Exploratory Study on the Influence of Thermal Stressing on the Strength and Porosity of Granite
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- It has been postulated that the cooling of rock by water circulated in a "hot dry rock" geothermal reservoir will induce tensile thermal stresses in the rock of sufficient magnitude to cause large cracks to form and grow. These cracks may create additional, useful heat transfer and flow areas, thereby prolonging the productive life of a reservoir. This thesis explores, experimentally, the influence of thermal stressing on the strength and porosity of granite sample representative of geothermal rock. It is found that strength is reduced dramatically and porosity increased substantially by tensile thermal stressing. Strength reductions and porosity increases may favor formation and growth of thermal cracks in actual reservoirs by reducing local rock fracture toughness and allowing hydrostatic pore pressure to counteract tectonic compressive stress.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | November 1984 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Rana, Rajiv |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Nelson, Drew V. |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering |
Subjects
| Subject | School of Earth Energy & Environmental Sciences |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford Geothermal Program |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- Use and reproduction
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Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Rana, Rajiv. (1984). Exploratory Study on the Influence of Thermal Stressing on the Strength and Porosity of Granite. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/bg181zw7535
Collection
Master's Theses, Doerr School of Sustainability
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- brannerlibrary@stanford.edu
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