Permeability Tensor Calculation of Pumped Storage Power Plant Cavern of Rudbar Lorestan Dam using Crack Tensor

The hydraulic properties of the rock masses are of great importance in analyzing the behavior and stability of the structures constructed on or in rock mass. Permeability is key parameter among other rock mass features due to its important role in rock mass overall behavior. According to aforementioned reason, numerous efforts have been made by researchers in the field of rock mechanics for its obtaining. To access the rock masses’ permeability, in-situ test methods and simulation techniques could be used. In-situ tests like Lugeon Test are time-consuming and costly and they provide local results. Simulation base methods calculate the permeability of the model that is generated similar to the real region indeed and the developing the results to the real condition always raises substantial challenges. according to the aforementioned reason, direct acquiring of permeability with optimum cost and time which is easily generalizable to the overall of a region would be very important. In this work using crack tensor concept, permeability tensor of Lorestan’s Rudbar dam cavern is calculated efficiently by considering rock mass structural features. Resulted permeability of the power plant’s cavern was obtained equal to 11.220 × 10^-7 m/s that seems to be acceptable compared to the measured values which is obtained  9/87×10^-7 m/s.