Hydraulic Conductivity

Characterisation and Effects

of Scale in Fractured Rock
James R. Kunkel

Outline
Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

Conclusions

Questions

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Methods

Source: USEPA, 1998 and 2001; Burbey and

Murdoch, 2010 and Burbey et al., 2011

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Scale of Measurement

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Fractured Rock Characterization Issues
LEGEND
CFZ = Conductive Fractures
Zone
PFN = Primary Fracture
Network
SFN = Secondary Fracture
Network
HSFN = Horizontal Fractures of
SFN
VSFN = Subvertical Fractures
of SFN
Kx = Hydraulic Conductivity
in x-type of
fracture/material
Sx = Storativity
in x-type of
fracture/material

After Marchal, Dewandel

and Subrahmanyam, 2004
5

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

0
100

Depth (m-bgs)

200

300
400
500
600
700

Lugeon Tests (Various

Fractured Rock Types)

800

Marmato Mine, Colombia

900
1.00E-03

1.00E-04

1.00E-05

1.00E-06

1.00E-07

Hydraulic Conductivity (cm/s)

Dacite Porphyry (P1*)

Dacite Porphyry (P2)

Andesite Porphyry (P4*)

Diorite Porphyry

Schist

Unidentified

Dacite Porphyry (P1)

Basalt

Linear (Trend)

Normalized Head

Normalized Head

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Normalized Head

Time (sec)

Falling Head Tests

(Fractured Gneiss)
Edgar Experimental Mine,
Colorado USA (GEGN 581)

Depth (mbgs)

Depth (mbgs)

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

10
15
20

15
20
25

25

30

30
0.00E+00

1.00E-05

2.00E-05

3.00E-05

4.00E-05

5.00E-05

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Seismic Velocity (m/s)

Hydraulic Conductivity (m/s)

Hydraulic Conductivity (m/s)

10

1.00E-04

Downhole Seismic Surveys

Source: Urban and Pasquarell, 1992

1.00E-05

1.00E-06
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Seismic Velocity (m/s)

8

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Pumping Tests (Fractured Basalt)
Source: Paschis, Kunkel and Koenig, 1988
100

Drawdown (ft)

10

0.1
0.1

10

100

1000

10000

Time Since Pumping Started (min)

Pumping Well Y-2

Observation Well Y-1

Observation Well T-1

Observation Well T-2

Observation Well T-3

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Tracer Test (Fractured

Basalt)
Source: Kunkel and Way, 1992

10

Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity by Measurement Method

LABORATORY TESTING
SLUG/LUGEON TESTS
BOREHOLE GEOPHYSICS
DOWNHOLE SEISMIC SURVEYS
STRAIN-DEFORMATION SURVEYS
PUMPING TESTS
TRACER TESTS
COMPUTER MODELS

INCREASING SCALE

METHOD

11

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

What is SCALE?
Source: Kunkel, Way and McKee, 1988

REV = Representative
Elementary Volume (of
fractured rock)

12

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

What is SCALE?
A common scale measure is distance (m)
Valid for dispersivity and perhaps storativity

A better scale measure for K is volume (m3)

Volume measures eliminate the issues of length
between field and laboratory testing for slug
tests vs. laboratory core test

Source: Schulze-Makuch and Cherkauer, 1995

13

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

PFN = Primary Fracture Network

SFN = Secondary Fracture Network

Source: Marchal, Dewandel and Subrahmanyam, 2004

14

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

Source: Schulze-Makuch and Cherkauer, 1995

15

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

Source: Kunkel, Way and McKee, 1988

C
o
n
c
e
p
t
u
a
l
l
y

K = aLn

where:

K = hydraulic conductivity in appropriate units

L = a characteristic length (volume) in appropriate units
a = a fit parameter whose physical meaning is a measure of
the medium-characteristic (log hydraulic conductivity of
fractured rock, for example)
n = the scale coefficient
16

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

Scale as a Volume
Scale
Coefficient
n (1)

Medium
Characteristic
a (2)

L
Lower
Bound (3)

L
Upper
Bound (3)

Porous Flow

0.51

-5.7

>1

100,000

Fracture Flow

0.96

-8.0

<1

107

Double Porosity

0.70

-6.3

>50

106

Formation Type

(1) Average scale coefficient of all data.

(2) Average medium-characteristic parameter given as log value (m/s)

(3) Upper and lower bound of the average relationships in m3 of tested formation

Source: Schulze-Makuch and others, 1999

17

Scale of Hydraulic Conductivity

Marmato Mine, Colombia

18

Hydraulic Conductivity in Fractured Rock

Characterisation and Scale
Hydraulic conductivity measurement in
fractured rock can include direct and indirect
methods, as well as methods which measure at
various scales
The most common methods are direct
measurement using pumping tests for far-field
results and slug/Lugeon tests for near-field
results
Hydraulic conductivity in fractured rock may
involve identification of various flow
boundaries, heterogeneities, and directional
issues
19

Hydraulic Conductivity in Fractured Rock

Characterisation and Scale
Use the characterization method appropriate
for the scale of the problem
Typically, an order of magnitude change in the
characteristic length scale results in about an
order of magnitude change in hydraulic
conductivity
A REV may not exist if large-scale features such
as fracture zones or barrier boundaries exist.
Additionally, several REVs may be necessary to
adequately characterize a mine site.
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Hydraulic Conductivity in Fractured Rock

FIN

??

21