Effect and mechanism of stresses on rock permeability at different scales

1 Introduction Unlike general solids, rocks are porous materialswhich include different scales of pores, such as pores, cracks, fractures, capillary and disfigurement in the crystal, tiny pores and cracks between crystal grains at micro-scale, in which the fluid is water, oil or gas. Thedifferences between rocks and solids can be seen in two aspects, one is stresses bearing states. Solids are only subjected to external stresses, while rocks are subjected to external stresses σ ij (i, j=1,2,3)…     

Influence of permeability on hydrothermal circulation in the sediment-buried oceanic crust

1 Introduction Hydrothermal circulation is the key process of hydrothermal activity. Modern seafloor hydrothermal circulation can be divided into three parts: convective cells in the oceanic curst, interface between seafloor and ocean and hydrothermal plume. Hydrothermal convection in the crust is the dominant part of the whole seafloor hydrothermal circulation. The distribu-tion and nature of hydrothermal system in the oceanic crust are controlled by crust thermal structures and permeability …     

Influence of cohesion on California bearing ratio of clay-gravel mixtures

An understanding of the behavior of cohesive sediment is required to solve various engineering problems such as scour around bridge elements, mitigation of soil erosion, pavement design, river bed degradation,stable channel design. Pavement foundation designers principally use the California bearing ratio(CBR)to describe the subgrade and subbase materials and their strength. Several laboratory experiments were done to study the variation in the CBR of cohesive mixtures comprised of clay-gravel m...     

Numerical analysis on the influence of rock specimen size on crack stress field

Introduction Earthquakes are excited by dislocations of rocks, which are generated once the stresses on two sides of rocks accumulate to a certain extent. Numerical simulations and rock mechanics ex-periments are two important avenues to explore the rupture processes of seismic faults. Several methods are widely used in numerical simulations, such as the boundary element method (BEM), (Das and Aki, 1977; Fukuyama and Madariaga, 1995, 1998), the finite difference method (FDM), (Madariaga, 1…     

Influence of statistical time range on estimating seismicity parameters

Introduction At present, the current probabilistic method of seismic hazard analysis in the world is gener-ally adopted in seismic safety evaluation (Cornell, 1968). It supposed that earthquake occurrence conforms to the segmented Poisson distribution model in time and space and the proportional rela-tion among earthquakes of various magnitudes obeys the cut-exponential distribution law in a sta-tistical area in compiling Seismic Intensity Zoning Map in China (1990) owing to the temporal- sp…     

Influence of uncertainty in delimitation of seismic statistical zone on results of PSHA

The seismic hazard of research area is evaluated by probabilistic analysis method for three different seismic statistical zone scenarios.The influence of uncertainty in seismic statistical zone delimiting on the evaluation result is discussed too.It can be seen that for those local sites along zone‘s border or within areas with vast change of upper bound magnitude among different scenarios the influence on seismic hazard result should not be neglected.     

Influence of seismicity parameter uncertainty on seismic hazard estimation of cities and towns

Introduction In his Doctor thesis, PAN (2000) has roughly studied some about the influence of parameter uncertainty on seismic hazard analysis. The aim of this paper is especially to study the uncertainty influence extent of seismic hazard analysis result in a spot, owing to the uncertainty of seismicity parameters induced by variational statistical time ranges of various statistical regions in the whole country. The authors have inquired into the uncertain extents of influence of seismic p…     

Influence of Total Solar Irradiance on the Earth’s Climate

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The results of analysis of variations in the total solar irradiance in the 17–24th solar activity cycles and their relation to the climate global warming are...     

Study on the physical meaning of seismic inhomogeneous degree by rock fracture experiments

Introduction The study of acoustic emission evidenced by rock fracture experiments is the most important field of seismology. By means of the rock fracture technique system, many researchers tried to prove the possible relationship between some parameters such as b value and the stress variation prior to rock fracture using the acoustic emission results from different types of rock fracture ex-periments (MA et al, 2004a, b; Lockner, 1993; JIANG and ZHANG, 1998). In order to investigate th…     

Estimation of in-situ hydraulic diffusivity of rock masses

A method of estimating in-situ hydraulic diffusivity of rock masses by means of well-injection history and frequency of induced seismicity is presented. The method is based on the diffusion of injected fluid from a spherical cavity in a poroelastic half-space and the effective stress theory, as proposed byTerzaghi (1925, 1936) andHubbert andRubey (1959). Application of the method to two different regions, one in western New York and the other in Japan, resulted in estimated diffusivities of the order 10³ and 10⁴ cm²/sec, respectively. These values lie within the range of published estimates of in-situ diffusivity by other means, a summary of which is presented in tabular form. The calculated diffusivities suggest that the characteristic time of fluid diffusion is close to 0.1, rather than unity, as is sometimes assumed in the literature.     

