MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF MACROSCOPIC TRANSPORT-PROPERTIES OF SINGLE NATURAL FRACTURES USING GRAPH-THEORY ALGORITHMS

Given an aperture distribution for a single fracture, a graph theory m odel has been employed to simulate the transport properties of the fra cture. In the processes of imbibition and drainage, the connectivity o f each phase at a particular capillary pressure can be sought out by t he priority-first search algorithm of graph theory. Then, the flow pat h in each phase can be identified, and flow equations can be establish ed and solved in an optimal manner. It was observed that in a simulate d rough fracture, a few flow ''channels'' can dominate the permeabilit y of the whole system.