Unraveling the Influence of Multiple Scales in Fractured Media on Flow and Reactive Transport

In low-permeability fractured media, such as granites and shales, flow and the associated transport of dissolved solutes is controlled primarily by fractures embedded within the rock matrix. Interplay of individual fracture geometry with network structure determines the properties of the fluid flow field therein. However, relevant lengths scales within a fracture network range several orders of magnitude, which makes it is challenging to determine which features of the network influence which flow and transport properties. One tool to investigate the interplay and influence of these multiple scales are discrete fracture network (DFN) models. In this talk, I’ll discuss recent studies that use high-fidelity DFN models, graph theoretical representations, and machine learning approaches that attempt to link flow and reactive transport observations to physical structures of a fracture networks.

Speaker: Jeffrey Hyman, Los Alamos National Laboratory