Hydrologic testing during drilling: application of the flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging method to drilling of a deep borehole

Drilling of a deep borehole does not normally allow for hydrologic testing during the drilling period. It is only done when drilling experiences a large loss (or high return) of drilling fluid due to penetration of a large-transmissivity zone. The paper proposes the possibility of conducting flowing fluid electrical conductivity (FFEC) logging during the drilling period, with negligible impact on the drilling schedule, yet providing important information on depth locations of both high- and low-transmissivity zones and their hydraulic properties. The information can be used to guide downhole fluid sampling and post-drilling detailed testing of the borehole. The method has been applied to the drilling of a 2,500-m borehole at Åre, central Sweden, firstly when the drilling reached 1,600 m, and then when the drilling reached the target depth of 2,500 m. Results unveil eight hydraulically active zones from 300 m down to borehole bottom, with depths determined to within the order of a meter. Further, the first set of data allows the estimation of hydraulic transmissivity values of the six hydraulically conductive zones found from 300 to 1,600 m, which are very low and range over one order of magnitude.     

利用成像测井资料分析汶川地震断裂带科学钻探3号孔(WFSD-3)裂缝特征

WFSD-3孔是汶川地震断裂带科学钻探主要钻孔之一,全井段(终孔深度1 502.30 m)实施了连续取心(累计取心进尺1 548.44 m)和测井作业。采集到的成像测井资料包含丰富的原位地质特征信息,对裂缝、破碎带识别和构造应力场分析具有重要作用。利用该钻孔的电阻率成像测井和超声成像测井资料,结合岩心资料进行了裂缝特征分析。结果表明,WFSD-3孔岩层高角度斜交缝最为发育,其次是低角度斜交缝,垂直缝和水平缝极少;25～200 m和900～1 000 m深度范围内裂缝尤为发育;不同深度的裂缝倾向存在明显差异:410 m之上主要分布于260°～290°,410～730m集中于330°～360°,730～960 m主要分布于210°～240°,960～1 185 m与410 m之上基本一致,1 410～1 450 m与前述各深度段不同,集中于180°～200°;裂缝与破碎带、层理密切相关,宏观分布受构造控制。     

超深涌水钻孔的钻探工艺及水文地质试验方法研究

C4Z—G-05孔为某铁路高黎贡山隧道工程勘察钻孔,钻孔深度1075．5m。钻探过程中分别在孔深288～400m和611～724m穿过落差大于100m的断裂构造破碎带,并出现涌水及漏水现象,施工难度大,水文地质试验难以进行。据此,采取了合理的施工顺序,并根据钻进时的机械设备及钻进情况及时调控钻进参数;针对不同的地层,选用不同的泥浆类型,从而顺利的完成了该孔钻探工作。在水文地质试验中,对松散层潜水,采取了抽水试验,对两个断裂带,适时的运用观测涌水量和压力水头及涌水试验的方法,并选择适宜的计算公式,较好的完成了该孔的水文地质参数的计算工作．取得了良好的效果。     

Prediction of hydraulically transmissive fractures using geological and geophysical attributes: a case history from the mid Jhuoshuei River basin, Taiwan

The feasibility of using geological and geophysical well-log and borehole-televiewer data for the identification of hydraulically transmissive fractures is evaluated. Twenty-nine boreholes were drilled to a depth of 100?m in the middle-stream basin of Jhuoshuei River, Taiwan. Four criteria that assist in indicating the potential presence of permeable zones are proposed, including: lower gamma-ray response compared with the average response, divergence of the short normal-resistivity log relative to that of the long one, longer sonic travel time, and the appearance of discernible openings detected with the televiewer. With these, the transmissivities at the predetermined depths were estimated and verified by an in-situ hydraulic test. The statistical results indicate that, particularly in the mountainous area where a complex folded structure with a succession of synclines and anticlines is shown, the interpretation of lithologic conditions is not necessary to identify the presence of a relatively higher-permeability zone. Comparatively, the estimates of porosity and fracture aperture are the necessary premises to the prediction of hydraulically transmissive fractures. A joint consideration of all four criteria is found, allowing a less biased evaluation of the fracture transmissivity.     

Ambient well-bore mixing, aquifer cross-contamination, pumping stress, and water quality from long-screened wells: What is sampled and what is not?

