Application of Hydroshearing to Increase Spatial Distribution of Contaminant Treatment Amendments in Complex Geology

GeoMechanics Technologies proposes to evaluate the application of hydroshearing as an innovative method to enhance the delivery of treatment amendments in complex geology. The process of hydroshearing involves the injection of fluid into the subsurface at an adequate pressure that will open up natural existing fractures in the rock, without initiating new tensile fractures. This method of subsurface permeability enhancement has been readily applied in the geothermal industry to improve the circulation of fluids in hot, dry rock for economic production. In the same way, hydroshearing can also be useful for environmental management as a novel method to increase the spatial distribution and delivery of treatment amendments in hard naturally fractured rock. The specific technical objectives for this Phase I research and development effort are as follows: (1) Building and expanding on our own and others’ past theoretical work to develop analytical descriptions of hydroshearing failure and its effect on increasing permeability; (2) Develop and document a numerical simulation workflow of optimized injection to establish the hydroshearing process; (3) Apply numerical modeling to consider various complex geological structures in fractured crystalline rock (formation dips, faults, and heterogeneity in geomechanical parameters); and (4) Analyze the efficiency of hydroshearing for environmental remediation and conduct a preliminary economic analysis. Successful development and demonstration of this new technique will provide better clean-up of contaminants caught in the fractures within the rock formation, leading to more efficient clean- up of legacy wastes. Improved remediation techniques will reduce health hazards to humans and the environment, while better protecting Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW).