR theory. Integrating the changing processes of LURR value Y and the location process of acoustic emission events showed agreement between the variation of LURR value Y and the damage evolution inside the rocks. Furthermore, the high value of Y emerged before the complete breakdown of materials. Therefore, the damage evolution of rock specimen can be quantitatively analyzed with LURR theory, thus the failure of the rock materials and the earthquake occurrence may be predicted. The experimental results gave a further verification of LURR theory.     

Experimental research on critical point hy- pothesis

Introduction Earthquake is a kind of severe natural disaster. In order to predict earthquake effectively, thegeoscientists at home and abroad have carried out a great deal of studies on seismicity. For exam-ple,Willis, (1924) and Tocher (1959) made some early investigations on seismicity before largeearthquake. Chinese geoscientists performed even more studies in this field (CHEN, et al, 1981;HUANG, FENG, 1981; LIU, 1982; LU, 1985; LU, et al, 2001; MA, et al, 1982; MEI, 1960; …     

Detection of multiple fracture sets using observations of shear‐wave splitting in microseismic data

The hydrocarbon industry is moving increasingly towards tight sandstone and shale gas resources – reservoirs that require fractures to be produced economically. Therefore, techniques that can identify sets of aligned fractures are becoming more important. Fracture identification is also important in the areas of coal bed methane production, carbon capture and storage (CCS), geothermal energy, nuclear waste storage and mining. In all these settings, stress and pore pressure changes induced by engineering activity can generate or reactivate faults and fractures. P‐ and S‐waves are emitted by such microseismic events, which can be recorded on downhole geophones. The presence of aligned fracture sets generates seismic anisotropy, which can be identified by measuring the splitting of the S‐waves emitted by microseismic events. The raypaths of the S‐waves will have an arbitrary orientation, controlled by the event and geophone locations, meaning that the anisotropy system may only be partly illuminated by the available arrivals. Therefore to reliably interpret such splitting measurements it is necessary to construct models that compare splitting observations with modelled values, allowing the best fitting rock physics parameters to be determined. Commonly, splitting measurements are inverted for one fracture set and rock fabrics with a vertical axis of symmetry. In this paper we address the challenge of identifying multiple aligned fracture sets using splitting measured on microseismic events. We analyse data from the Weyburn CCS‐EOR reservoir, which is known to have multiple fracture sets, and from a hydraulic fracture stimulation, where it is believed that only one set is present. We make splitting measurements on microseismic data recorded on downhole geophone arrays. Our inversion technique successfully discriminates between the single and multiple fracture cases and in all cases accurately identifies the strikes of fracture sets previously imaged using independent methods (borehole image logs, core samples, microseismic event locations). We also generate a synthetic example to highlight the pitfalls that can be encountered if it is assumed that only one fracture set is present when splitting data are interpreted, when in fact more than one fracture set is contributing to the anisotropy.     

Experimental research on critical point hypothesis

According to the critical point hypothesis (CPH), energy release would accelerate in power law before occurrence of large earthquakes or failure of brittle materials. In the paper, CPH was studied by acoustic emission experiments of large-scale rock samples. Three kinds of rock samples were used in the experiments. The tri-axial loading condition was applied under different loading histories. The released elastic energy (Acoustic emission) was recorded with acoustic emission technique as microcracks emerged and developed inside the rock samples. The experimental results gave a further verification on the CPH. The elastic energy release of rock samples would accelerate before the failure even under different experimental conditions. Primary studies were also made on medium-term earthquake prediction by using accelerating energy release (AER) in the paper. Foundation item: Project of Natural Sciences Foundation of China (10232050), Project of State Key Basic Research (2002CB412706) and Project of Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2002CB412706).     

