Here, qf is the volume flow rate per unit length in the fracture,
κf is the fracture’s permeability,
μ is the fluid dynamic viscosity,
df is the
aperture or fracture thickness,
∇T denotes the gradient operator restricted to the fracture’s tangential plane,
p is the pressure,
ρ is the fluid density,
g is the acceleration of gravity, and
D represents the vertical coordinate.
The variable qf gives the volume flow rate per unit length of the fracture. The mean fluid velocity within the fracture is
uf = qf/
df.
It is also possible to use the hydraulic conductivity of the fracture, Kf (SI unit: m/s), to define the capacity to transmit flow instead of using the fracture’s permeability
κf and fluid viscosity
μ. These quantities are related by
Together with the material properties, Equation 4-37 above, in combination with the continuity equation integrated over the fracture cross section, produces a single equation for the pressure.
where εf is the fracture porosity, and
Qm is the mass source term (SI unit: kg/(m
3·s)). The aperture or fracture thickness
df can vary along the fracture and therefore appears on both sides of the equation.