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The effect of biostimulation on geochemical and microbiological conditions in an isolated dolostone fractureKnight, Lesley 19 September 2008 (has links)
A biostimulation field trial was conducted to determine the effect of nutrient addition on microbial populations in a fractured rock environment. The ultimate goal of this research is to induce bioclogging in rock fractures as a method of in situ containment and remediation of contaminated groundwater. This trial focused on biostimulation of indigenous bacteria in a single fracture through the addition of bioavailable carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus sources.
Bench-scale experiments were conducted to determine the optimal source and concentration of nutrients for microbial growth. The final mixture selected for the field trial consisted of sodium lactate plus two liquid fertilizers, resulting in a 100:9:4 molar solution of bioavailable carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus with a carbon source concentration of 8.9 g/L.
The field trial was conducted in an uncontaminated area adjacent to an abandoned quarry in southern Ontario, Canada. The geology of the site consists of flat-lying dolostone pervaded by bedding plane fractures, with minimal overburden. An arrangement of three boreholes isolated a single fracture at a depth of 17m using straddle packer systems. A groundwater recirculation system was created with groundwater withdrawal at BH7 and reinjection of amended water at BH9.
Throughout the three-week biostimulation experiment, general groundwater parameters, including temperature, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity, were monitored frequently. Geochemical and microbiological conditions including available electron acceptors, biochemical oxygen demand, heterotrophic plate counts, and microbial diversity were evaluated before and after the experiment.
Monitoring results for the withdrawal well confirmed that nutrient delivery was occurring, albeit with substantial mass loss due to incomplete flow field development. Numerical modelling of the system estimated a nutrient mass loss of 29%. Geochemical monitoring of key electron acceptors suggested that redox conditions in the isolated fracture were greatly affected by nutrient addition. Biological data indicated significant changes in the microbial populations, with heterotrophic plate counts increasing significantly in the isolated fracture. Changes in microbial diversity were also observed through 16S rDNA analysis. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis results indicated substantial diversification and growth of the microbial community following biostimulation. Further research will investigate the potential for bioclogging at a NAPL-contaminated fractured bedrock site. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-17 12:37:48.16
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A comparison between solute transport in a discrete fracture and in a fracture network using a novel method for tracer detectionMoore, Brian Hector Mathias 27 August 2008 (has links)
Characterization of field-scale transport in bedrock aquifers is necessary due to the preponderance of groundwater contamination in these settings, and the increasing attention paid to these sites by regulatory bodies. However, as a result of the inherent complexity, and the consequent uncertainty in the dominant transport processes, large-scale transport in fractured rock is poorly understood.
In this study an investigation of large-scale transport was accomplished in part by conducting a radial-divergent tracer experiment in a 15 m thick section of aquifer with observations over a 245 m distance, using a novel tracer detection method capable of detecting breakthrough in individual fractures. The tracer experiment was conducted at a well-characterized field site in Smithville, Ontario, which is underlain by several large-scale bedding plane fractures, and used a submersible fluorometer to detect tracer arrival in-situ and to obtain vertical fluorescence profiles (VFPs) from observation boreholes.
To complete the investigation, hydraulic characterization data and VFPs were used to approximate the dominant transport pathways and a numerical model which solves for flow and transport in discrete fracture features (HydroGeoSphere) was used to simulate the tracer experiment. The results of the experiment and the modeling exercise were compared to those from a large-scale single fracture tracer experiment conducted previously at the same site, for which the modeling was revisited.
The experimental results of the fracture network experiment (FNE) were markedly more heterogeneous than those of the previously conducted single fracture experiment (SFE), with multiple peaks in the breakthrough curves, and scale dependent changes in breakthrough character. The VFPs illustrate that differences in the observed transport arise due to tortuous transport pathways within individual fracture features, and the combined effect of this tortuosity in the numerous fractures contributing to transport in the fracture network.
