low-permeable faults

Hello everybody

I need to add a low-permeable fault to an already exsiting model and i thought i would ask you guys about the best way to do it.

Differences in GW levels in the model area indicate the potential for the presence of a low permeable fault, however, beside GW levels we have no other data supporting the fault being there. As we do not have much data I would like to keep things simple and basically add a vertical no-flow (or very low-K) barrier along the inferred location of the fault .

I was thinking of refining the mesh around the fault area and then creating a thin low K zone. If anyone has a better way to do it i would be interested in hearing it.

Thanks

Emanuele

This actually seems to be the best idea. If you plan for particle tracking and/or transport simultions, make sure the low k zone is at least two elements wide. To be able to test further hypotheses, you might also want to include enough small elements to be able to do three layers - permeable on the sides, impermeable in the core of the fault.