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The modeling and prediction of heat transfer in fractured media is particularly challenging as hydraulic and transport properties depend on a multiscale structure that is difficult to resolve. In addition to advection and dispersion, heat transfer is also impacted by thermal attenuation and lag time, which results from fracture-matrix thermal exchanges. Here we derive analytical expressions for thermal lag time and attenuation coefficient in fractured media, which quantify the effect of fracture geometry on these key factors. We use the developed expressions to interpret the results of single-well thermal and solute tracer tests performed in a crystalline rock aquifer at the experimental site of Ploemeur (H+ observatory network). Thermal breakthrough was monitored with fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS), which allows temperature monitoring at high spatial and temporal resolution. The observed thermal response departs from the conventional parallel plate fracture model but is consistent with a channel model representing highly channelized fracture flow. These findings, which point to a strong reduction of fracture-matrix exchange by flow channeling, show the impact of fracture geometry on heat recovery in geothermal systems. This study also highlights the advantages to conduct both thermal and solute tracer tests to infer fracture aperture and geometry. Key Points:• We present expressions for thermal lag time and attenuation coefficient, quantifying the impact of flow channeling on heat transfer in fractured media • Joint solute and thermal tracer tests support analytical results and provide new constraints on fracture aperture and flow topology • Single-well thermal tracer tests offer an alternative to cross-borehole thermal tracer tests for characterizing thermal transport in the field

In fractured media, solute transport is controlled by advection in open and connected fractures and by matrix diffusion that may be enhanced by chemical weathering of the fracture walls. These phenomena may lead to non-Fickian dispersion characterized by early tracer arrival time, late-time tailing on the breakthrough curves and potential scale effect on transport processes. Here we investigate the scale dependency of these processes by analyzing a series of convergent and push-pull tracer experiments with distance of investigation ranging from 4m to 41m in shallow fractured granite. The small and intermediate distances convergent experiments display a non-Fickian tailing, characterized by a -2 power law slope. However, the largest distance experiment does not display a clear power law behavior and indicates possibly two main pathways. The push-pull experiments show breakthrough curve tailing decreases as the volume of investigation increases, with a power law slope ranging from -3 to -2.3 from the smallest to the largest volume. The multipath model developed by Becker and Shapiro (2003) is used here to evaluate the hypothesis of the independence of flow pathways. The multipath model is found to explain the convergent data, when increasing local dispersivity and reducing the number of pathways with distance which suggest a transition from non-Fickian to Fickian transport at fracture scale. However, this model predicts an increase of tailing with push-pull distance, while the experiments show the opposite trend. This inconsistency may suggest the activation of cross channel mass transfer at larger volume of investigation, which leads to non-reversible heterogeneous advection with scale. This transition from independent channels to connected channels when the volume of investigation increases suggest that both convergent and push-pull breakthrough curves can inform the existence of characteristic length scales.

In the perspective of a temporal and spatial exploration of aquatic environments (surface and groundwater), we developed a technique for field continuous measurements of dissolved gases with a precision better than 1% for N, O, CO, He, Ar, 2% for Kr, 8% for Xe, and 3% for CH, NO and Ne. With a large resolution (from 1 × 10 to 1 × 10 ccSTP/g) and a capability of high frequency analysis (1 measure every 2 s), the CF-MIMS (Continuous Flow Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer) is an innovative tool allowing the investigation of a large panel of hydrological and biogeochemical processes in aquatic systems. Based on the available MIMS technology, this study introduces the development of the CF-MIMS (conception for field experiments, membrane choices, ionization) and an original calibration procedure allowing the quantification of mass spectral overlaps and temperature effects on membrane permeability. This study also presents two field applications of the CF-MIMS involving the well-logging of dissolved gases and the implementation of groundwater tracer tests with dissolved He. The results demonstrate the analytical capabilities of the CF-MIMS in the field. Therefore, the CF-MIMS is a valuable tool for the field characterization of biogeochemical reactivity, aquifer transport properties, groundwater recharge, groundwater residence time and aquifer-river exchanges from few hours to several weeks experiments.