The mechanism and dynamics of rock fracture upon mechanical impact and electric discharge

The mechanism and dynamics of the deformation and fracture of quartz, granite, and marble samples under the striker blow on their surface and electric discharge inside them are studied by the fractoluminescence (FL), electromagnetic (EME), and acoustic emission (AE) methods with 10-ns resolution. The impact excites a forced deformation wave with a velocity within 0.8 to 2 km/s depending on the mineral. The atomic bonds rupture and microcracks are formed at the nodes of the wave, which leads to the emergence of the FL flashes and disruption of the time dependences of EME. Based on the intensity of the flashes, the dimensions of microcracks are estimated to vary from 2 to 70 µm depending on the mineral. In turn, the emergence of microcracks initiates additional deformation waves.The discharge inside the studied samples excites a pressure shock wave which transforms into the tension wave after reflection from the surface. According to the analysis of FL spectra, this leads to the breakdown of the rocks into positively charged ions and electrons. The shock wave velocity in granites is measured at 4.8 km/s, which is close to the velocity of the longitudinal acoustic vibrations ~5 km/s. The microcracks in the rock have not enough time to form with this loading velocity. It is supposed that the shock wave stretches the deformed interatomic bonds at the dislocation nuclei in the crystal lattices of the minerals up to their breakdown into positively charged ions.     

脆性材料强破裂前兆的初步研究

本文依据现有的实验结果初步研究脆性材料在破坏孕育过程中发生的强破裂的前兆特征.以应变(形变)突变、破裂弹性波限幅等物理变化特征确定强破裂;研究总结了不同试样、两种加载方式的破坏试验中的多个强破裂的前兆特征变化:一类为包括定点和场的应变变化特征,另一类为包括声发射率(破裂频度)、b值、波谱及微破裂时空分布等的声发射变化....     

A data collection and analysis system for research on rock fracturing

We have made a data collection and analysis system for recording microcracks in rock to study the three dimensional pattern of fracture and the dynamic properties of rock during pressurization. This system, with 8 channel data detection, records in real-time, from the initial microcracks to the final vibration waveform excited by the master fracture. The detected data are recorded digitally at the hard disk of an IBM computer (or 286, 386 personal computer) as well as transmitted to disk. The sampling rate for each channel is 10 MHz. Collecting every acoustic emission events in the loaded rock sample with 8 channels by this system, mathematically modelling the AE event travel time, and taking the coordinates of the AE event hypocenter and the three components of P wave velocity as unknown parameters, we set up a set of residual equations for joint inversion, so that the three dimensional localization of AE event hypocenters can be completed under variable velocities, which will lay foundations for the research on rock fracture clearly. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismological Sinica,13, 489–495, 1991. The design and development of the system, and the experiments are sponsored by the Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation.     

标本非均匀性对岩石变形声发射时空分布的影响及其地震学意义

基于一组实验结果,讨论了岩石标本的非均匀性（预存微裂纹和宏观裂纹）对声发射 时空分布的影响. 对比分析表明,预存微裂纹的存在使得破裂成核前声发射率快速增加、 b值表现出一种短期异常现象,即在下降背景上出现起伏,从而增加了破裂时间的可预报 性. 宏观结构（节理、层面等）的存在对声发射率和b值的影响与微裂纹相同,而且宏 观结构对声发射的空间分布具有控制作用,声发射丛集的宏观构造通常控制着未来的主破裂 . 这意味着宏观构造的存在使得主破裂的时间和位置预报成为可能.      

不同应力途径三轴压缩下岩石的声发射

在不同加载方式的三轴实验中,观测了济南辉长岩和北京昌平花岗岩的声发射(围压达1.3千巴).当最大主应力增加使岩样破坏时(A型),平均声发射率逐渐增加,离破裂强度约几百巴时声发射急剧增多.而当岩石处于一定的高应力状态,通过减小围压使岩样破坏时(B型),声发射的急剧增加仅出现在离破裂差应力20-30巴的情况下,而且这种破裂过程声发射总数只有 A 型的1/3左右.在 B 型加载情况下,从应力场的球张量部分(流体静压力)来看,是一个卸载过程,而从偏张量部分来看,是一个加载过程.这种卸载过程的存在很可能是造成声发射不同特征的主要原因.      