Water quality tests were performed on two long-screened alluvial aquifer wells (15–30 m of screen) that had been completed in a heterogeneous aquifer that exhibits extreme temporal water quality variability. When stressed, the total dissolved solids (TDS) in one well decreased from 10,600 to 3,500 mg/L and in another well the TDS increased from 136 to 2,255 mg/L. Nested short-screened monitoring wells were constructed in chemically distinct horizons affecting each well. Water level measurements and solute and isotopic samples were obtained from the production wells and the monitoring wells during a water quality test. Results of a time drawdown tests demonstrate transmissivity differences between horizons. Ambient water quality in the production wells and aquifer cross-contamination are controlled by well-bore mixing due to head differences of as little as 0.01 m between chemically distinct horizons which are linked by the production well screen. During non-stress periods, the ambient well-bore chemistry is controlled by the horizon with the greatest hydraulic head, whereas during stressed conditions, horizon transmissivity controls the well-bore chemistry. In one well, aquifer cross-contamination, driven by an ambient head differential of 1.2 m, persisted until about 1,600 well-bore volumes were purged.     

Detection and characterization of hydraulically active fractures in a carbonate aquifer: results from self-potential, temperature and fluid electrical conductivity logging in the Combioula hydrothermal system in the southwestern Swiss Alps

A geophysical and geochemical study has been conducted in a fractured carbonate aquifer located at Combioula in the southwestern Swiss Alps with the objective to detect and characterize hydraulically active fractures along a 260-m-deep borehole. Hydrochemical analyses, borehole diameter, temperature and fluid electrical conductivity logging data were integrated in order to relate electrokinetic self-potential signals to groundwater flow inside the fracture network. The results show a generally good, albeit locally variable correlation of variations of the self-potential signals with variations in temperature, fluid electrical conductivity and borehole diameter. Together with the hydrochemical evidence, which was found to be critical for the interpretation of the self-potential data, these measurements not only made it possible to detect the hydraulically active fractures but also to characterize them as zones of fluid gain or fluid loss. The results complement the available information from the corresponding litholog and illustrate the potential of electrokinetic self-potential signals in conjunction with temperature, fluid electrical conductivity and hydrochemical analyses for the characterization of fractured aquifers, and thus may offer a perspective for an effective quantitative characterization of this increasingly important class of aquifers and geothermal reservoirs.     

High-frequency induction data affected by biopolymer-based drilling fluids

Biopolymer-based drilling fluids affect data of high-frequency isoparametric induction logging. Highly conductive fluid invaded into drilling-induced flaws produces zones of high resistivity contrasts. Thus the logs acquire new features that never appear in drilling with argillic mud. These effects have been simulated with regard to high resistivity contrasts for the case of flawed borehole walls, and the modeling results were checked against experimental data.     

The identification of fault zones in deep karst aquifer of North China coal mine using parallel directional well logs

Water inrush from Ordovician karst aquifer in North China coal mine has become a key issue on underground coal mining. To address this problem, it is necessary to identify fault zones, because fault zones might connect limestone aquifers and coal seams, enabling Ordovician karst water to enter the mine. In the study area, a series of parallel directional holes were drilled along Ordovician limestone at depths between 70 and 90 m under Ordovician limestone boundary. To conveniently detect fault zones and govern mine water disasters, a series of natural gamma-ray logging while drilling (GRLWD) were undertaken. The entire detecting region can be comprehensively covered by several directional borehole groups. Then, fast Fourier transform and short-time Fourier transform approaches were employed on the basis of GRLWD data and geological data to extract faults information. A segmented identification method for deep fault zones was established in this study. This method can be used to markedly improve the identification of fault zones within Ordovician limestone or the unitary lithology formation and provide crucial information relevant for deep coal mining safety.     

深部条带开采覆岩“三带”探测及量化评判

为研究深部条带开采覆岩裂隙发育高度这一采空塌陷区治理中的关键技术问题，综合运用工程地质钻探、钻孔电视与煤田测井3种方法对济宁煤田某煤矿覆岩采动裂隙进行探测与分析。结果表明:缓倾斜（煤层平均倾角6°）、深埋（平均埋深538 m）、采留比1:2（采50 m留100 m）的条带式采动下，覆岩“三带”特征显著，空间整体呈“波浪式”破坏形态，地下采空区无明显空洞；垮落带发育高度为8.45 m，为采高的3.0倍，断裂带发育高度为57.55 m，为采高的20.6倍；覆岩“三带”发育高度判别的8个量化指标中，钻孔电视法比工程地质钻探法、煤田测井法精确度高。探测结果较为准确可靠，为深部条带采空塌陷区治理方案的选择提供依据。      

