Neutron Tomography of Marcellus Shale Specimen

Neutron tomography of a Marcellus shale specimen (10x10x2.5 cm3) done at the Institute Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France for the joint study between Caltech and the University of Grenoble Alpes. We study the behavior of hydraulic fractures in rocks. The natural fracture network and the hydraulic fracture generated from the central model borehole are observed. The rock specimen was under 70 MPa vertical stress and plane strain condition. The hydraulic fracture is initiated with a vertical orientation as expected for the imposed boundary conditions, but then it diverts into a bedding plane and activates that feature (seen from the side). Indeed, natural fractures interact with newly generating hydraulic fractures even under high stresses. More information about the experimental setup and procedure can be found at: 10.1680/jgele.18.00129.Related Publication: Neutron Imaging: A New Possibility for Laboratory Observation of Hydraulic Fractures in Shale? Shahrzad ROSHANKHAH California Institute of Technology Geotechnique Letters 2018-11-09 https://doi.org/10.1680/jgele.18.00129 engContact person: Shahrzad Roshankhah shroshan@caltech.ed