Heat transport by flow through rough rock fractures: a numerical investigation

Fracture surface topography exhibits long-range spatial correlations resulting in a heterogeneous aperture field. This leads to the formation, within fracture planes, of preferential flow channels controlling and transport processes. By means 3-D heat model coupled with 2-D based on lubrification approximation (i.e., local cubic law), we investigate how statistical parameters determining variations individual fractures control exchange at fluid/rock interface by flow. Ensemble statistics over realizations provide insights into main hydraulic geometrical thermal behaviour rough fractures. Similarly fracture’s behaviour, find that its deviates from conventional parallel plate increasing closure and/or decreasing correlation length. We demonstrate advancement front is typically slower compared smooth having same mechanical aperture. In contrast previous studies neglect temporal temperature rock matrix, behavior rough-walled can, under field-relevant conditions, be predicted an equal effective greatly simplifies prediction possible reservoir when using field measurable quantities hydrological modeling.