Abstract
The behavior of a geothermal reservoir connecting with a horizontal natural fracture in the earth's crust is analyzed on the basis of liner elastic fracture mechanics. Noting crack reinitiation from preexisting micro craks of a natural fracture, the influence of various factors on the behavior of the reservoir is investigated, and then the stability of the reservoir is discussed. It is revealed that the main factor governing the mechanical behavior of the reservoir is the discontinuity of tectonic stress and fracture toughness across the natural fracture. It is also shown that the reservoir is always stable and can be relatively larger than a vertical reservoir in a continuous rock mass, when the horizontal compressive stress in the region over the fracture is larger than that in the region beneath the fracture.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 151-158 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Series A |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 473 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1986 Jan 1 |
Keywords
- Fracture
- Fracture Toughness Discontinuity
- Geothermal Energy Extraction
- Hot Dry Rock
- Natural Fracture
- Stability of Geothermal Reservoir
- Tectonic Stress Discontinuity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering