Effective permeability of fractured porous media with power-law distribution of fracture sizes.
The permeability of geological formations which contain fractures with a power-law size distribution is addressed numerically by solving the coupled Darcy equations in the fractures and in the surrounding porous medium. Two reduced parameters are introduced which allow for a unified description over a very wide range of the fracture characteristics, including their shape, density, size distribution, and possibly size-dependent permeability. Two general models are proposed for loose and dense fracture networks, and they provide a good representation of the numerical data throughout the investigated parameter range.
Bogdanov
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LCD, SP2MI, BP 30179, 86962 Futuroscope Cedex, France. gor.bogdanov@univ-pau.fr
Mourzenko
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VV
Thovert
J-F
JF
Adler
P M
PM