For the observation boreholes closest to the source (< 55 m), both the FNE and SFE models were capable of fitting the data using parameters within the range of values determined from prior lab and field experiments at the site. These fits became poorer over increased transport distances however, where the models used could not account for the increased effects of tortuosity. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-25 02:48:16.066
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LABORATORY STUDIES OF BIOBARRIER TECHNOLOGY IN FRACTURED ROCKMann, VANESSA 27 November 2012 (has links)
Experiments exploring transport and bio-containment of contaminants in fractured rock were completed using fractured-limestone samples obtained in eastern Ontario, Canada. Three single-fracture samples, a fracture-intersection sample and a fracture-network sample were set into vertical flow systems. Three phases of experiments focused on the transport and hydraulic properties of each sample, the effects of biobarriers on diffusion processes in fracture rock, and methods of improving biobarrier stability and survivability.
Hydraulic apertures were determined from constant-flow measurements and transport properties were interpreted from Lissamine and KBr tracer experiments with velocities of up to 8500 m/d for all five samples. At Re > 16, linear to non-linear transitions were observed in enlarged single fracture A and the fracture intersection samples. Reversible increases in aperture were observed at Reynolds numbers (Re) of 7, 4, and 3 for single fractures A and B, and the fracture-network, respectively. Non-linear effects were not observed in these samples over the range of velocities studied (up to Re = 20). Results from the 1-D analytical transport model overestimated values of matrix porosity, suggesting that diffusion from dead zones and slow-flowing regions are also contributing to observed breakthrough curves.
Methods of improving biobarrier stability in fractured rock were studied in two single-fracture samples and the fracture-network sample by stimulating naturally-occurring groundwater bacteria. Survivability was improved with successive cycles of feeding and starving and stimulating growth at lower temperatures. Modeled values of matrix porosity decreased by up to 50%, indicating that diffusion processes are strongly influenced by biofilm development.
Back diffusion of Lissamine was measured using one single-fracture sample and the fracture-intersection sample. Lissamine was allowed to diffuse into the matrix of each sample and, following a suitable loading period, the back-diffusion of residual Lissamine concentrations were measured from the outflow. This was done in the presence and absence of biofilm, and following the introduction of biofilm onto the fracture surfaces, diffusion was no longer a governing process affecting transport and only advective transport was observed. Experiments were interpreted using a 3-D finite difference model with a three-layer porosity approach, and indicated a decrease in aperture and porosity following biostimulation. / Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2012-11-22 11:23:24.065
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Hydraulic Tomography and Trichloroethene Dissolution in a Fractured Dolostone: Small Scale Laboratory ExperimentsSharmeen, Rubaiat January 2011 (has links)
In fractured geologic media, flow and contaminant transport are predominantly controlled by the fractures, their distribution and connectivity. The accurate characterization of fractured geologic medium, imaging of fracture patterns and their connectivity have been a challenge for decades. Given the complexities of fractured networks in the subsurface and Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) contamination, in this thesis, transient hydraulic tomography (THT), a recently developed tool for characterizing aquifer heterogeneity is evaluated under laboratory conditions to delineate discrete fractures. Laboratory experiments and modeling studies are also conducted to understand TCE plume behavior.
A dolomite rock sample, which is 91.5 cm in length, 60.5 cm in height and 5 cm thick, was fractured in the laboratory to perform the experiments. After the fractured block was enclosed in a flow cell, flow-through and pumping tests were conducted to characterize the fractured rock block. The data from the pumping tests were then analyzed using the SSLE code developed by Zhu and Yeh [2005] and transient hydraulic tomography (THT) was conducted to image the fracture pattern and their connectivity through the delineation of K and Ss distributions (the tomograms). Synthetic pumping tests, identical in configuration to the laboratory ones were also conducted using HydroGeoSphere (HGS) [Therrien et al, 2009] in a synthetic replica of the fractured block to compare the observed and simulated drawdowns. Then synthetic THT analysis was performed utilizing the synthetic pumping test data to compare the tomograms obtained from the THT analysis of synthetic and laboratory pumping tests.
