THE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF FRACTURE GEOMETRY ON PERMEABILITY BASED ON LABORATORY STUDY AND NUMERICAL MODELLING

The geometry of fractures includes orientation, spacing, aperture are among the parameters affecting permeability in rocks. Studying the effect of fractures geometry on the permeability in a laboratory scale requires the selection of a suitable sample in terms of physical and mechanical properties. Therefore, in this study, fibrous fiber was selected due to low water absorption and permeability as well as its non-brittle behavior and flexibility. In order to investigate the effect of fracture geometry on the permeability, 1, 2, 3, and 4 fractures with spacing greater than 50 mm, 50 mm, 25 mm, and 15 mm and with orientations of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees to the horizon in the sample were created. The fractures did not come into contact with the surface of the sample .The results showed that the permeability raises exponentially with increasing orientation and decreasing the spacing. This situation is mostly seen in fractures with orientations larger than 30 degrees. Also, the permeability measured in the laboratory was compared with the results obtained from the numerical method of distinct elements and UDEC software. The results showed an error of about 10-15%, which is well-matched between the permeability obtained from the laboratory and the numerical method.
Geometrija pukotina uglavnom obuhvaća orijentaciju, razmak i promjer, kao varijable koje određuju propusnost stijena. Studije koje se bave izučavanjem geometrije pukotina na laboratorijskim uzorcima imaju preduvjet odabira prikladnih uzoraka za ocjenu fizičkih i mehaničkih svojstava. Stoga je ovdje odabrano vlakno s malom apsorpcijom vode i propusnošću te sa svojstvima nekrtosti, odnosno savitljivosti. Ispitane su 1, 2, 3 i 4 pukotine s razmacima većim od 50 mm, od 50 mm, od 25 i od 15 mm te orijentacijama od 0, 15, 30, 45 i 60 stupnjeva od vodoravne ravnine. Pukotine nisu bile u dodiru s površinom uzorka. Propusnost je rasla eksponencijalno, prateći porast kuta orijentacije i smanjivanje razmaka među pukotinama. To je najbolje opaženo s pukotinama pod kutom većim od 30 stupnjeva. Propusnost dobivena laboratorijski uspoređena je s rezultatima izmjerenim metodom konačnih elemenata i programom UDEC. Dobivena je pogrješka od 10 do 15 % čime je dokazano dobro podudaranje laboratorijskih i numeričkih rezultata.