Influence of a simple fracture intersection on density-driven immiscible flow: Wetting vs. nonwetting flows

Abstract

The influence of a single fracture intersection on density-driven immiscible flow is compared between wetting (water into air) and nonwetting (Trichloroethylene into water) flows. At low supply rates, the intersection acted as a hysteretic gate to pulsed flow of the wetting phase, but had minimal influence on nonwetting phase flow. For both cases, increasing the supply rate led to the formation of continuous fluid tendrils that crossed the intersection without interruption. The wetting experiment returned to pulsed flow as the supply rate was decreased, while the nonwetting experiment maintained a continuous flow structure. Results suggest a fundamental difference between wetting and nonwetting phase flows in fracture networks. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.