Results suggest that the THT analysis of multiple laboratory pumping tests captured the fracture pattern and their connectivity quite well and they became more vivid with the additional pumping tests. The estimated high hydraulic conductivity (K) and low specific storage (Ss) zones clearly show the fractures and their connectivity. The pattern of K and Ss tomograms obtained from the analyses of synthetic and laboratory pumping tests were similar. Estimated K and Ss values for the fractures and the matrix may not exactly replicate the actual K and Ss values for the fractured rock, but the model also provides uncertainty estimates associated with the resulting K and Ss tomograms.
In this study, two cases of transient hydraulic tomography (THT) analysis of the laboratory pumping tests were performed by changing the location of 2nd and 3rd pumping tests among the three to examine if there is any significant impact of these pumped location on the pattern of resulting hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (Ss). The initial pumping test was the same for two cases. Results show that the patterns of estimated K and Ss tomograms obtained from these two cases are similar, although the pumped locations (2nd and 3rd tests among the three) utilized for the inversion were different for two cases suggesting that the location of these later pumping tests does not significantly impact the estimates for this fractured rock block. However, the initial test should be selected carefully as that seems to set the pattern of the tomograms.
The estimated K and Ss tomograms were validated by predicting five independent pumping tests conducted in the fractured rock block. These five pumping tests were not included during the construction of the K and Ss tomograms. For most of the independent pumping tests, good correspondence between the simulated and observed drawdown was achieved.
The study indicates that, it is possible to delineate discrete fractures, their pattern and connectivity by carefully applying of THT analysis of multiple pumping tests based on the inverse code SSLE [Zhu and Yeh, 2005]. In addition, hydraulic tomography seems to be a cost effective tool for characterizing fractured rock since it does not require the detailed information on fracture geometry parameters such as aperture, trace length, orientation, spatial distribution, and connectivity, which are difficult to quantify. These parameters are usually unavailable between boreholes. Therefore, THT appears to be a promising approach in delineating fractures and their connectivity in subsurface. However, it is still at the early stage as the study was conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Small scale field experiments need to be conducted to validate THT as a tool for the characterization of hydraulic parameters of fractured rocks.
Upon completion of the hydraulic characterization, several conservative tracer tests were conducted using bromide (Br-) as a conservative tracer to aid in the design of TCE dissolution experiment. Once the tracer experiments were completed, a known volume of pure phase TCE was injected at a known location in the flow cell to create a well-defined source zone. A constant hydraulic gradient was maintained by fixing the hydraulic heads at the two head tanks to induce steady groundwater flow through the flow cell. Water samples were obtained at a down gradient monitoring port for 3 months to obtain a long-term breakthrough curve of TCE in the aqueous phase. The purpose of this experiment was to study TCE dissolution behaviour in the fractured rock sample. Then HydroGeoSphere (HGS) was used to model the aqueous phase TCE transport using two separate approaches: 1) the Discrete Fracture Network modeling approach and 2) the stochastic continuum approach, to investigate whether they can capture the dissolution behavior.
Both approaches were able to capture the pattern of the breakthrough curve in the fractured rock. The discrete fracture approach captured the observed TCE plume and the dissolution behavior quite well. On the other hand, the stochastic continuum approach, in which the fractured rock block was treated as porous medium having a heterogeneous K field obtained from THT analysis, also appeared to be promising in capturing the aqueous phase transport of TCE. Despite some early time deviation, the simulated breakthrough curve captured the overall observed concentration profile. However, the stochastic continuum approach seems to be more cost effective as it does not require detailed information about fracture aperture and their spatial distribution which are difficult if not impossible to obtain between boreholes. Note that, the studies were conducted based on a laboratory experiment conducted in a controlled environment. The experimental block was well characterized and the geometry of the experimental block as well as the flow through the system was well understood from the hydraulic and tracer experiments. Thus small scale field experiment is required to support this conclusion.
