Advances in permeability evolution infractured rocks during hydro-mechanical-chemical processes

The advances in permeability evolution in fractured rocks during hydro-mechanical-chemical processes over the past decade are introduced from both experimental and numerical studies. Generally macro-homogenization methods are employed to study the permeability evolution in fractured rocks and the macro-relations between permeability and physical variables (such as stress, temperature, pH value of solution, concentration of solutes, etc.). But there exist some deficiencies for the macro-homogenization methods: meso-changes of pore structures are difficult to be characterized due to mineral dissolution and precipitation, and formation and development of flow conduits also cannot be described numerically. So three following suggestions may be beneficial to the further studies on mechanics of permeability evolution in fractured rocks under complicate geological environment: (1) design of experimental apparatus of coupled fluid flow-mechnical-chemical reaction system in rocks and utilization of no-damaging detection techniques (to obtain meso- and real-time pictures and data); (2) development of digital core techniques; (3) development of mathematical models for multi-physical and chemical processes in micro-meso- macro scales and analytic methods.