Low permeability media (LK)

FOREWORD

Low permeability fractured media (LPFM) have been traditionally ignored in hydrogeology because they are not good sources of water. The rock matrix is virtually impervious and most fractures do not carry water. In fact, it is frequently observed that one or two fractures conduct more water then all the rest together.

This occurs at all scales and there is a chance that finding increasingly permeable areas may grow with the scale of the problem. As a result, effective permeability also increases (scale effect).

There are several approaches to modeling this type of media, but they can be summarized in two main methods: continuum media models and discrete fracture models. We have opted by integrating all the available information (geology, geophysics, hydraulic tests) to achieve a better identification of those dominant structures. Fractures are represented in a deterministic way as bidimensional planes that are embedded in a 3D homogeneous matrix which includes the effect of minor fractures.