Effect of fracture fill on frequency‐dependent anisotropy of fractured porous rocks

In fractured reservoirs, seismic wave velocity and amplitude depend on frequency and incidence angle. Frequency dependence is believed to be principally caused by the wave‐induced flow of pore fluid at the mesoscopic scale. In recent years, two particular phenomena, i.e., patchy saturation and flow between fractures and pores, have been identified as significant mechanisms of wave‐induced flow. However, these two phenomena are studied separately. Recently, a unified model has been proposed for a porous rock with a set of aligned fractures, with pores and fractures filled with two different fluids. Existing models treat waves propagating perpendicular to the fractures. In this paper, we extend the model to all propagation angles by assuming that the flow direction is perpendicular to the layering plane and is independent of the loading direction. We first consider the limiting cases through poroelastic Backus averaging, and then we obtain the five complex and frequency‐dependent stiffness values of the equivalent transversely isotropic medium as a function of the frequency. The numerical results show that, when the bulk modulus of the fracture‐filling fluid is relatively large, the dispersion and attenuation of P‐waves are mainly caused by fractures, and the values decrease as angles increase, almost vanishing when the incidence angle is 90° (propagation parallel to the fracture plane). While the bulk modulus of fluid in fractures is much smaller than that of matrix pores, the attenuation due to the “partial saturation” mechanism makes the fluid flow from pores into fractures, which is almost independent of the incidence angle.     

Acoustic Emission Experiments of Rock Failure Under Load Simulating the Hypocenter Condition

A series of acoustic emission (AE) experiments of rock failure have been conducted under cyclic load in tri-axial stress tests. To simulate the hypocenter condition the specimens are loaded by the combined action of a constant stress, intended to simulate the tectonic loading, and a small sinusoidal disturbance stress, analogous to the Earth tide induced by the Sun and the Moon. Each acoustic emission signal can indicate the occurrence time, location and relative magnitude of the damage (micro-crack) in the specimen. The experimental results verified some precursors such as LURR (Load/Unload Response Ratio) and AER (Accelerating Energy Release) before macro-fracture of the samples. A new parameter, the correlation between the AE and the load, has been proposed to describe the loading history. On the eve of some strong earthquakes the correlation between the Benioff strain and the Coulomb failure stress (CFS) decreases, similar to the variation of LURR prior to strong earthquakes.     

Sensitivity of time-lapse seismic to reservoir stress path

The change in reservoir pore pressure due to the production of hydrocarbons leads to anisotropic changes in the stress field acting on the reservoir. Reservoir stress path is defined as the ratio of the change in effective horizontal stress to the change in effective vertical stress from the initial reservoir conditions, and strongly influences the depletion‐induced compaction behaviour of the reservoir. Seismic velocities in sandstones vary with stress due to the presence of stress‐sensitive regions within the rock, such as grain boundaries, microcracks, fractures, etc. Since the response of any microcracks and grain boundaries to a change in stress depends on their orientation relative to the principal stress axes, elastic‐wave velocities are sensitive to reservoir stress path. The vertical P‐ and S‐wave velocities, the small‐offset P‐ and SV‐wave normal‐moveout (NMO) velocities, and the P‐wave amplitude‐versus‐offset (AVO) are sensitive to different combinations of vertical and horizontal stress. The relationships between these quantities and the change in stress can be calibrated using a repeat seismic, sonic log, checkshot or vertical seismic profile (VSP) at the location of a well at which the change in reservoir pressure has been measured. Alternatively, the variation of velocity with azimuth and distance from the borehole, obtained by dipole radial profiling, can be used. Having calibrated these relationships, the theory allows the reservoir stress path to be monitored using time‐lapse seismic by combining changes in the vertical P‐wave impedance, changes in the P‐wave NMO and AVO behaviour, and changes in the S‐wave impedance.     

