Conclusions and Further Work

In this chapter, we summarise the key insights we gain from the new method and discuss its potential applications in geomechanical and fluid flow modelling. We consider the value that it could add in various industrial contexts, including tunnel excavation and mining, groundwater management, hydrocarbon exploration and production, geothermal energy extraction and CO2 sequestration. Finally, we discuss how the technique could be developed further, to model fractures that have been reactivated in multiple deformation episodes and to model fractures that propagate across multiple mechanical layers.