• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.639-652
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• 2012

A three-dimensional discrete fracture network model was developed in order to simulate the hydraulic characteristics of a granitic rock mass at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) Underground Research Tunnel (KURT). The model used a three-dimensional discrete fracture network (DFN), assuming a correlation between the length and aperture of the fractures, and a trapezoid flow path in the fractures. These assumptions that previous studies have not considered could make the developed model more practical and reasonable. The geologic and hydraulic data of the fractures were obtained in the rock mass at the KURT. Then, these data were applied to the developed fracture discrete network model. The model was applied in estimating the representative elementary volume (REV), the equivalent hydraulic conductivity tensors, and the amount of groundwater inflow into the tunnel. The developed discrete fracture network model can determine the REV size for the rock mass with respect to the hydraulic behavior and estimate the groundwater flow into the tunnel at the KURT. Therefore, the assumptions that the fracture length is correlated to the fracture aperture and the flow in a fracture occurs in a trapezoid shape appear to be effective in the DFN analysis used to estimate the hydraulic behavior of the fractured rock mass.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.485-495
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• 1998

Migration characteristics of tracers in a rock fracture in a case of line-source and line-collection was studied. The fracture plane was discretized into a square mesh to which variable apertures were assigned. The spatially varying apertures of a fracture were generated using a geostatistical method, based on a given aperture probability density distribution and a specified spatial correlation length. The flow potential and pressure at each node were computed. Calculations showed that fluid flow occurs predominantly through a few preferred paths. Hence, the large range of apertures in the fracture gives rise to flow channeling. The solute transport was calculated using a particle tracking method. The migration plumes of tracer between injection line and withdrawal line are displayed in contour plots. The elution curves are shown to be controlled by the aperture density distribution and to be insensitive to statistical realization and spatial correlation length.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.27-39
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• 2007

This paper investigates numerically characteristics of the fluid flow in spatially correlated variable-aperture fractures under effective normal stress conditions. Spatially correlated aperture distributions are generated by using the geostaistical method (i.e. Turning Bands algorithm). In order to represent a nonlinear relationship between the effective normal stress and the fracture aperture, a simple mechanical formula is combined with a local flow model. Obtained numerical results indicate that the fluid flow is significantly affected by the geometry of aperture distribution varying according to the applied effective normal stress as well as the spatial correlation length of aperture distribution. Moreover, by using results simulated in this study, the modified Louis formula representing the relationship between the effective normal stress and the effective permeability of fracture is proposed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.231-234
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• 2001

When constructing subsurface structures and/or wells, the precise estimates of hydraulic parameters must be obtained for operating safety and/or for developing necessary quantity of groundwater. Hydraulic conductivity is mainly subjected to the characteristics of fracture network in the fractured media such as fracture orientation and angle, fracture aperture and frequency, fracture length, interconnectivity of fractures, and filling material, feature of fracture plane. In this study we conducted water injection test at afferent depths on six boreholes drilled in granite of Mt. Geumjeong. hydraulic conductivity was calculated using Moye and Hvorslev methods. The relation between hydraulic conductivity and fracture frequency data obtained from acoustic televiewer and core log were analyzed. The result shows that the correlation between the hydraulic conductivity and the fracture frequency data obtained from acoustic televiewer is better than that with the core log.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2009

This study is to analyze numerically the spatial behaviors of the solute transport in a spatially correlated variable-aperture fracture under the effective normal stress conditions. Numerical results show that the solute transport in a fracture is strongly affected by the spatial correlation length of apertures and applied effective normal stress. According to increasing spatial correlation length, the mean residence time of solute is decreased and the tortuosity and Peclet number (is a dimensionless number relating the rate of advection of a flow to its rate of diffusion) is also decreased. These results mean that the geometry of the aperture distribution is favorable to the solute transport as the spatial correlation length is increased. However, according to the applied effective normal stress is increased, the mean residence time and tortuosity have a tendency to increase but the Peclet number is decreased. The main reason that the Peclet number is decreased, is that the solute is displaced by one or two channels with relatively higher local flow rate due to the increment of contact areas by increasing effective normal stress. Moreover, based on numerical results of the solute transport in this study, the exponential-type correlation formulae between the mean residence time and the effective normal stress are proposed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.279-294
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• 2001

When constructing subsurface structures and drilling wells, the precise hydraulic parameters must be obtained for operating safety and for developing enough quantity of groundwater, respectively. In this study we conducted water injection test at different depths on six boreholes drilled in the granite of Mt. Geumjeong. Hydraulic conductivity was calculated using Moye and Hvorslev methods. The relation between hydraulic conductivity and fracture frequency data obtained from acoustic televiewer and core log was analyzed. From the result, though the correlation coefficient between the hydraulic conductivity and the fracture frequency from acoustic televiewer data is higher than that between the hydraulic conductivity and the fracture frequency from core log data on most of the test holes, the correlation coefficient between the hydraulic conductivity and the fracture frequency from the televiewer data is lower than 0.5. This suggests that the hydraulic conductivity of granite in the study area is influenced not only by the fracture frequency but also by various factors of fracture network such as fracture aperture and length, interconnectivity of fractures, fracture orientation and angle, filling material and so on.