Hydraulic Fracturing and Geomechanics Laboratory
About the Lab
The Hydraulic Fracturing and Geomechanics Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh supports research into hydraulic fracture propagation, rock mechanics, and soil behavior. It includes:
- A true-triaxial cell, including hydraulic pump and pressure control, capable of applying up to 20 MPa of stress independently in each of 3 direction to specimens measuring up to 300 mm on a side
- Multi-axis video monitoring that is enabled by viewing ports in the loading platens of the triaxial cell, backlight sources built into the loading platens, and digital video cameras
- A syringe pump used for injecting fluid for hydraulic fracturing,
- Sensors for monitoring injection fluid pressure and temperature
- Hoek-type triaxial cells for 35 mm and 150 mm specimens including pore pressure platens for permeability testing
- 16 channel MISTRAS Acoustic Emission (AE) detection system
- 8 channel pulse and 16 channel receive MISTRAS Ultrasound Tomography (UT) system.