ELASTIC WAVE PROPAGATION IN MEDIA WITH PARALLEL FRACTURES AND ALIGNED CRACKS1

A model of parallel slip interfaces simulates the behaviour of a fracture system composed of large, closely spaced, aligned joints. The model admits any fracture system anisotropy: triclinic (the most general), monoclinic, orthorhombic or transversely isotropic, and this is specified by the form of the 3 × 3 fracture system compliance matrix. The fracture system may be embedded in an anisotropic elastic background with no restrictions on the type of anisotropy. To compute the long wavelength equivalent moduli of the fractured medium requires at most the inversion of two 3 × 3 matrices. When the fractures are assumed on average to have rotational symmetry (transversely isotropic fracture system behaviour) and the background is assumed isotropic, the resulting equivalent medium is transversely isotropic and the effect of the additional compliance of the fracture system may be specified by two parameters (in addition to the two isotropic parameters of the isotropic background). Dilute systems of flat aligned microcracks in an isotropic background yield an equivalent medium of the same form as that of the isotropic medium with large joints, i.e. there are two additional parameters due to the presence of the microcracks which play roles in the stress-strain relations of the equivalent medium identical to those played by the parameters due to the presence of large joints. Thus, knowledge of the total of four parameters describing the anisotropy of such a fractured medium tells nothing of the size or concentration of the aligned fractures but does contain information as to the overall excess compliance due to the fracture system and its orientation. As the aligned microcracks, which were assumed to be ellipsoidal, with very small aspect ratio are allowed to become non-fiat, i.e. have a growing aspect ratio, the moduli of the equivalent medium begin to diverge from the standard form of the moduli for flat cracks. The divergence is faster for higher crack densities but only becomes significant for microcracks of aspect ratios approaching 0.3.     

态矢量方法的实验研究

在地震等灾变的发生之前，会出现一定的前兆现象。中通过实验方法对这些前兆现象之一的态矢量的异常变化进行了研究。实验使用声发射技术(Acoustic Emission)，对三轴应力条件下岩石试件内部微裂纹的产生和扩展进行了记录。实验结果表明在岩石试件最终破坏之前，表征态矢量的相关参量都发生了异常明显的变化，这表明态矢量的异常变化可以被用作为岩石等脆性材料灾变的前兆，使用态矢量方法可以对脆性材料的破坏乃至地震作出预测。     

Velocity anomalies: An alternative explanation based on data from laboratory experiments

Locations and velocities were calculated for microseisms occurring in samples of rock subjected to triaxial loading and injection of pore fluid. This was accomplished by analyzing arrival times of acoustic emission using an automatic first arrival picker. Apparent velocity anomalies were observed prior to both failure of intact samples and violent slip in samples containing saw cuts. Further analysis revealed that these fluctuations in calculated velocity were not due to changes in the true seismie velocity. Instead, variations in calculated velocity are shown to be related to sampling errors in picking first arrivals. The systematic picking of late first arrivals for small magnitude events was found to be a persistent bias resulting in low calculated velocities. This has encouraged the reexamination of earthquake records to determine how important sampling biases are in contributing to reported velocity anomalies.     

加卸载响应比(LURR)理论的实验研究

利用大尺度岩石试件破坏声发射实验，对加卸载响应比(Load/Unload Response Ratio)理论进行了实验研究。实验采用的加载条件力求能够模拟地下岩石的复杂受力过程。在加载过程中，岩石试件内部出现的损伤用声发射技术进行了记录。实验数据经过分析之后所得的结论与加卸载响应比理论预测的结果相符合。把加卸载响应比值Y的变化情况与声发射事件定位的过程相对比，也可以进一步看出岩石材料内部的损伤发展过程与加卸载响应比Y值的变化具有一致性。而高Y值的异常情况出现，又是在材料发生最终破坏之前，所以，可以用加卸载响应比理论定量地分析岩石试件损伤演化情况，从而对岩石材料的破坏及地震做出预测。实验结果再一次验证了加卸载响应比理论。