  We investigate the dissolution of artificial fractures with
three-dimensional, pore-scale numerical simulations. The fluid velocity in the
fracture space was determined from a lattice-Boltzmann method, and a stochastic
solver was used for the transport of dissolved species. Numerical simulations
were used to study conditions under which long conduits (wormholes) form in an
initially rough but spatially homogeneous fracture. The effects of flow rate,
mineral dissolution rate and geometrical properties of the fracture were
investigated, and the optimal conditions for wormhole formation determined.