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The presence and transport of human enteric viruses in fractured bedrock aquifersTRIMPER, Shawn 11 November 2010 (has links)
Both onsite septic disposal systems and private drinking water wells are commonly utilized in rural areas of Canada. The coexistence of septic systems and drinking water wells has the potential to greatly impact the quality of water obtained in these settings. Human enteric viruses have been recognized as a potential source of groundwater borne disease, although the level of risk they pose and the processes responsible for their transport are poorly understood. As a result of thin overburden, low storage capacity, and high groundwater velocities, fractured rock aquifers are potentially at highest risk to viral contamination. However, only limited research has been conducted to explore this concern. The current study was conducted to investigate both the rate of occurrence of human viruses in fractured rock aquifers and the transport mechanisms acting in these settings.
A survey was conducted to identify the prevalence of human enteric viruses in three fractured rock aquifers located across Canada. A total of 61 samples were collected from 28 wells drilled in aquifers in Ontario, Newfoundland, and British Columbia. Molecular PCR techniques were utilized to determine virus presence. Results showed that 37.7% of samples and 58.1% of wells were at some time positive for viruses. Virus presence was found to increase with housing density and viruses were found to travel distances of at least 40 meters. Poor correlation was found between the presence of viruses and traditional bacterial indicators.
A field-scale viral infiltration experiment was conducted to investigate viral transport behavior. The bacteriophage ф-X174 and the fluorescent dye Lissamine FF were utilized as viral and solute tracers, respectively. Tracers were applied to an exposed rock outcrop exhibiting fractures with known connection to two nearby wells. Breakthrough was extremely rapid and the colloidal processes of decreased dispersion and slow-release kinetic sorption were identified.
This study has provided concrete evidence that viral contamination poses a significant threat to fractured groundwater aquifers in rural areas where onsite septic disposal practices are utilized. The results observed in this study suggest that current set back distances and monitoring techniques may be inadequate to prevent exposure to human viruses. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-11-09 23:07:31.595
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Hydraulic Tomography and Trichloroethene Dissolution in a Fractured Dolostone: Small Scale Laboratory ExperimentsSharmeen, Rubaiat January 2011 (has links)
In fractured geologic media, flow and contaminant transport are predominantly controlled by the fractures, their distribution and connectivity. The accurate characterization of fractured geologic medium, imaging of fracture patterns and their connectivity have been a challenge for decades. Given the complexities of fractured networks in the subsurface and Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) contamination, in this thesis, transient hydraulic tomography (THT), a recently developed tool for characterizing aquifer heterogeneity is evaluated under laboratory conditions to delineate discrete fractures. Laboratory experiments and modeling studies are also conducted to understand TCE plume behavior.
A dolomite rock sample, which is 91.5 cm in length, 60.5 cm in height and 5 cm thick, was fractured in the laboratory to perform the experiments. After the fractured block was enclosed in a flow cell, flow-through and pumping tests were conducted to characterize the fractured rock block. The data from the pumping tests were then analyzed using the SSLE code developed by Zhu and Yeh [2005] and transient hydraulic tomography (THT) was conducted to image the fracture pattern and their connectivity through the delineation of K and Ss distributions (the tomograms). Synthetic pumping tests, identical in configuration to the laboratory ones were also conducted using HydroGeoSphere (HGS) [Therrien et al, 2009] in a synthetic replica of the fractured block to compare the observed and simulated drawdowns. Then synthetic THT analysis was performed utilizing the synthetic pumping test data to compare the tomograms obtained from the THT analysis of synthetic and laboratory pumping tests.
