Hydraulic properties of fractured rock mass with correlated fracture length and aperture in both radial and unidirectional flow configurations

The hydraulic properties of fractured rock mass with correlated fracture length and aperture were investigated in both radial and unidirectional flow configurations. Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models were generated with the geometrical parameters according to the field mapping results at Huangdao underground oil storage caverns. The representative elementary volume (REV) sizes and equivalent permeability coefficients for the rock mass around the facility were estimated in both radial and unidirectional flow configurations. The influences of the variation in fracture apertures on the REV sizes and equivalent permeability coefficients in both configurations were examined and confirmed with 10 different realizations of DFN models.