Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow: Contemporary Understanding and Applications (1996)
Chapter: Appendix A: Committee's Statement of Task
Appendix A
Committee's Statement of Task
The principal objective of this study is to review, synthesize and integrate recent research concerning techniques and approaches to fracture characterization and fluid flow in rock fractures.
Subordinate objectives of the study are:
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to identify and review the status of current research in fracture characterization and fluid flow,
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to identify federal and other governmental activities and problem areas in the field,
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to explore mechanisms to advance the field, and
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to offer guidance on recent progress in the field to government agencies responsible for sponsoring or performing research, regulation and environmental restoration.
The committee will prepare a report that will cover research in fracture origin, morphology, geophysical imaging, and flow and transport analysis and modeling. The report will address applications such as toxic and nuclear waste transport in fractured rocks; fractured petroleum gas, geothermal, and water reservoirs; and construction of dams and tunnels (including the Superconducting Super Collider) in fractured rocks. The report will identify the tools and methods of locating and predicting fractures, describe the essential fundamentals behind the use and interpretation of the tools and methods, assess these methods and provide illustrative examples of their use. The report will identify areas of cross-fertilization between various disciplines and between applications.
