The Effect of Radial Cracking on the Integrity of Asperity under Thermal Cooling Process
Abstract
In geologic formation, the natural fracture as flow conduit is a dominant factor for the subsurface fluid flow. Most of these natural fractures remain open in deep earth mainly through the self-propping by some discrete asperities, the integrity of asperity plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of fractures. The thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical coupled analysis on asperity integrity is currently prevailing, whereas potential thermos-mechanical failure or damage of asperity is ignored in current analysis. Two potential failure patterns of asperity had been found in our previous research work. This study focuses on the mechanism of one of these two failure patterns: The radial cracking on the top of asperity. An analytical fracture mechanics model is developed to investigate radial cracking. In this paper, the analytical model is firstly compared with previous numerical simulation with comparable results. Then, the effects of two main factors on radial cracking are systematically investigated. Our results show that thermal cooling is the driving force for radial cracking, but overburden pressure could slightly retard this cracking process. Finally, cracking conditions based on combined effects of thermal cooling and overburden loading are provided. The analytical model can assist assessment of asperity failure when subjected to thermal stress.
Recommended Citation
C. Zeng and W. Deng, "The Effect of Radial Cracking on the Integrity of Asperity under Thermal Cooling Process," Proceedings of the 52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (2018, Seattle, WA), American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), Jun 2018.
Meeting Name
52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (2018: Jun. 17-20, Seattle, WA)
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Analytical models; Chemical analysis; Cooling; Failure (mechanical); Flow of fluids; Fracture mechanics; Rock mechanics; Analytical fracture mechanics; Coupled analysis; Cracking condition; Geologic formations; Mechanical failures; Overburden pressures; Potential failures; Subsurface fluid flow; Cracks
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2018 American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jun 2018