Scales of rock permeability

Permeability is a transport property which is currently measured in Darcy units. Although this unit is very convenient for most purposes, its use prevents from recognizing that permeability has units of length squared. Physically, the square root of permeability can thus be seen as a characteristic length or a characteristic pore size. At the laboratory scale, the identification of this characteristic length is a good example of how experimental measurements and theoretical modelling can be integrated. Three distinct identifications are of current use, relying on three different techniques: image analysis of thin sections, mercury porosimetry and nitrogen adsorption. In each case, one or several theoretical models allow us to derive permeability from the experimental data (equivalent channel models, statistical models, effective media models, percolation and network models). Permeability varies with pressure and temperature and this is a decisive point for any extrapolation to crustal conditions. As far as pressure is concerned, most of the effect is due to cracks and a model which does not incorporate this fact will miss its goal. Temperature induced modifications can be the result of several processes: thermal cracking (due to thermal expansion mismatch and anisotropy, or to fluid pressure build up), and pressure solution are the two main ones. Experimental data on pressure and temperature effects are difficult to obtain but they are urgently needed. Finally, an important issue is: up to which point are these small scale data and models relevant when considering formations at the oil reservoir scale, or at the crust scale? At larger scales the identification of the characteristic scale is also a major goal which is examined.     

饱和岩石的动态渗透率和动电耦合系数解析式

动态渗透率和动电耦合系数是描述岩石中渗流波动和弹性-电磁耦合波效应的重要参数.本文基于毛细管束模型,提出了流体饱和孔隙介质的动态渗透率和动电耦合系数的解析表达式和简化表达式,并通过与前人近似式结果的对比,分析了不同表达式的合理性和适用性.在此基础上,理论分析了孔隙几何形状和孔径分布对渗透率和动电耦合系数的频率响应以及井孔震电耦合波场的影响.研究结果表明：当认为孔道均匀且达西渗透率、孔隙度和弯曲度恒定时,孔隙几何形状的影响很小,可以忽略,而前人的近似式高估了孔隙几何形状的影响;孔径分布的影响显著,随着孔径分布的增大,渗透率的临界频率显著减小,动电耦合系数的临界频率显著增加,震电测井的斯通利波及其伴随电场幅度显著增大.

     

Static and dynamic conceptual model of a complexly fractured crystalline rock aquifer

A conceptual model of anisotropic and dynamic permeability is developed from hydrogeologic and hydromechanical characterization of a foliated, complexly fractured, crystalline rock aquifer at Gates Pond, Berlin, Massachusetts. Methods of investigation include aquifer‐pumping tests, long‐term hydrologic monitoring, fracture characterization, downhole heat‐pulse flow meter measurements, in situ extensometer testing, and earth tide analysis. A static conceptual model is developed from observations of depth‐dependent and anisotropic permeability that effectively compartmentalizes the aquifer as a function of foliation intensity. Superimposed on the static model is dynamic permeability as a function of hydraulic head in which transient bulk aquifer transmissivity is proportional to changes in hydraulic head due to hydromechanical coupling. The dynamic permeability concept is built on observations that fracture aperture changes as a function of hydraulic head, as measured during in situ extensometer testing of individual fractures, and observed changes in bulk aquifer transmissivity as determined from earth tides during seasonal changes in hydraulic head, with higher transmissivity during periods of high hydraulic head, and lower transmissivity during periods of relatively lower hydraulic head. A final conceptual model is presented that captures both the static and dynamic properties of the aquifer. The workflow presented here demonstrates development of a conceptual framework for building numerical models of complexly fractured, foliated, crystalline rock aquifers that includes both a static model to describe the spatial distribution of permeability as a function of fracture type and foliation intensity and a dynamic model that describes how hydromechanical coupling impacts permeability magnitude as a function of hydraulic head fluctuation. This model captures important geologic controls on permeability magnitude, anisotropy, and transience and therefor offers potentially more reliable history matching and forecasts of different water management strategies, such as resource evaluation, well placement, permeability prediction, and evaluating remediation strategies.     