A numerical investigation to illustrate the consequences of hydraulic connections between granular and fractured-rock aquifers

Natural or artificial hydraulic connections between a granular aquifer in contact with a fractured-rock aquifer can have significant physical and chemical impacts at both a local and a regional scale. In this study, numerical simulations are conducted in order to illustrate the hydrogeological consequences of such hydraulic relationships. The numerical investigation, based on a conceptual model, focuses on the effects of the hydraulic connections when conducting a pumping test in a well that is set into a granular confined aquifer overlying a fractured-rock aquifer which presents a few fractures directly connected to the granular aquifer. It is illustrated that when interpreting the pumping test with the conventional methods consisting of plotting the drawdown versus time, a bias is introduced on the estimation of the transmissivity of the granular aquifer due to groundwater flowing from the fractured-rock aquifer via connecting fractures. However, it is underlined that plotting drawdown log-derivative versus time helps to diagnose the existence of these hydraulic relationships and therefore avoids committing a bias on the transmissivity estimation of the granular aquifer. Numerical simulation results also illustrate that hydraulic connections between the two aquifers can have significant impacts on the hydrogeochemical signature of the granular aquifer under investigation.     

The bailer test: a simple effective pumping test for assessing borehole success

A new pumping test method has been designed around the practical requirements of those working in rural water-supply projects in developing countries. The bailer test needs only simple equipment and can be completed in under 1 h. The test involves removing 20–50 bails from a borehole over a 10-min period and then measuring the recovery. The test is analysed using large-diameter-well analysis (which accounts for well storage) and is appropriate for testing low productivity aquifers (transmissivity 0.1–10 m² d^–1), where water levels are shallow (<20 m depth). The bailer test was developed and trialled in a rural water supply project in Nigeria where it was found to predict similar transmissivity to 5-h constant rate tests (r²=0.9). Analysis of the test was further simplified to provide guidelines for field staff such as community health workers. The likelihood of a borehole sustaining a handpump for 250 people can be indicated by measuring the maximum drawdown and time for 50 and 75% recovery from a bailer test and comparing to a simple table. This simplified test is now being used in this and other rural water-supply projects, and has been modified to indicate whether a borehole can sustain higher yields for small-scale irrigation.     

Geophysical response of filled sinkholes,soil pipes and associated bedrock fractures in thinly mantled karst,east-central Illinois

Karst aquifers are often protected by a thin mantle of unconsolidated sediment. Soil pipes and sinkholes may breach this natural protective barrier and open pathways for contaminants to quickly reach bedrock aquifers. Geophysical surveys offer a quick and noninvasive way to identify these features; such surveys may also be sequenced to reveal increasing detail in critical areas. At a study site in east-central Illinois, electromagnetic (EM) surveys mapped high conductivity anomalies over filled sinkholes and soil pipes that penetrated the unconsolidated cover. Two-dimensional inverted resistivity sections, made over these anomalies, depict filled sinkholes and soil pipes as conductive zones above deeply weathered bedrock fractures. Borings verified the geophysical models and suggest high conductivities associated with the filled sinkholes are the result of enhanced moisture near active soil pipes. EM surveys also identified conductive zones in the overburden above a probable bedrock fracture linking sinkhole areas 0.5 km apart. Resistivity and EM methods, used in a phased and sequential manner, thus proved useful in mapping filled sinkholes and in delineating the vertical and lateral connections between soil pipes and hydraulically active bedrock fractures.     

Fracture and bedding plane control on groundwater flow in a chalk aquitard

Shallow groundwater in the northern Negev desert of Israel flows preferentially through a complex system of discontinuities. These discontinuities intersect what would otherwise be a massive, low-conductivity, high-porosity Eocene chalk. Vertical fractures and horizontal bedding planes were observed and mapped along approximately 1,200 m of scanline, 600 m of core and 30 two-dimensional trace planes. A bimodal distribution of size exists for the vertical fractures which occur as both single-layer fractures and multi-layer fractures. A bimodal distribution of log transmissivity was observed from slug tests conducted in packed-off, vertical intervals within the saturated zone. The different flow characteristics between the horizontal bedding planes and vertical-type fractures appear to be the cause of the bimodality. Two distinct conceptual models (discrete fracture network) were developed based on the fracture orientation, size, intensity and transmissivity statistics derived from field data. A correlation between fracture size and hydraulic aperture was established as the basis for calibrating the simulated model transmissivity to the field observations. This method of defining transmissivity statistically based on prior information is shown to be a reasonable and workable alternative to the usual conjecture approach towards defining transmissivity in a fractured-rock environment.     

