2026-09-20T09:44:12Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1446422022-08-30T03:35:24Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131022
Einstein, Herbert H.
Villamor Lora, Rafael
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2022-08-29T16:01:43Z
2022-08-29T16:01:43Z
2022-05
2022-06-15T20:49:43.341Z
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144642
https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-4297-4378
The study of flow and transport in rough, fractured media is essential in the development of new energy technologies including enhanced geothermal systems, EGS, and CO2 sequestration. This is a complex problem, mostly due to the number of interacting physical processes in the fractured environment.
In this thesis I introduce a novel pressure-controlled Hele-Shaw cell to investigate different physical processes in rough fractures using 3D-printed rock analogs. This system can measure high-resolution fracture aperture and tracer concentration maps under relevant field stress conditions. Using a series of hydraulic and visual measurements, combined with numerical simulations, I investigate the evolving fracture geometry characteristics, pressure-dependent hydraulic transmissivity, and the nature of mass transport as a function of normal stress.
The experimental results show that as the fracture closes and deforms under increasing normal loading: (1) the contact areas grow in number and size; (2) the flow paths become more focused and tortuous; and (3) the transport dynamics of conservative tracers evolve towards a higher dispersive regime. Moreover, under the applied experimental conditions, I observed excellent agreement between the simulated- and the experimentally measured- hydraulic behavior.
Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Copyright MIT
http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/
Experimental Investigations on Flow and Mass Transport in Stressed Rough Fractures
Thesis
application/pdf
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
Publication
unknown
unknown
<Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="7d76e9b7-e34a-4a10-b63a-4cc0e30089f0">
<Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type>
<Title>Experimental Investigations on Flow and Mass Transport in Stressed Rough Fractures</Title>
<PublishedIn>
<Publication>
</Publication>
</PublishedIn>
<PublicationDate>2022-05</PublicationDate>
<Authors>
<Author>
<DisplayName>Villamor Lora, Rafael</DisplayName>
<Affiliation>
<OrgUnit>
</OrgUnit>
</Affiliation>
</Author>
</Authors>
<Editors>
</Editors>
<Publishers>
<Publisher>
<DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName>
<OrgUnit />
</Publisher>
</Publishers>
<License>http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/</License>
<Abstract>The study of flow and transport in rough, fractured media is essential in the development of new energy technologies including enhanced geothermal systems, EGS, and CO2 sequestration. This is a complex problem, mostly due to the number of interacting physical processes in the fractured environment.
In this thesis I introduce a novel pressure-controlled Hele-Shaw cell to investigate different physical processes in rough fractures using 3D-printed rock analogs. This system can measure high-resolution fracture aperture and tracer concentration maps under relevant field stress conditions. Using a series of hydraulic and visual measurements, combined with numerical simulations, I investigate the evolving fracture geometry characteristics, pressure-dependent hydraulic transmissivity, and the nature of mass transport as a function of normal stress.
The experimental results show that as the fracture closes and deforms under increasing normal loading: (1) the contact areas grow in number and size; (2) the flow paths become more focused and tortuous; and (3) the transport dynamics of conservative tracers evolve towards a higher dispersive regime. Moreover, under the applied experimental conditions, I observed excellent agreement between the simulated- and the experimentally measured- hydraulic behavior.</Abstract>
<Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right"
>
</Access>
</Publication>