Publications Details

Wetting phase permeability in a partially saturated horizontal fracture

Nicholl, M.J.; Glass, R.J.

A major obstacle to understanding of unsaturated fracture flow is the paucity of physical data on both fracture aperture structure and the effects of phase structure on permeability. An experimental procedure is developed for collecting detailed data on aperture and phase structure from a transparent analog fracture. Stable phase structures of varying complexity are creating within the horizontal analog fracture. Wetting phase permeability is measured under steady-state conditions. A process based model for wetting phase relative permeability is explored. Average distribution of the wetting phase is shown to provide insufficient information for modeling relative permeability; descriptive models must account for spatial structure of the phases.