International audienceDue to extensive irrigation, most crystalline aquifers of south India are overexploited. Aquifer structure consists of an upper weathered saprolite followed by a fractured zone whose fracture density decreases with depth. To achieve sustainable management, the evolution of hydrodynamic parameters (transmissivity and storage coefficient) by depth in the south Indian context should be quantified. Falling-head borehole permeameter tests, injection tests, flowmeter profiles, single-packer tests and pumping tests were carried out in the unsaturated saprolite and saturated fractured granite. Results show that the saprolite is poorly transmissive (T fs = 3 × 10–7 to 8.5 × 10–8 m2 s–1) and that the most conductive part of the aquifer corresponds to the bottom of the saprolite and the upper part of the fractured rock (T = 1.0 × 10–3 to 7.0 × 10–4 m2 s–1). The transmissivity along the profile is mostly controlled by two distinct conductive zones without apparent vertical hydraulic connection. The transmissivity and storage coefficient both decrease with depth depending on the saturation of the main fracture zones, and boreholes are not exploitable after a certain depth (27.5 m on the investigated section). The numerous investigations performed allow a complete quantification with depth of the hydrodynamic parameters along the weathering profile, and a conceptual model is presented. Hydrograph observations (4 years) are shown to be relevant as a first-order characterization of the media and diffusivity evolution with depth. The evolution of these hydrodynamic parameters along the profile has a great impact on groundwater prospecting, exploitation and transport properties in such crystalline rock aquifers

Fractured bedrock reservoirs are of socio‐economical importance, as they may be used for storage or retrieval of fluids and energy. In particular, the hydromechanical behavior of fractures needs to be understood as it has implications on flow and governs stability issues (e.g., microseismicity). Laboratory, numerical, or field experiments have brought considerable insights to this topic. Nevertheless, in situ hydromechanical experiments are relatively uncommon, mainly because of technical and instrumental limitations. Here we present the early stage development and validation of a novel approach aiming at capturing the integrated hydromechanical behavior of natural fractures. It combines the use of surface tiltmeters to monitor the deformation associated with the periodic pressurization of fractures at depth in crystalline rocks. Periodic injection and withdrawal advantageously avoids mobilizing or extracting significant amounts of fluid, and it hinders any risk of reservoir failure. The oscillatory perturbation is intended to (1) facilitate the recognition of its signature in tilt measurements and (2) vary the hydraulic penetration depth in order to sample different volumes of the fractured bedrock around the inlet and thereby assess scale effects typical of fractured systems. By stacking tilt signals, we managed to recover small tilt amplitudes associated with pressure‐derived fracture deformation. Therewith, we distinguish differences in mechanical properties between the three tested fractures, but we show that tilt amplitudes are weakly dependent on pressure penetration depth. Using an elastic model, we obtain fracture stiffness estimates that are consistent with published data. Our results should encourage further improvement of the method.

Experimental characterization of thermal transport in fractured media through thermal tracer tests is crucial for environmental and industrial applications such as the prediction of geothermal system efficiency. However, such experiments have been poorly achieved in fractured rock due to the low permeability and complexity of these media. We have thus little knowledge about the effect of flow configuration on thermal recovery during thermal tracer tests in such systems. We present here the experimental set up and results of several single-well thermal tracer tests for different flow configurations, from fully convergent to perfect dipole, achieved in a fractured crystalline rock aquifer at the experimental site of Plœmeur (H+ observatory network). The monitoring of temperature using Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (FO-DTS) associated with appropriate data processing allowed to properly highlight the heat inflow in the borehole and to estimate temperature breakthroughs for the different tests. Results show that thermal recovery is mainly controlled by advection processes in convergent flow configuration while in perfect dipole flow field, thermal exchanges with the rock matrix are more important, inducing lower thermal recovery.

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