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Laboratory estimates of normal and shear fracture compliance

Laboratory estimates of normal and shear fracture compliance
Laboratory estimates of normal and shear fracture compliance
Laboratory estimates of the normal (Bn) and shear (Bt) compliance of artificial fractures in samples of Jurassic and Carboniferous limestone under wet and dry conditions are presented. The experiments were performed over a range of confining pressures (from 5 MPa up to 60 MPa), at ultrasonic frequencies in a Triaxial Hoek cell, using the pulse-echo reflection technique. The results of this study confirm that the Bn/Bt ratio of a fracture is dependent on the fluid fill. A value of Bn / Bt of less than 0.05 was obtained for our wet (honey saturated) sample which is consistent with the prediction that this ratio should be close to zero for fluid saturated fractures. Values of Bn/Bt for the dry sample are significantly higher and increase with confining pressure from 0.2 to 0.5. It is suggested that a Bn/Bt ratio of 0.5 is probably a more representative value to use in modelling studies of gas filled fractures than the common assumption that Bn ? Bt.
0016-8025
239-247
Lubbe, R.
c8ac56b6-6707-4567-97f5-6280f2c531da
Sothcott, J.
71ab4088-7b13-46d6-9e28-67538a02d595
Worthington, M.H.
e6f21697-e3d2-4946-a02a-29a29035ea02
McCann, C.
e3bec51c-7d04-47f4-a7bd-1865963e8599
Lubbe, R.
c8ac56b6-6707-4567-97f5-6280f2c531da
Sothcott, J.
71ab4088-7b13-46d6-9e28-67538a02d595
Worthington, M.H.
e6f21697-e3d2-4946-a02a-29a29035ea02
McCann, C.
e3bec51c-7d04-47f4-a7bd-1865963e8599

Lubbe, R., Sothcott, J., Worthington, M.H. and McCann, C. (2008) Laboratory estimates of normal and shear fracture compliance. Geophysical Prospecting, 56 (2), 239-247. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2478.2007.00688.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Laboratory estimates of the normal (Bn) and shear (Bt) compliance of artificial fractures in samples of Jurassic and Carboniferous limestone under wet and dry conditions are presented. The experiments were performed over a range of confining pressures (from 5 MPa up to 60 MPa), at ultrasonic frequencies in a Triaxial Hoek cell, using the pulse-echo reflection technique. The results of this study confirm that the Bn/Bt ratio of a fracture is dependent on the fluid fill. A value of Bn / Bt of less than 0.05 was obtained for our wet (honey saturated) sample which is consistent with the prediction that this ratio should be close to zero for fluid saturated fractures. Values of Bn/Bt for the dry sample are significantly higher and increase with confining pressure from 0.2 to 0.5. It is suggested that a Bn/Bt ratio of 0.5 is probably a more representative value to use in modelling studies of gas filled fractures than the common assumption that Bn ? Bt.

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Published date: March 2008

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Local EPrints ID: 64075
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/64075
ISSN: 0016-8025
PURE UUID: fdfb61ae-08c7-4c2e-8123-0a92a8ed1daa

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Date deposited: 27 Nov 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:45

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Contributors

Author: R. Lubbe
Author: J. Sothcott
Author: M.H. Worthington
Author: C. McCann

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