Evolution of Stiffness and Permeability in Fractures Subject to - and Mechanically-Activated Dissolution

Strong feedbacks link thermal gradients (T), hydrologic flow (H), chemical alteration (C) and mechanical deformation (M) in fractured rock. These processes are strongly interconnected since one process effects the initiation and progress of another. Dissolution and precipitation of minerals are affected by temperature and stress, and can result in significant changes in permeability and solute transport characteristics. Understanding these couplings is important for oil, gas, and geothermal reservoir engineering and for waste disposal in underground repositories and reservoirs. In order to experimentally investigate the interactions between THCM processes in a natural stressed fracture, we report on heated ( up to 150C) flow-through experiments on fractured core samples of Westerly granite. These experiments are performed to examine the influence of thermally and mechanically activated dissolution on the mechanical (stress/strain) and transport (permeability) characteristics of fractures. The evolutions of both the permeability and stiffness of the sample are recorded as the experimental thermal conditions change and chemical alteration progresses. Furthermore efflux of dissolved mineral mass is measured periodically to provide a record of the net mass removal, to correlate this with observed changes in fracture aperture, defined by the flow test. During the experiments the fracture shows high hydraulic sensitivity to the changing conditions of stress and temperature. Significant variation of the effluent fluid chemistry is observed. We argue that the formation of clay (Kaolinite) is the main mechanism responsible for the permanent change in permeability recorded at higher confining stresses (40 MPa).