Analysis on intersections between fractures by parallel computation

The discrete fracture network model is a powerful tool for fractured rock mass fluid flow simulations and supports safety assessments of coal mine hazards such as water inrush.Intersection analysis,which identifies all pairs of intersected fractures(the basic components composing the connectivity of a network),is one of its crucial procedures.This paper attempts to improve intersection analysis through parallel computing.Considering a seamless interfacing with other procedures in modeling,two algorithms are designed and presented,of which one is a completely independent parallel procedure with some redundant computations and the other is an optimized version with reduced redundancy.A numerical study indicates that both of the algorithms are practical and can significantly improve the computational performance of intersection analysis for large-scale simulations.Moreover,the preferred application conditions for the two algorithms are also discussed.

Convective heat transfer of water flow in intersected rock fractures for enhanced geothermal extraction

Numerous intersected rock fractures constitute the fracture network in enhanced geothermal systems.The complicated convective heat transfer behavior in intersected fractures is critical to the heat recovery in fractured geothermal reservoirs.A series of three-dimensional intersected fracture models is constructed to perform the flow-through heat transfer simulations.The geometry effects of dead-end fractures(DEFs)on the heat transfer are evaluated in terms of intersected angles,apertures,lengths,and the connectivity.The results indicate that annular streamlines appear in the rough DEF and cause an ellipse distribution of the cold front.Compared to plate DEFs,the fluid flow in the rough DEF enhances the heat transfer.Both the increment of outlet water temperatureΔToutand the ratio of heat production Qrpresent the largest at the intersected angle of 90°while decline with the decrease of the intersected angle between the main flow fracture(MFF)and the DEFs.The extension of the length of intersected DEFs is beneficial to heat production while enhancing its aperture is not needed.Solely increasing the number of intersected DEFs induces a little increase of heat extraction,and more significant heat production can be obtained through connecting these DEFs with the MFF forming the flow network.

Investigation of the Mechanism of Grout Penetration in Intersected Fractures

To study the penetration mechanism of cement-based slurry in intersected fractures during grouting and the related pressure distribution,we have used two different variants of cement,namely,basic cement slurry and fast-setting cement slurry.The influence of a retarder,time-varying viscosity,fracture width and location of injection hole is also considered.A finite element software is used to implement two and three-dimensional numerical models for grouting of intersected fractures in hydrostatic conditions.Results show that there are significant differences in the diffusion morphology and pressure distribution depending on the considered cement slurry.Retarder can effectively slow down the rising rate of injection pressure and extend the diffusion distance of grout.The influence of the branch fracture is more important when basic cement slurry is considered,indicating that the change of grout pressure is correlated with the slurry viscosity.The faster the viscosity increases,the less evident is the effect.