An Analysis of Fracture Network Intersections from DFN Models and Data:

Lavoine E, P Davy, C Darcel, D Mas Ivars, (2021). An Analysis of Fracture Network Intersections from DFN Models and Data: Density Distribution, Topology, and Stereology. Published in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Discrete Fracture Network Engineering Conference, Houston, June, 2021, Houston, Texas, USA.

Abstract: Intersections between the fractures of a network defines its connectivity and constitute a key component both for the hydrogeological and mechanical behavior of fractured rock masses. Existing analyses of 2D field trace maps provide a framework for analyzing 2D fracture intersection distributions. In this paper, we perform a complete analysis of 3D fracture intersections distribution of various DFN models and investigate how it can be related to the 2D distribution of intersecting virtual outcrops. The DFN models are either fully random (with no correlation between fractures) or defined from a genetic process (named UFM model). By comparing with natural 2D field trace maps, we show that, unlike the fully random DFN model which produces only X intersections, the UFM model is quantitatively consistent with the intersection distribution observed on field trace maps. The analysis framework developed here can be used as a relevant metric to select DFN models in terms of connectivity and give insights on the 3D topology of fracture networks.