Quantitative Characterization and Analysis of Multiple Fracture Structures from Original Coal and Tectonic Coal by μCT

Investigating the spatial and size distributions of fracture structures formed by various external stresses in coal is essential for understanding fracture evolution and methane percolation behavior in coal reservoirs. To estimate the characteristics of microscale fractures in three-dimensional space, X-ray computed microtomography was used to establish digital reconstructed fracture models. Two algorithms that reflect topological features were applied to quantitatively characterize coal fractures. The results show that tectonic stress negatively affects the anisotropy of fractures, reducing the frequency of fractures that are approximately parallel or perpendicular to the main direction. A new fracture connectivity evaluation parameter, calculated by the integral average of the linear fitting curve between the coordination number and the corresponding average radius of many maximum spheres in the pore network model, is proposed. This method is more objective for evaluating fracture connectivity. The results indicate that with increasing tectonic action, fracture connectivity improves. Based on skeleton model data, we found a power-law relationship between the equivalent diameter of the fracture and the cumulative volume. Using this relationship and the capillary model assumption, we rederived expressions for total gas seepage flux and permeability applicable to fractures that do not conform to the tortuous fractal theory. Additionally, we discovered that the fracture aperture follows a log-normal distribution and derived an improved cube model’s mathematical formula based on this. These findings are significant for revealing how different fracture structures affect gas seepage and provide a foundation for developing theoretical models to predict gas seepage in coal reservoirs.