Monitoring artificially stimulated fluid movement in the Cretaceous Dakota aquifer, western Kansas

Aquifer properties can be evaluated by monitoring artificially stimulated fluid movements between wells, if the fluid is heated. Changes in the temperature profile recorded in observation wells indicate the flow path of the heated fluid, which in effect acts as a tracer. A fluid-flow experiment in t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrogeology journal 2002-12, Vol.10 (6), p.662-673
Main Authors: Macfarlane, Allen, Förster, Andrea, Merriam, Daniel, Schrötter, Jörg, Healey, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquifers
Conductivity
Cretaceous
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Fluids
Geophysics
Groundwater flow
Heated water
Heterogeneity
Hydrology
Injection
Monitoring
Monitoring methods
Movement
Observation wells
Optical pumping
Pumping tests
Sandstone
Thermal properties
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Aquifer properties can be evaluated by monitoring artificially stimulated fluid movements between wells, if the fluid is heated. Changes in the temperature profile recorded in observation wells indicate the flow path of the heated fluid, which in effect acts as a tracer. A fluid-flow experiment in the Cretaceous Dakota Formation at the Hodgeman County site, west-central Kansas, demonstrated the advantage of using the distributed optical-fiber temperature sensing method for monitoring transient temperature conditions in this hydrological application. The fluid flow in the aquifer was increased by producing water from a pumping well and injecting heated water in an injection well 13 m (43 ft) distant from the pumping well. The time-temperature series data obtained and compared with results from previous pumping tests point to interwell heterogeneity of the aquifer and to a zone in the sandstone aquifer of high hydraulic conductivity. However, the experiment would have allowed further clarification of aquifer heterogeneity and thermal properties if at least one observation well had been present between the injection and production wells.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1431-2174
1435-0157
DOI:10.1007/s10040-002-0223-7