Modeling of flow characteristics in 3D rough rock fracture with geometry changes under confining stresses

A series of fracture geometries of an artificially tensile fractured sandstone, measured during the hydraulic tests at increasing confine stresses, were adopted to build 3D fracture models. At each stress level, four groups of flow simulations with increasing injection flow rates were conducted, to examine how voids and contact alterations due to stress changes affect the flow characteristics within the fracture. The results show that the...