Environmental impact of geothermal fluids on surface water, groundwater and streambed sediments in the Akarcay Basin, Turkey

In this study, the impact of geothermal water on ground and surface waters has been investigated in Akarcay Basin, Turkey. The release of thermal return water from district heating in the city of Afyon and from thermal baths has a considerable environmental impact on the main stream. Historical analyses of stream water quality data show that the present pollution is associated primarily with thermal return water of district heating system. Currently, about 6% of stream water comprises of thermal water. The pollution seems to degrade the water quality in Lake Eber. Streambed sediments were found to be in equilibrium with polluted water and may lead to additional pollution in lake water. Thermal groundwater intrusion to fresh water production wells was detected mainly at sites close to geothermal fields. Solutions to remove thermal water from surface environment are suggested.     

Heterogeneous surface displacement pattern at the Hatchobaru geothermal field inferred from SAR interferometry time-series

We estimated surface displacements using persistent scatterer SAR interferometry (PS-InSAR) around the Hatchobaru geothermal field, Japan, from 18 ALOS/PALSAR images acquired from July 2007 to December 2010. Generally, geothermal fields, covered with natural targets such as rocky terrain and vegetation, have been one of the difficult targets for PS-InSAR analysis. However, we applied space adaptive filtering to increase the number of pixels for measuring surface displacement. The results of our analysis demonstrate ground subsidence with decaying velocity over the observation period around the geothermal field. The spatial pattern of ground subsidence includes sharp boundaries of subsidence that can be interpreted as fault traces. We demonstrated the usefulness of PS-InSAR analysis with the space adaptive filtering to estimate surface displacements with high spatial resolution and high spatial density around a geothermal field.     

Origin and evolution of geothermal fluids from Las Tres Vírgenes and Cerro Prieto fields,Mexico – Co-genetic volcanic activity and paleoclimatic constraints

Major and trace elements, noble gases, and stable (δD, δ¹⁸O) and cosmogenic (³H, ¹⁴C) isotopes were measured from geothermal fluids in two adjacent geothermal areas in NW-Mexico, Las Tres Vírgenes (LTV) and Cerro Prieto (CP). The goal is to trace the origin of reservoir fluids and to place paleoclimate and structural-volcanic constraints in the region. Measured ³He/⁴He (R) ratios normalized to the atmospheric value (R_a = 1.386 × 10⁻⁶) vary between 2.73 and 4.77 and are compatible with mixing between a mantle component varying between 42 and 77% of mantle helium and a crustal, radiogenic He component with contributions varying between 23% and 58%. Apparent U–Th/⁴He ages for CP fluids (0.7–7 Ma) suggest the presence of a sustained ⁴He flux from a granitic basement or from mixing with connate brines, deposited during the Colorado River delta formation (1.5–3 Ma). Radiogenic in situ ⁴He production age modeling at LTV, combined with the presence of radiogenic carbon (1.89 ± 0.11 pmC – 35.61 ± 0.28 pmC) and the absence of tritium strongly suggest the Quaternary infiltration of meteoric water into the LTV geothermal reservoir, ranging between 4 and 31 ka BP. The present geochemical heterogeneity of LTV fluids can be reconstructed by mixing Late Pleistocene – Early Holocene meteoric water (58–75%) with a fossil seawater component (25–42%), as evidenced by Br/Cl and stable isotope trends. CP geothermal water is composed of infiltrated Colorado River water with a minor impact by halite dissolution, whereas a vapor-dominated sample is composed of Colorado River water and vapor from deeper levels. δD values for the LTV meteoric end-member, which are 20‰–44‰ depleted with respect to present-day precipitation, as well as calculated annual paleotemperatures 6.9–13.6 °C lower than present average temperatures in Baja California point to the presence of humid and cooler climatic conditions in the Baja California peninsula during the final stage of the Last Glacial Pluvial period. Quaternary recharge of the LTV geothermal reservoir is related to elevated precipitation rates during cooler-humid climate intervals in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The probable replacement of connate water or pore fluids by infiltrating surface water might have been triggered by enhanced fracture and fault permeability through contemporaneous tectonic–volcanic activity in the Las Tres Vírgenes region. Fast hydrothermal alteration processes caused a secondary, positive δ¹⁸O-shift from 4‰ to 6‰ for LTV and from 2‰ to 4‰ for CP geothermal fluids since the Late Glacial infiltration.     

A note on “Origin of components in Chilean thermal waters” by

Risacher et al. (2011) have presented voluminous data on thermal waters of Chile that is quite appreciable; however, their work still falls short on several counts. The most notable shortcoming of the work is the presentation and treatment of data. The interpretations are based on questionable premises (viz., extent of seawater intrusion) and considerations (viz., using average chemical composition of rock types for geochemical modeling, considering volcanic rocks as the only rock type in contact with the geothermal fluids) and assumptions not always substantiated by facts (with proper references) could have been corroborated. Use of Cl/Br ratio for discrimination purpose is unconvincing, considering the uncertainty in the measurement of low (<1 mg/L) Br concentration.     

