Earthquakes and very deep groundwater perturbation mutually induced.

We report unique observations from drilling and hydraulic stimulation at a depth of approximately 4.3 km in two Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) wells at the Pohang EGS site, South Korea. We surveyed drilling logs and hydraulic stimulation data, simulated pore pressure diffusion around the fault delineated by seismic and drilling log analyses, conducted acoustic image logging through the EGS wells, observed significant water level drops (740 m) in one of the two EGS wells, and obtained hydrochemical and isotopic variation data in conjunction with the microbial community characteristics of the two EGS wells. We discuss the hydraulic and hydrochemical responses of formation pore water to a few key seismic events near the hypocenter. We focused on how the geochemistry of water that flowed back from the geothermal wells changed in association with key seismic events. These were (1) a swarm of small earthquakes that occurred when a significant circulation mud loss occurred during well drilling, (2) the MW 3.2 earthquake during hydraulic stimulation, and (3) the MW 5.5 main shock two months after the end of hydraulic stimulation. This study highlights the value of real-time monitoring and water chemistry analysis, in addition to seismic monitoring during EGS operation.

Derivative-assisted classification of fractured zones crossing a deep borehole.

In this study, the derivative analysis using the derivative of drawdown with respect to log-time was utilized to determine candidates for hydraulic conductor domains (HCDs). At a 500-m deep borehole in the study site, the fractured rocks crossing the borehole were first classified in fractured and nonfractured zones by core logging and geophysical loggings, such as acoustic televiewing, density, and flow loggings. After conducting the hydraulic tests such as constant head withdrawal and recovery tests at the fractured zones and the nonfractured zones, the derivative analyses were carried out, of which the results were evaluated to determine the candidates for HCDs. For the nonfractured zones, the diagnostic plot has only a big hump indicating poor connection of the background fractures to the permeable geologic media, while those of the candidates for HCDs show various flow regimes. On the basis of these results, the candidates for HCDs among the fractured zones were determined. From discussion on the results, the combination of the spacing analysis and derivative analysis following a hydraulic test is recommended for determining the candidates for HCDs rather than other geophysical loggings.

Wettability-dependent DNAPL migration in a rough-walled fracture.

The effect of wettability on the migration of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) through a rough-walled fracture was investigated. The migration characteristics of DNAPL were found to be strongly dependent on the wettability. For a fracture with a hydrophilic surface, DNAPL migrated through larger apertures as disconnected blobs when the groundwater flow regime was linear (Re=1). However, for non hydrophilic surfaces DNAPL did not migrate in the same way as for the hydrophilic surface. The intermediate-wet surface, with a contact angle of approximately 90 degrees , makes gravity pressure dominant over the capillary pressure, resulting in the fastest DNAPL migration. DNAPL was retained on the hydrophobic fracture, where the capillary barrier of larger apertures forced the DNAPL to migrate through the smaller apertures. In the nonlinear flow regime of Re=60, DNAPL generally migrated downward as a result of the inertial pressure of flowing water for all the wettability conditions, but the local downward migration paths were still determined by the capillary pressure, which resulted in the fastest and slowest migration on the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic fractures, respectively. This study implies that the hydrophilic and intermediate-wet surfaces will be favorable for DNAPL and oil recovery.

Mathematical model for predicting microbial reduction and transport of arsenic in groundwater systems.

A mathematical model was developed for describing the transport of arsenic, coupled with microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes. The biogeochemical characteristics of arsenic reactive transport processes were investigated in both batch and column tests, which showed that As(V) was reduced to As(III) by Shewanella sp., with the reduced arsenic species subsequently removed by precipitation. The breakthrough data obtained from the column experiments were used for the calibration of the arsenic reactive transport model. The reactive transport model, which only incorporated microbial reduction processes, showed a large discrepancy in predicting the observed As(III) concentration profiles, particularly later in the experiments. However, the model matched the experimental data much better with the inclusion of a term describing the precipitation process. Our results indicated that the precipitation reaction can be a major sink during microbially-mediated arsenic reactive transport. The proposed model provides a useful framework for predicting the transport of arsenic in saturated groundwater aquifers.