Results suggest that the THT analysis of multiple laboratory pumping tests captured the fracture pattern and their connectivity quite well and they became more vivid with the additional pumping tests. The estimated high hydraulic conductivity (K) and low specific storage (Ss) zones clearly show the fractures and their connectivity. The pattern of K and Ss tomograms obtained from the analyses of synthetic and laboratory pumping tests were similar. Estimated K and Ss values for the fractures and the matrix may not exactly replicate the actual K and Ss values for the fractured rock, but the model also provides uncertainty estimates associated with the resulting K and Ss tomograms.
In this study, two cases of transient hydraulic tomography (THT) analysis of the laboratory pumping tests were performed by changing the location of 2nd and 3rd pumping tests among the three to examine if there is any significant impact of these pumped location on the pattern of resulting hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (Ss). The initial pumping test was the same for two cases. Results show that the patterns of estimated K and Ss tomograms obtained from these two cases are similar, although the pumped locations (2nd and 3rd tests among the three) utilized for the inversion were different for two cases suggesting that the location of these later pumping tests does not significantly impact the estimates for this fractured rock block. However, the initial test should be selected carefully as that seems to set the pattern of the tomograms.
The estimated K and Ss tomograms were validated by predicting five independent pumping tests conducted in the fractured rock block. These five pumping tests were not included during the construction of the K and Ss tomograms. For most of the independent pumping tests, good correspondence between the simulated and observed drawdown was achieved.
The study indicates that, it is possible to delineate discrete fractures, their pattern and connectivity by carefully applying of THT analysis of multiple pumping tests based on the inverse code SSLE [Zhu and Yeh, 2005]. In addition, hydraulic tomography seems to be a cost effective tool for characterizing fractured rock since it does not require the detailed information on fracture geometry parameters such as aperture, trace length, orientation, spatial distribution, and connectivity, which are difficult to quantify. These parameters are usually unavailable between boreholes. Therefore, THT appears to be a promising approach in delineating fractures and their connectivity in subsurface. However, it is still at the early stage as the study was conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Small scale field experiments need to be conducted to validate THT as a tool for the characterization of hydraulic parameters of fractured rocks.
Upon completion of the hydraulic characterization, several conservative tracer tests were conducted using bromide (Br-) as a conservative tracer to aid in the design of TCE dissolution experiment. Once the tracer experiments were completed, a known volume of pure phase TCE was injected at a known location in the flow cell to create a well-defined source zone. A constant hydraulic gradient was maintained by fixing the hydraulic heads at the two head tanks to induce steady groundwater flow through the flow cell. Water samples were obtained at a down gradient monitoring port for 3 months to obtain a long-term breakthrough curve of TCE in the aqueous phase. The purpose of this experiment was to study TCE dissolution behaviour in the fractured rock sample. Then HydroGeoSphere (HGS) was used to model the aqueous phase TCE transport using two separate approaches: 1) the Discrete Fracture Network modeling approach and 2) the stochastic continuum approach, to investigate whether they can capture the dissolution behavior.
Both approaches were able to capture the pattern of the breakthrough curve in the fractured rock. The discrete fracture approach captured the observed TCE plume and the dissolution behavior quite well. On the other hand, the stochastic continuum approach, in which the fractured rock block was treated as porous medium having a heterogeneous K field obtained from THT analysis, also appeared to be promising in capturing the aqueous phase transport of TCE. Despite some early time deviation, the simulated breakthrough curve captured the overall observed concentration profile. However, the stochastic continuum approach seems to be more cost effective as it does not require detailed information about fracture aperture and their spatial distribution which are difficult if not impossible to obtain between boreholes. Note that, the studies were conducted based on a laboratory experiment conducted in a controlled environment. The experimental block was well characterized and the geometry of the experimental block as well as the flow through the system was well understood from the hydraulic and tracer experiments. Thus small scale field experiment is required to support this conclusion.
