[en] Measurement of groundwater fluxes is the basis of all hydrogeological study, from hydraulics characterization to the most advanced reactive transport modelling. Usual groundwater fluxes estimation with Darcy’s law may lead to cumulated errors on spatial variability, especially in fractured aquifers where local direct measurement of groundwater fluxes becomes necessary.
In the present study, both classical Point Dilution Method (PDM) and Finite Volume Point Dilution Method (FVPDM) are compared on the fractured crystalline aquifer of Ploemeur, France. The manipulation includes the first use of the FVPDM in a fractured aquifer using a double packer. This configuration limits the vertical extend of the tested zone to target a precise fracture zone of the aquifer. The result of this experiment is a continuous monitoring of groundwater fluxes that lasted for more than 4 days.
Measurements of groundwater flow rate in the fracture (Qt) by PDM provide good estimates only if the mixing volume (Vw) (volume of water in which the tracer is mixed) is precisely known. Conversely, the FVPDM allows for an independent estimation of Vw and Qt, leading to better precision in case of complex experimental setup such as the one used. The precision of a PDM does not rely on the duration of the experiment while a FVPDM may require long experimental duration to guarantees a good precision.
Classical PDM should then be used for rapid estimation of groundwater flux using simple experimental setup. On the other hand, the FVPDM is a more precise method that has a great potential for development but may require longer duration experiment to achieve a good precision if the groundwater fluxes investigated are low and/or the mixing volume is large.
Disciplines :
Geological, petroleum & mining engineering
Author, co-author :
Jamin, Pierre ; Université de Liège > Département ArGEnCo > Hydrogéologie & Géologie de l'environnement
Goderniaux, Pascal; Université de Mons - UMONS
Bour, Olivier; Université de Rennes 1
Le Brogne, Tanguy; Université de Rennes 1
Englert, Andreas; Rhur Universität Bochum
Longuevergne, Laurent; Université de Rennes 1
Brouyère, Serge ; Université de Liège > Département ArGEnCo > Hydrogéologie & Géologie de l'environnement
Language :
English
Title :
Contribution of the Finite Volume Point Dilution Method for measurement of groundwater fluxes in a fractured aquifer
Publication date :
2015
Journal title :
Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
ISSN :
0169-7722
Publisher :
Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pages :
244–255
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
ULiège - Université de Liège [BE] Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (Communauté française de Belgique) - F.R.S.-FNRS no. 1.5060.12 INTERREG Climawat H+ network ANR project CRITEX ANR-11-EQPX-0011
R.J. Brainerd, and G.A. Robbins A tracer dilution method for fracture characterization in bedrock wells Ground Water 42 5 2004 774 780
J. Bright, F. Wang, and M. Close Influence of the amount of available K data on uncertainty about contaminant transport prediction Ground Water 40 5 2002 529 534
S. Brouyère Modeling tracer injection and well-aquifer interactions: a new mathematical and numerical approach Water Resour. Res. 39 3 2003 1070 1075
S. Brouyère, G. Carabin, and A. Dassargues Influence of injection conditions on field tracer experiments Ground Water 43 3 2005 389 400
S. Brouyère, J. Batlle-Aguilar, P. Goderniaux, and A. Dassargues A new tracer technique for monitoring groundwater fluxes: the finite volume point dilution method J. Contam. Hydrol. 95 3-4 2008 121 140
J.F. Devlin, and C.D. McElwee Effects of measurement error on horizontal hydraulic gradient estimates Ground Water 45 1 2007 62 73
C. Dorn, N. Linde, T. Le Borgne, O. Bour, and M. Klepikova Inferring transport characteristics in a fractured rock aquifer by combining single-hole ground-penetrating radar reflection monitoring and tracer test data Water Resour. Res. 48 11 2012 W11521 10.1029/2011WR011739
W. Drost, D. Klotz, A. Koch, H. Moser, F. Neumaier, and W. Rauert Point dilution methods of investigating ground water flow by means of radioisotopes Water Resour. Res. 4 1 1968 125 146
D. Fasbender, L. Peeters, P. Bogaert, and A. Dassargues Bayesian data fusion applied to water table spatial mapping Water Resour. Res. 44 12 2008 W12422 10.1029/2008WR006921
A. Ghorbani, C. Camerlynck, N. Florsch, P. Cosenza, and A. Revil Bayesian inference of the Cole-Cole parameters from time- and frequency-domain induced polarization Geophys. Prospect. 55 2007 589 605 10.1111/j.1365-2478.2007.00627.x
P. Goderniaux, S. Brouyere, A. Gutierrez, and N. Baran Multi-tracer tests to evaluate the hydraulic setting of a complex aquifer system (Brévilles Spring Catchment, France) Hydrogeol. J. 18 7 2010 1729 1740
S.H. Hall Practical single-well tracer methods for aquifer testing Workshop Netbook, Tenth National Outdoor Action Conference and Exposition 1996 (11 pp.)