不同类型地震断层上的固体潮汐库仑破裂应力特征

计算和研究了不同类型地震断层上的潮汐库仑破裂应力及其随纬度变化特征;通过对全球20395个地震断层发震时潮汐库仑破裂应力的计算,研究了受到潮汐库仑破裂应力促滑作用的不同类型地震断层的纬度分布特征.结果表明,断层上潮汐库仑破裂应力的性质和特征与断层的类型、走向和位置密切相关,同一时间段内不同类型地震断层上的潮汐库仑破裂应力变化特征不同,同一断层在不同纬度处的潮汐库仑破裂应力的大小和符号都存在较大的差别.潮汐库仑破裂应力对断层的促滑作用,对正断层在低纬和中纬地区较突出、对逆断层在中高纬地区较明显、对走滑断层随纬度增加而减小.     

震后地下岩层分形渗透率的时间演化规律研究

天然地震发生后,地震波及区域内的地下岩层渗透率常常会发生显著改变,其变化曲线显示出独有的特征,造成这一现象的机理较为复杂,传统渗流理论尚不能给出合理解释.针对这一问题,从震后渗透率变化规律入手,深入分析了地下岩层裂缝体系对渗透率的影响,给出了裂缝结构参数与渗透率之间的定量关系.结合岩层黏弹特性以及天然地震所产生的地下岩层体应变特征,基于裂缝体系分维度正比于外部应力的实验事实,将黏弹体应力松弛机制引入该体系,对裂缝分形渗透率模型进行了含时推广,建立起震后地下岩层渗透率的时间演化模型,理论预测曲线与实验曲线吻合较好.在此基础上提出‘分形裂缝渗透率松弛效应’这一全新概念.本研究为震控流体运移研究提供了新思路,对于揭示震后断层恢复机制,探讨断层活动与孕震的关联有一定的理论价值和现实意义.

     

多尺度孔隙岩石的核磁共振扩散耦合现象及其探测方法

油藏岩石的孔隙连通性是反映流体渗流难易程度的重要参数,对渗透率、有效孔隙度等岩石物理参数的评价具有重要作用.连通的孔隙中,核磁共振（NMR）弛豫的交换会产生扩散耦合现象,可作为孔隙连通性的表征和探测方法.本文提出利用横向弛豫T₂-T₂脉冲序列测量岩石的扩散耦合现象.运用随机游走方法模拟多孔岩石的核磁共振响应特征,分析扩散耦合的影响因素,推导表征扩散耦合强度的弛豫交换速率计算公式.结果表明：孔隙间的扩散耦合强度与T₂-T₂脉冲序列的混合时间呈正相关性,基于双孔弛豫交换模型推导的弛豫交换速率计算公式能够准确表征双尺度孔隙系统的扩散耦合强度.在孔隙尺寸不满足快扩散条件时,会出现与扩散耦合无关的非对角峰信号.针对含多类型孔隙的碳酸盐岩模型,随混合时间的增加,扩散耦合强度变大,一维T₂谱的形态畸变程度加重,在T₂-T₂二维谱中,代表微裂缝、粒间小孔、溶蚀大孔的信号能量变化趋势不同,反映不同类型孔隙间的连通性存在差异.本文的分析与讨论丰富了核磁共振弛豫在岩石物理性质评价中的应用方向,对利用核磁共振评价复杂孔隙岩石的孔隙结构和连通性提供了新思路和新方法.

     

Influence of rock mass strength on the erosion rate of alpine cliffs

Collapse of cliff faces by rockfall is a primary mode of bedrock erosion in alpine environments and exerts a first‐order control on the morphologic development of these landscapes. In this work we investigate the influence of rock mass strength on the retreat rate of alpine cliffs. To quantify rockwall competence we employed the Slope Mass Rating (SMR) geomechanical strength index, a metric that combines numerous factors contributing to the strength of a rock mass. The magnitude of cliff retreat was calculated by estimating the volume of talus at the toe of each rockwall and projecting that material back on to the cliff face, while accounting for the loss of production area as talus buries the base of the wall. Selecting sites within basins swept clean by advancing Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) glaciers allowed us to estimate the time period over which talus accumulation occurred (i.e. the production time). Dividing the magnitude of normal cliff retreat by the production time, we calculated recession rates for each site. Our study area included a portion of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. Rockwall recession rates determined for 40 alpine cliffs in this region range from 0·02 to 1·22 mm/year, with an average value of 0·28 mm/year. We found good correlation between rockwall recession rate and SMR which is best characterized by an exponential decrease in erosion rate with increasing rock mass strength. Analysis of the individual components of the SMR reveals that joint orientation (with respect to the cliff face) is the most important parameter affecting the rockwall erosion rate. The complete SMR score, however, best synthesizes the lithologic variables that contribute to the strength and erodibility of these rock slopes. Our data reveal no strong independent correlations between rockwall retreat rate and topographic attributes such as elevation, aspect, or slope angle. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.