There is much current interest in determining the flow characteristics of fractures intersecting a well bore in order to provide data for use in estimating the hydrologic behavior of fractured rocks. Inflow rates from these fractures into the well bore are usually very low. Moreover, in most cases only a few percent of the fractures identified by core inspection and geophysical logging actually conduct water, the rest being closed, clogged, or isolated from the water flow system. A new procedure is proposed and a corresponding method of analysis developed to locate water‐conducting fractures and obtain fracture inflow rates by means of a time sequence of electric conductivity logs of the borehole fluid. The physical basis of the analysis method is discussed, and the procedure is applied to an existing set of data, which shows initiation and growth of nine conductivity peaks in a 900‐m section of a 1690‐m borehole, corresponding to nine water‐conducting fractures intersecting the borehole. By applying our analysis to these nine peaks, the flow rates and the salinity of the water from these fractures are determined. These results are used with other information to obtain transmissivities of the nine fractures, which are validated against independent hydraulic measurements by packer tests. The salinities measured in fluids from the fractures are also validated against salinity values obtained by chemical sampling of fluids from different depths of the borehole. The applicability of this technique is discussed in the context of a borehole‐testing program.
The drainage of the north side of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland continuously produces about 100 litres of water per second at about 20 °C. This water is discharged into the local river Kander. In order to protect wetland areas and water rights, the responsible authorities imposed limitations on the quantity of drainage from the tunnel. At the same time, the warming of the Kander by the discharged groundwater has to be limited to 0.5 °C to protect the lake trout from the Thunersee lake, which swim up the Kander to spawn. Particularly in the cold winter months when the water flow in the Kander is low, this requires the withdrawal of about 4 MW of thermal energy, or the cooling of the groundwater by about 10 °C. Instead of artificial cooling, the Tropenhaus Frutigen in combination with a local heating network exploits the warm groundwater for sturgeon farming together with tropical green houses. A high added value is achieved through sustainable use with polycultures, closed circulations and the use of alternative energies. The project has aroused great interest nationally and internationally.
Der Lötschberg‐Basistunnel im Schweizerischen Berner Oberland dräniert auf seiner Nordseite kontinuierlich rund 100 Liter pro Sekunde etwa 20 °C warmes Bergwasser. Dieses Wasser wird in das lokale Fließgewässer, die Kander, eingeleitet. Zum Schutz von Feuchtgebieten und Wasserrechten haben die Behörden die Dränagemenge des Tunnels limitiert. Gleichzeitig musste zum Schutz der Seeforellen aus dem Thunersee, die in die Kander zum Laichen aufsteigen, die Erwärmung der Kander als Folge des eingeleiteten Bergwassers auf 0,5 °C begrenzt werden. Insbesondere in den kalten Wintermonaten mit Niedrigwasser in der Kander erforderte dies den Entzug von rund 4 MW thermischer Energie bzw. eine Abkühlung des Bergwassers um rund 10 °C. An Stelle einer künstlichen Abkühlung nutzt das Tropenhaus Frutigen in Kombination mit einem Nahwärmeverbund das warme Bergwasser in einer mit tropischen Gewächshäusern kombinierten Störzucht. Dank einer nachhaltigen Nutzung mit Polykulturen, geschlossenen Kreisläufen und dem Einsatz von erneuerbarer Energie wird ein hoher Mehrwert erzielt. Das Projekt stößt damit sowohl national als auch international auf großes Interesse.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.