Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution

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Using laboratory slide-hold-slide experiments, at temperatures from 22 to 200 degrees C, to examine effects of fracture reactivation and quasi-static loading on the evolution of fluid transport properties of simulated fractures in Westerly granite. At all temperatures, the in-plane hydraulic transmissivity consistently decays during hold periods resulting in an overall reduction in transmissivity. During the first three to fifteen hours of an experiment, transmissivity decreases rapidly due to the generation of wear products, development of a sliding surface, and compaction of the resulting gouge. Once the sliding surface has developed, the long-term transmissivity decay rate at 22 and 100 degrees C is significantly lower than the transmissivity decay rate during the initial 3-15 hours of the experiment. However, at 200 degrees C, the decay of hydraulic transmissivity remains high throughout the experiment. The long-term decay of hydraulic transmissivity can be fitted with a power law model with more rapid reduction of hydraulic transmissivity at higher temperature. Periods of sliding on the fracture surface result in transient increases in the transmissivity, due to shear dilation, as is expected for Coulomb materials. These transients are superimposed on the long-term decay. When sliding ceases and a new hold period commences, there is a rapid reduction in transmissivity and return to the long-term rate of transmissivity decay. The rate of decay of the transmissivity transients is inversely correlated with temperature, in contrast to the long-term decay and the expected behavior for processes like subcritical crack growth and indentation creep. The higher decay rates that are observed during the initial 3-15 hours of the tests and following sliding, are associated with times that the porosity of the gouge is expected to be high. The difference in decay rates suggests that when the gouge is driven far from equilibrium by active shearing, densification may be dominated by a different mechanism from long-term compaction.

Citation Formats

U.S. Geological Survey. (2023). Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution [data set]. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1991675.
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Lockner, David, Moore, Diane, Kilgore, Brian, Taron, Joshua, Beeler, Nicholas, and Hickman, Stephen. Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution. United States: N.p., 03 Apr, 2023. Web. doi: 10.15121/1991675.
Lockner, David, Moore, Diane, Kilgore, Brian, Taron, Joshua, Beeler, Nicholas, & Hickman, Stephen. Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution. United States. https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1991675
Lockner, David, Moore, Diane, Kilgore, Brian, Taron, Joshua, Beeler, Nicholas, and Hickman, Stephen. 2023. "Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution". United States. https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1991675. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1493.
@div{oedi_1493, title = {Laboratory Experiments Examining the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Processes on Hydraulic Transmissivity Evolution}, author = {Lockner, David, Moore, Diane, Kilgore, Brian, Taron, Joshua, Beeler, Nicholas, and Hickman, Stephen.}, abstractNote = {Using laboratory slide-hold-slide experiments, at temperatures from 22 to 200 degrees C, to examine effects of fracture reactivation and quasi-static loading on the evolution of fluid transport properties of simulated fractures in Westerly granite. At all temperatures, the in-plane hydraulic transmissivity consistently decays during hold periods resulting in an overall reduction in transmissivity. During the first three to fifteen hours of an experiment, transmissivity decreases rapidly due to the generation of wear products, development of a sliding surface, and compaction of the resulting gouge. Once the sliding surface has developed, the long-term transmissivity decay rate at 22 and 100 degrees C is significantly lower than the transmissivity decay rate during the initial 3-15 hours of the experiment. However, at 200 degrees C, the decay of hydraulic transmissivity remains high throughout the experiment. The long-term decay of hydraulic transmissivity can be fitted with a power law model with more rapid reduction of hydraulic transmissivity at higher temperature. Periods of sliding on the fracture surface result in transient increases in the transmissivity, due to shear dilation, as is expected for Coulomb materials. These transients are superimposed on the long-term decay. When sliding ceases and a new hold period commences, there is a rapid reduction in transmissivity and return to the long-term rate of transmissivity decay. The rate of decay of the transmissivity transients is inversely correlated with temperature, in contrast to the long-term decay and the expected behavior for processes like subcritical crack growth and indentation creep. The higher decay rates that are observed during the initial 3-15 hours of the tests and following sliding, are associated with times that the porosity of the gouge is expected to be high. The difference in decay rates suggests that when the gouge is driven far from equilibrium by active shearing, densification may be dominated by a different mechanism from long-term compaction.}, doi = {10.15121/1991675}, url = {https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1493}, journal = {}, number = , volume = , place = {United States}, year = {2023}, month = {04}}
https://dx.doi.org/10.15121/1991675

Details

Data from Apr 3, 2023

Last updated Jul 22, 2023

Submitted Apr 13, 2023

Organization

U.S. Geological Survey

Contact

Tamara Jeppson

Authors

David Lockner

U.S. Geological Survey

Diane Moore

U.S. Geological Survey

Brian Kilgore

U.S. Geological Survey

Joshua Taron

U.S. Geological Survey

Nicholas Beeler

U.S. Geological Survey

Stephen Hickman

U.S. Geological Survey

DOE Project Details

Project Name Utah FORGE

Project Lead Lauren Boyd

Project Number EE0007080

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