Author(s)

W. Dershowitz & C. Fidelibus

Abstract

The boundary element method (BEM) is utilized to estimate pipe conductances for discrete fracture networks under steady-state flow. Pipes connects midpoints fracture traces within a fracture and transform a complex three-dimensional network into a simpler ID problem. Each trace is considered to be a slit of no width. Each fracture is individually analyzed under a particular boundary condition and global fluid exchange are calculated in order to define pipe conductances. Using this formulation pipe network geometries are efficiently and precisely calculated by the BEM. Comparisons with full discretized FEM results are shown. 1 Introduction The discrete fracture

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