Progress on flow visualization and relative permeability measurement in transparent replicas of natural fractures from Yucca Mountain

Small sections (75 mm x 75 mm) of two natural rock fractures from outcrop boulders of Tiva Canyon tuff have been reproduced as transparent replicas. Aperture maps were drawn from images of the replicas filled with dye. Apertures were measured by the areas occupied by liquid drops of known volume. For both these fractures, the average aperture is about 350 μm, while the hydraulic aperture is less (72 and 130 μm). Two-phase (air-water) flow experiments have been conducted in these replicas to measure relative permeability and capillary pressures. The results obtained confirm the results of previous fracture experiments, and theoretical analysis, that the sum of relative permeabilities is much less than 1 at intermediate saturations. The welded tuffs in the vadose zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are being investigated as the potential site of a geological repository for high-level nuclear wastes