The computer processing and visualization system for 3-D fracture networks

A series of environmental and engineering problems, such as slope instability, mining water inrush, nuclear waste leakage and groundwater pollution may be related with the existence of a large number of fractures in the fractured rock masses. Accordingly, many large projects pertinent to mining, oil exploration, water protection, and hydropower engineering call for understanding the fracture networks in fractured rock masses. As a result, it is necessary to develop a computer platform to generate, process, and visualize fracture networks that are composed of a large number of fractures with different orientations. The advanced computer technologies provide a very strong capability in processing fracture data and visualizing 3-D fracture networks. In this study, many functions, such as generation of 3-D fracture networks using Monte Carlo simulations, identification of seepage paths, visualization of 3-D fracture networks and the seepage paths, and display of permeability tensor ellipsoids, were integrated into one system to achieve a practical, reliable and user-friendly application platform by implementing the computer software programming and systems integration technology. The OpenGL-based visualization capability was incorporated for the 3-D fracture networks, seepage paths and permeability tensor ellipsoids. The system has been tested using a large number of fracture data. It has been shown that the visual effects offered by the system could present a lot of fracture information and make a comprehensive understanding on the structures of the fracture network to the users. It is observed that the system developed could quickly, correctly and effectively fulfill a series of the complex and tedious computing and processing procedures as to a 3-D fracture network. Consequently, computation and processing efficiency can be then significantly increased. As a result, complex processing and visualization pertinent to the fractured rocks such as groundwater flow and sol- - ute transport become more practicable at a large field scale particularly.