K. Hatfield, M.D. Annable, J. Cho, P.S.C. Rao, and H. Klammler A direct passive method for measuring water and contaminant fluxes in porous media J. Contam. Hydrol. 75 3-4 2004 155 181
E. Halevy, H. Moser, O. Zellhofer, and A. Zuber Borehole dilution techniques a critical review Isotope in Hydrology 1967 I.A.E.A. Vienna 531 564
J. Huang, and M.N. Goltz A three-dimensional analytical model to simulate groundwater flow during operation of recirculating wells J. Hydrol. 314 2005 67 77
W.J. Kaufman, and D.K. Todd Application of tritium tracer to canal seepage measurements International Atomic Energy Agency, Tritium in the Physical and Biological Sciences 1 1962 83 94
M.V. Klepikova, T. Le Borgne, O. Bour, K. Gallagher, R. Hochreutener, and N. Lavenant Passive temperature tomography experiments in fractured media J. Hydrol. 512 2014 549 562 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.03.018
D. Klotz, H. Moser, and P. Trimborn Single borehole techniques present status and examples of recent applications Isotope in Hydrology 1979 I.A.E.A. Neuherberg 150 179
T. Le Borgne, O. Bour, F. Paillet, and J.P. Caudal Assessment of preferential flow path connectivity and hydraulic properties at single-borehole and cross-borehole scales in a fractured aquifer J. Hydrol. 328 1-2 2006 347 359 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.12.029
T. Le Borgne, O. Bour, M.S. Riley, P. Gouze, P.A. Pezard, A. Belghoul, G. Lods, and et al. Comparison of alternative methodologies for identifying and characterizing preferential flow paths in heterogeneous aquifers J. Hydrol. 345 3-4 2007 134 148 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.07.007
K.S. Novakowski, P. Lapcevic, J. Voralek, and G. Bickerton Preliminary interpretation of tracer experiments conducted in a discrete rock fracture under conditions of natural flow Geophys. Res. Lett. 22 11 1995 1417 1420
K. Novakowski, P. Lapcevic, J. Voralek, and E. Sudicky A note on a method for measuring the transport properties of a formation using a single well Water Resour. Res. 34 5 1998 1351 1356 10.1029/98WR00292
K.S. Novakowski, G. Bickerton, P. Lapcevic, J. Voralek, and N. Ross Measurements of groundwater velocity in discrete rock fractures J. Contam. Hydrol. 82 1-2 2006 44 60 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2005.09.001
M. Pitrak, S. Mares, and M. Kobr A simple borehole dilution technique in measuring horizontal ground water flow Ground Water 45 1 2007 89 92
T. Read, O. Bour, V. Bense, T. Le Borgne, P. Goderniaux, M.V. Klepikova, R. Hochreutener, N. Lavenant, and V. Boschero Characterizing groundwater flow and heat transport in fractured rock using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing Geophys. Res. Lett. 40 10 2013 2055 2059
T. Sale, G.R. Taylor, G. Iltis, and M. Lyverse Measurement of LNAPL flow using single-well tracer dilution techniques Ground Water 45 5 2007 569 578 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2007.00337.x
A. Tarantola, and B. Valette Inverse problems = quest for information J. Geophys. 50 1982 159 170
L.J. West, and N.E. Odling Characterization of a multilayer aquifer using open well dilution tests Ground Water 45 1 2007 74 84 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00262.x
Y. Zha, T.-C.J. Yeh, D. Mao, J. Yang, and W. Lu Usefulness of flux measurements during hydraulic tomographic survey for mapping hydraulic conductivity distribution in a fractured medium Adv. Water Resour. 71 2014 162 176
V.A. Zlotnik, and B.R. Zurbuchen Field study of hydraulic conductivity in a heterogeneous aquifer: comparison of single-borehole measurements using different instruments Water Resour. Res. 39 4 2003 WR001415 (12 pp.)