GeomInt: geomechanical integrity of host and barrier rocks-experiments, models and analysis of discontinuities

Olaf Kolditz, Thomas Fischer, Thomas Frühwirt, Uwe-Jens Görke, Carolin Helbig, Heinz Konietzky, Jobst Maßmann, Mathias Nest, Daniel Pötschke, Karsten Rink, Am Ir Sattari, Patrick Schmidt, Holger Steeb, Frank Wuttke, Keita Yoshioka, Bernhard Vowinckel, Gesa Ziefle, Thomas Nagel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The present paper gives an overview of the GeomInt project “Geomechanical integrity of host and barrier rocks—experiment, modelling and analysis of discontinuities” which has been conducted from 2017–2020 within the framework of the “Geo:N Geosciences for Sustainability” program. The research concept of the collaborative project is briefly introduced followed by a summary of the most important outcomes. The research concept puts geological discontinuities into the centre of investigations—as these belong to the most interesting and critical elements for any subsurface utilisation. Thus, while research questions are specific, they bear relevance to a wide range of applications. The specific research is thus integrated into a generic concept in order to make the results more generally applicable and transferable. The generic part includes a variety of conceptual approaches and their numerical realisations for describing the evolution of discontinuities in the most important types of barrier rocks. An explicit validation concept for the generic framework was developed and realised by specific “model-experiment-exercises” (MEX) which combined experiments and models in a systematic way from the very beginning. 16 MEX have been developed which cover a wide range of fundamental fracturing mechanisms, i.e. swelling/shrinkage, fluid percolation, and stress redistribution processes. The progress in model development is also demonstrated by field-scale applications, e.g. in the analysis and design of experiments in underground research laboratories in Opalinus Clay (URL Mont Terri, Switzerland) and salt rock (research mine Springen, Germany).
Original languageEnglish
Article number509
Number of pages20
JournalEnvironmental Earth Sciences
Volume80.2021
Issue number16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Aug 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • GeomInt
  • Fracture flow
  • Fracture mechanics
  • Barrier integrity
  • Discontinuities
  • Open source
  • OpenGeoSys

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