The geothermal formation mechanism in the Gonghe Basin: Discussion and analysis from the geological background

The Gonghe Basin, a Cenozoic down-warped basin, is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau, and spread over important nodes of the transfer of multiple blocks in the central orogenic belt in the NWW direction. It is also called “Qin Kun Fork” and “Gonghe Gap”. The basin has a high heat flow value and obvious thermal anomaly. The geothermal resources are mainly hot dry rock and underground hot water. In recent years, the mechanism of geothermal formation within the basin has been controversial. On the basis of understanding the knowledge of predecessors, this paper proposes the geothermal formation mechanism of the “heat source–heat transfer–heat reservoir and caprock–thermal system” of the Gonghe Basin from the perspective of a geological background through data integration-integrated research-expert, discussion-graph, compilation-field verification and other processes: (1) Heat source: geophysical exploration and radioisotope calculations show that the heat source of heat in the basin has both the contribution of mantle and the participation of the earth’s crust, but mainly the contribution of the deep mantle. (2) Heat transfer: The petrological properties of the basin and the exposed structure position of the surface hot springs show that one transfer mode is the material of the mantle source upwells and invades from the bottom, directly injecting heat; the other is that the deep fault conducts the deep heat of the basin to the middle and lower parts of the earth’s crust, then the secondary fracture transfers the heat to the shallow part. (3) Heat reservoir and caprock: First, the convective strip-shaped heat reservoir exposed by the hot springs on the peripheral fault zone of the basin; second, the underlying hot dry rock layered heat reservoir and the upper new generation heat reservoir and caprock in the basin revealed by drilling data. (4) Thermal system: Based on the characteristics of the “heat source-heat transfer-heat reservoir and caprock”, it is preliminarily believed that the Gonghe Basin belongs to the non-magmatic heat source hydrothermal geothermal system (type II2₁) and the dry heat geothermal system (type II2₂). Its favorable structural position and special geological evolutionary history have given birth to a unique environment for the formation of the geothermal system. There may be a cumulative effect of heat accumulation in the eastern part of the basin, which is expected to become a favorable exploration area for hot dry rocks.     

Comparative Study of Acid and Alkaline Stimulants with Granite in an Enhanced Geothermal System

The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) is an artificial geothermal system that aims to economically extract heat from hot dry rock (HDR) through the creation of an artificial geothermal reservoir. Chemical stimulation is thought to be an effective method to create fracture networks and open existing fractures in hot dry rocks by injecting chemical agents into the reservoir to dissolve the minerals. Granite is a common type of hot dry rock. In this paper, a series of chemical stimulation experiments were implemented using acid and alkaline agents under high temperature and pressure conditions that mimic the environment of formation. Granite rock samples used in the experiments are collected from the potential EGS reservoir in the Matouying area, Hebei, China. Laboratory experimental results show that the corrosion ratio per unit area of rock is 3.2% in static acid chemical experiments and 0.51% in static alkaline chemical experiments. The permeability of the core is increased by 1.62 times in dynamic acid chemical experiments and 2.45 times in dynamic alkaline chemical experiments. A scanning electron microscope analysis of the core illustrates that secondary minerals, such as chlorite, spherical silica, and montmorillonite, were formed, due to acid-rock interaction with plagioclase being precipitated by alkaline-rock interactions. Masking agents in alkaline chemical agents can slightly reduce the degree of plagioclase formation. A chemical simulation model was built using TOUGHREACT, the mineral dissolution and associated ion concentration variation being reproduced by this reactive transport model.     

基于水化学特征的“奥灰”地热流体水文地球化学演化机制研究——以济南东部章宁1地热井为例

以章宁1地热井的研究为例,在分析地热水水文地球化学特征基础上,对地热水的化学成分形成进行了研究,并通过与相对补给径流区的西曹范、章桃1地下水水化学特征的比较,研究其演化机理。综合分析认为地热水为沉积岩溶滤水,属于中度变质水,地下水流经火成岩侵入体时溶解了大量的Cl~-及F~-,HSiO~-_3等微量元素,次为地下水与沿文祖断裂上升的深部热液的混合,导致地热水化学类型的改变。深部热液的水化学成分与济南东地热水与深部热液的混合比例有待进一步研究。     

关于山东省地热尾水回灌试验的应用研究

为解决地热水开采利用过程中造成诸如水位下降、热流体排放引起的热污染和化学污染等问题,通过开展地热尾水回灌试验研究,认为在开采深层的地下热水资源的同时,必须进行人工的回灌补源,山东省通过在德州、东营、济南等地开展地热尾水回灌试验工作,效果显著。     

济南北部地热田地热地质特征浅析

济南北部地热田地热资源类型属于层状裂隙岩溶型,热源是北部齐河-广饶断裂的沟通导热,盖层是第四系、新近系、石炭-二叠系、侏罗系.可利用的、具有开发价值的热储层为奥陶系灰岩热储,该热储层顶板埋深在700～2500m左右,热储层厚度由南向北逐渐增大,单井涌水量2000m3/d左右,孔口水温一般在38～57℃,地热田东部地热水矿化度1.4～3.5g/L左右,西部5.1～7.2g/L左右,地热水中富含氟、锶、偏硅酸等微量元素,具腐蚀性,结垢性弱,具较好的开发利用价值.经计算奥陶系热储层单井可采资源量为7.3×105m3/a,合理井间距为5000m.     

聊城西部地热田地热流体特征及开发利用

聊城西部地热田位于山东省莘县凹陷的南部区内,属C1-Na型地下热水。其中锶达到了命名矿水浓度,碘化物、偏硅酸达到了矿水浓度,偏硼酸达到了有医疗价值浓度。地热水中还含有铁、锰、锂等多种对人体有益的微量元素。该区地热井出水量大,出水温度高,具有极大的开发利用前景。