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PROPOSED AQUIFER VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT INCORPORATING FRACTURED ROCK / PROPOSED AQUIFER VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT INCORPORATING CHARACTERIZATION OF FRACTURED ROCK ENVIRONMENTS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIOLubianetzky, Theresa A. 06 1900 (has links)
Much of southern Ontario relies on groundwater in fractured rock aquifers as a municipal drinking water source, thus the vulnerability of these sources is of importance from public health, economic, and environmental perspectives. Aquifer vulnerability assessments serve as visual communication tools useful in efficiently allocating resources for the establishment of new drinking water sources, hydrogeological characterization, and source water protection planning decisions. Examples of current vulnerability assessments include: DRASTIC, GOD, EPIK, AVI, COP and ISI. These vulnerability assessment methods either fail to quantitatively incorporate characteristics of fractured rock and preferential pathways, or they account for only heavily karstified areas; none are suited to the fractured rock formations in Ontario.
The goal of this work is to incorporate fractured rock characteristics in a new aquifer vulnerability assessment method using readily attainable quantitative data to produce an inexpensive and straightforward regional aquifer vulnerability map highlighting hydrogeological areas that are more fundamentally prone to contamination than others. This proposed method is applied to the Acton-Georgetown study area in southern Ontario, along with the AVI and DRASTIC methods for comparison. The AVI and DRASTIC vulnerability assessments yield very different results from each other, and the proposed method demonstrates the heavy influence that fractured rock has on the vulnerability of the study area. The heterogeneity of variables used in some of the methods created difficulty in the interpolation of point data, rendering the use of generalized spatial data more valuable. These results and the corresponding limitations and recommendations for future improvements are discussed in light of these conclusions. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)
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A field and laboratory investigation of the compliance of fractured rockLubbe, Rudi January 2005 (has links)
Compressional and shear wave velocity and attenuation measurements were obtained in the laboratory from 50 mm diameter, cylindrical, limestone core samples over a confining pressure range of 5 – 60 MPa. Normal and tangential fracture compliance values, as a function of confining pressure, were calculated for a single fracture cut perpendicular to the long axis of the core. The ratio of the normal to tangential compliance was approximately 0.4 and was independent of the applied stress. Values of normal and tangential fracture compliance calculated were of the order 10<sup>-14</sup> m/Pa, and decreased with an increase in confining pressure. Both Q<sup>-1</sup></sup><sub>P</sub> and Q<sup>-1</sup></sup><sub>S</sub>1/Qs were shown to be small for these samples. A borehole test site was constructed in a Carboniferous limestone quarry, at Tytherington, situated north of Bristol, UK. This quarry was chosen because the rock type was fairly homogeneous and the fractures could be mapped in the quarry walls as well as down three, 40 m vertical boreholes drilled in-line in the quarry floor. Wireline logs were obtained in all the holes and a seismic crosshole survey was carried out between the two outermost boreholes. An estimate of in-situ normal fracture compliance, Z<sub>N</sub>, was obtained from the log and crosshole data, in 4 different ways, using effective medium theories as well as the displacement discontinuity theory. An additional estimate of Z<sub>N</sub> was obtained from a separate borehole test site constructed in fractured Devonian meta-sediments at Reskajeage, Cornwall, UK. These fractures were much larger in size than those observed at Tytherington quarry. From the above field and laboratory measurements, fracture compliance was shown to increase approximately linearly with the size of the fractures. In addition, a study of crosshole seismic attenuation was performed at Tytherington quarry. Q was found to be frequency dependent. This frequency dependence was interpreted as being due to scattering rather than intrinsic attenuation.
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Sustainable Management of Central Victorian Mineral WatersShugg, Andrew James., ashugg@skm.com.au January 2005 (has links)
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New Approaches to the Collection and Interpretation of High Sensitivity Temperature Logs for Detection of Groundwater Flow in Fractured RockPehme, Peeter 21 July 2012 (has links)
The use of temperature logging for identifying water flow through fractures in sedimentary rock has declined since the 1960’s and 70’s primarily because of low sensor resolution and cross-connected flow along the borehole. Although sensor resolution has improved to the order of 10-3 C for several decades, temperature logging has not experienced a notable increase in popularity. This thesis studies these and other fundamental limitations to the application of borehole temperature logging for identifying flow through fractured rock, and tests the hypothesis that the limitations can be overcome, presents new methods for accomplishing that goal, and increases the applicability of the technology.