A field study (Massachusetts, USA) of the factors controlling the depth of groundwater flow systems in crystalline fractured-rock terrain

Groundwater movement and availability in crystalline and metamorphosed rocks is dominated by the secondary porosity generated through fracturing. The distributions of fractures and fracture zones determine permeable pathways and the productivity of these rocks. Controls on how these distributions vary with depth in the shallow subsurface (<300 m) and their resulting influence on groundwater flow is not well understood. The results of a subsurface study in the Nashoba and Avalon terranes of eastern Massachusetts (USA), which is a region experiencing expanded use of the fractured bedrock as a potable-supply aquifer, are presented. The study logged the distribution of fractures in 17 boreholes, identified flowing fractures, and hydraulically characterized the rock mass intersecting the boreholes. Of all fractures encountered, 2.5% are hydraulically active. Boreholes show decreasing fracture frequency up to 300 m depth, with hydraulically active fractures showing a similar trend; this restricts topographically driven flow. Borehole temperature profiles corroborate this, with minimal hydrologically altered flow observed in the profiles below 100 m. Results from this study suggest that active flow systems in these geologic settings are shallow and that fracture permeability outside of the influence of large-scale structures will follow a decreasing trend with depth.     

A comparison of fracture transmissivities in granite water wells before and after hydrofracturing

In many regions of the world, crystalline bedrock aquifers are the only choice for groundwater supply. This is the case in northern Wisconsin, located in the upper Midwest of the continental United States. Here, groundwater flow to wells occurs only through fractures in the granitic basement. Although hydrofracturing of these wells is common and generally increases well yield, the precise mechanism for the increased yields remained unknown. Stressed and ambient flow logs were obtained in two 305-m-deep granitic boreholes in northern Wisconsin prior to hydrofracturing. From those logs, it was determined that nearly all of the groundwater flow to the boreholes occurred in less than 10 fractures in the upper 80 m, with no measureable contribution below that depth. Following hydrofracturing of the boreholes, stressed and ambient flow logs were again obtained. The transmissivity of the two boreholes increased by factors of 8.6 and 63 times. It was found that (1) the fractures that had contributed flow to the boreholes increased in transmissivity, (2) although the applied pressures were large enough in some instances to create new fractures, those new fractures did not increase the borehole transmissivities significantly, and (3) fractures without measureable flow before hydrofracturing remained without measureable flow. Hydrofracturing increases yield in granitic boreholes; however, that increase seems to only occur in fractures where flow was pre-existing and in the upper 80 m of the boreholes. These observations suggest that efforts to enhance yield in granitic aquifers should be focused on the upper part of the borehole.     

木里地区水合物钻孔井壁构造裂缝特征

木里地区三露天井田断层发育、岩性复杂,且钻探结果揭示水合物主要赋存于地层裂缝中,因此,笔者专门利用声成像测井资料对三露天井田水合物钻孔井壁构造裂缝进行研究,明确了研究区构造裂缝的成像测井响应特征,并从裂缝线密度、倾角、倾向等方面对裂缝的分布特征进行了分析讨论。结果表明:(1)研究区水合物钻孔井壁裂缝发育,倾角以高角度为主,低角度次之,水平裂缝与高角度裂缝少见;冻土层及以上裂缝较冻土层以下更为发育。(2)研究区裂缝主要走向与地层断裂走向基本一致或小角度斜交,裂缝的发育受断层控制明显。(3)研究区裂缝倾角相对较大,不利于烃类气体的大量聚集,这可能是该区域钻孔少见水合物的原因之一。     

王府断陷火石岭组火山岩储层裂缝特征与分布规律

以岩芯裂缝和薄片资料为基础,结合成像测井技术和地震资料研究王府断陷火石岭组火山岩储层裂缝特征及分布规律。该区火山岩储层发育原生裂缝和构造-后生裂缝,原生裂缝张开度小,对改善储层意义不大;而构造-后生裂缝张开度大,延伸较远,能提高储层的储渗能力。通过FMI成像测井可识别出高导缝、高阻缝、微裂缝和钻井诱导缝,其中高导缝和微裂缝一般为有效裂缝。根据高导缝走向和构造特征,将研究区火山岩储层裂缝分为3个区:北部区、中部区和南部区,其中北部区和南部区受顺直断裂控制,高导缝具有两个优势走向;中部区受交叉断裂控制,高导缝为一个优势走向。中部区裂缝平均密度最高,倾角属性也显示为有利裂缝区,可以作为勘探和井位部署的重点区域。     

