Effects of Fracture Intersection Characteristics on Transport in Three-Dimensional Fracture Networks

  • Published : 2001.09.01

Abstract

Flow and transport at fracture intersections, and their effects on network scale transport, are investigated in three-dimensional random fracture networks. Fracture intersection mixing rules complete mixing and streamline routing are defined in terms of fluxes normal to the intersection line between two fractures. By analyzing flow statistics and particle transfer probabilities distributed along fracture intersections, it is shown that for various network structures with power law size distributions of fractures, the choice of intersection mixing rule makes comparatively little difference in the overall simulated solute migration patterns. The occurrence and effects of local flows around an intersection (local flow cells) are emphasized. Transport simulations at fracture intersections indicate that local flow circulations can arise from variability within the hydraulic head distribution along intersections, and from the internal no flow condition along fracture boundaries. These local flow cells act as an effective mechanism to enhance the nondiffusive breakthrough tailing often observed in discrete fracture networks. It is shown that such non-Fickian (anomalous) solute transport can be accounted for by considering only advective transport, in the framework of a continuous time random walk model. To clarify the effect of forest environmental changes (forest type difference and clearcut) on water storage capacity in soil and stream flow, watershed had been investigated.

Keywords