Although some conventional open-hole testing (e.g. flow meters) rely on vertical cross-connected flow in the borehole annulus to identify transmissive fractures, the flow is recognized to both distort open-hole temperature logs and facilitate chemical cross contamination. Removable polyurethane coated nylon liners have recently been developed to seal boreholes and minimize cross-contamination. High sensitivity temperature logs collected in the stagnant water column of lined boreholes under different hydrogeologic conditions herein show the degree to which cross connected flow can mask important flow conduits and thereby distort the interpretation of which fractures control flow. Results from the lined holes consistently lead to identification of more hydraulically active fractures than the open-hole profiles and an improved qualitative ranking of their relative importance to flow consistent with contaminant distributions observed in rock core.
The identification of flow in fractures with temperature logs depends on the presence of a temperature contrast between the water and the rock matrix to create an aberration in the otherwise gradually varying profile. Atmospherically driven thermal disequilibrium commonly only extends several tens of meters from surface and dissipates with depth, making temperatures logs a variable assessment of flow that is depth limited to the heterothermic zone. The active line source (ALS) method, a series of temperature logs measured before and within a day after the water column of a lined borehole is placed into thermal disequilibrium with the broader rock mass with a heating cable, is shown to provide two advantages. First, the method eliminates the depth limitation allowing flow zones to be identified below the hetro-homothermic boundary and second, the qualitative assessment of ambient water flow in fractures is improved throughout the test interval. The identification of the flow conduits is supported by the combined evidence from visual inspection of core, rock contamination profiles, acoustic televiewer logs and tests for hydraulic conductivity using straddle packers.
A new device, the thermal vector probe (TVP) is presented. It measures the temperature of the borehole fluid with four high sensitivity temperature sensors arranged in a tetrahedral pattern which is orientated using three directional magnetometers. Based on these, the total thermal gradient, its horizontal and vertical components as well as the direction and inclination are determined, typically at less than 0.01m intervals. Comparison of TVP data collected in lined boreholes under ambient conditions (thermal and hydraulic) as well during thermal recovery after ALS heating demonstrate the reproducibility of the results and superior characterization of thermal aberrations indicative of flow relative to single sensor temperature data. A detailed comparison of subdivisions in the thermal field to the vertical changes in the hydraulic gradient measured from three nearby high detail (12-14 port) multi-level installations demonstrates the interrelationship between hydraulic and thermal fields and thereby the potential benefit of the TVP in hydrogeologic investigations.
Developing confidence in the use of both the TVP and ALS techniques in lined holes relies on demonstrating the reproducibility of results, consistency with observations from other technologies, and numerical simulation. Comparisons of field data with highly detailed numerical simulations using the program SMOKER shows that the influence of water flow in a fracture around a lined borehole on the temperature patterns is complex and factors such as convection likely influence the shape of the thermal aberrations observed. Model results suggest that the temperature aberrations are related to the volumetric water flow, a distinct lower resolution limit exists (approximately 5.6x10-7 m3/sec per metre across the fracture, m2/s), and although flow above 10-4 m2/s is readily detectable, prospects for quantification of higher flows are poor. Some field data indicate the numerically determined lower limit is conservative and the details of the limit require additional study.
The aspects of temperature logging historically limiting applicability for detecting and comparing flow through discrete or groups of fractures in rock are hereby better understood and consistently overcome. The high level of detail achieved in the data highlights the complexity of the system and offers opportunities for further refinement. The TVP and ALS technique applied in a lined borehole promise both new insights into, and potential for quantification of ambient groundwater flow through fractures in rock.
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