Development of measurement system of aperture and tracer concentration distribution in a single fracture by optical visualization method

Sato, Hisashi; Xiao, J.; Sawada, Atsushi 

It is important to investigate fracture aperture distribution in order to study the influences of heterogeneous aperture distribution onto the fracture hydraulic and mass transport properties. There are several aperture measurement methods, but an optical method has an advantage that measurement resolution is high and tracer movement can be observed. We have developed aperture measurement and tracer movement measuring system by optical method, and have made transparent replica, and measured aperture distribution and tracer concentration distribution. As a result, the optical method was able to confirm the effectiveness of aperture measurement. In addition, the optical method could acquire the tracer concentration distribution which was not disturbed by the influence of heterogeneous aperture distribution.