Articles | Volume 54
https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-54-149-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-54-149-2020
27 Nov 2020
 | 27 Nov 2020

Clustering, Connectivity and Flow Responses of Deterministic Fractal-Fracture Networks

Ajay K. Sahu and Ankur Roy

Related authors

Evaluating Flow in Fractal-Fracture Networks: Effect of Variable Aperture
Ajay K. Sahu and Ankur Roy
Adv. Geosci., 56, 117–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-56-117-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-56-117-2021, 2021
Short summary

Cited articles

Allain, C. and Cloitre, M.: Characterizing the lacunarity of random and deterministic fractal sets, Phys. Rev. A, 44, 3552–3558, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.44.3552, 1991. 
Barton, C. C. and Hsieh, P. A.: Physical and hydrological-flow properties of fractures, International Geological Congress, Environmental, Engineering and Urban geology, United States 2, Field Trip Guidebook, T385, 36 pp., ISBN 0-87590-650-8, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1989. 
Barton, C. C. and La Pointe, P. R.: Fractals in the Earth Sciences, ISBN 0-30644-865-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 1995. 
Berkowitz, B. and Hadad, A.: Fractal and multifractal measures of natural and synthetic fracture networks, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 12205–12218, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JB00304, 1997.  
Datta-Gupta, A. and King, M. J.: Streamline Simulation: Theory and Practice, Textbook Series 11, ISBN 978-1-55563-111-6, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX, 2007. 
Download
Short summary
Fracture networks are often self-similar and are defined by a fractal dimension. However, two such networks with the same fractal dimension may have subtle differences in their clustering attributes that lead to distinct connectivity and flow behavior. This research shows that rather than the fractal dimension, lacunarity, a parameter quantifying scale-dependent clustering, is a better proxy for fracture connectivity as well as flow responses and, is relatively easy to compute than connectivity.