Hydraulic conductivity distribution in crystalline rocks, derived from inflows to tunnels and galleries in the Central Alps, Switzerland

Inflow data from 23 tunnels and galleries, 136 km in length and located in the Aar and Gotthard massifs of the Swiss Alps, have been analyzed with the objective (1) to understand the 3-dimensional spatial distribution of groundwater flow in crystalline basement rocks, (2) to assess the dependency of tunnel inflow rate on depth, tectonic overprint, and lithology, and (3) to derive the distribution of fracture transmissivity and effective hydraulic conductivity at the 100-m scale. Brittle tectonic overprint is shown to be the principal parameter regulating inflow rate and dominates over depth and lithology. The highest early time inflow rate is 1,300 l/s and has been reported from a shallow hydropower gallery intersecting a 200-m wide cataclastic fault zone. The derived lognormal transmissivity distribution is based on 1,361 tunnel intervals with a length of 100 m. Such interval transmissivities range between 10^?9 and 10^?1 m²/s within the first 200–400 m of depth and between 10^?9 and 10^?4 m²/s in the depth interval of 400–1,500 m below ground surface. Outside brittle fault zones, a trend of decreasing transmissivity/hydraulic conductivity with increasing depth is observed for some schistous and gneissic geological units, whereas no trend is identified for the granitic units.     

复合衬垫土工膜褶皱网络水力连通性分析方法

褶皱的水力连通长度是复合褶皱渗漏量评估的关键参数,褶皱网络的水力连通性分析还缺乏客观高效的分析方法。基于对漏洞周围水头分布的简化,提出以搜索长度为标准判定褶皱间水力连通性。通过将褶皱线段化,建立了褶皱网络连通性数字化分析方法,并编制了相应的分析程序,研究了该方法在文献报道的褶皱网络和处于良好状态的GM/GCL（土工膜/土工复合膨润土垫）衬垫中的应用。结果表明：搜索长度的定义给出了判定褶皱间水力连通性的客观标准,能反映衬垫的不同参数（如水头、界面导水系数以及渗透系数等）对褶皱间水力连通性的影响。褶皱线段化使褶皱位置和尺寸的描述更容易,数字化的水力连通分析简便且高效。基于该水力连通性分析方法的渗漏量评估结果偏保守。在进行渗漏量计算时,若假定统一的长度来描述褶皱网络,则需要根据漏洞频率的不同选择不同值。该水力连通性分析方法作为渗漏量评估完全数字化的关键环节,具有重要的应用前景。     

Impact of drilling mud on chemistry and microbiology of an Upper Triassic groundwater after drilling and testing an exploration well for aquifer thermal energy storage in Berlin (Germany)

After completion of an exploration well, sandstones of the Exter Formation were hydraulically tested to determine the hydraulic properties and to evaluate chemical and microbial processes caused by drilling and water production. The aim was to determine the suitability of the formation as a reservoir for aquifer thermal energy storage. The tests revealed a hydraulic conductivity of 1–2 E-5 m/s of the reservoir, resulting in a productivity index of 0.6–1 m³/h/bar. A hydraulic connection of the Exter Formation to the overlaying, artesian “Rupelbasissand” cannot be excluded. Water samples were collected for chemical and microbiological analyses. The water was similarly composed as sea water with a maximum salinity of 24.9 g/L, dominated by NaCl (15.6 g/L Cl and 7.8 g/L Na). Until the end of the tests, the water was affected by drilling mud as indicated by the high pH (8.9) and high bicarbonate concentration (359 mg/L) that both resulted from the impact of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) additives. The high amount of dissolved organic matter (>?58 mg/L) and its molecular-weight distribution pattern indicated that residues of cellulose, an ingredient of the drilling mud, were still present at the end of the tests. Clear evidence of this contamination gave the measured uranine that was added as a tracer into the drilling mud. During fluid production, the microbial community structure and abundance changed and correlated with the content of drilling mud. Eight taxa of sulfate-reducing bacteria, key organisms in processes like bio-corrosion and bio-clogging, were identified. It can be assumed that their activity will be affected during usage of the reservoir.