Ambient vertical flow in long-screen wells: a case study in the Fontainebleau Sands Aquifer (France)

Corcho Alvarado, J. A.; Barbecot, F.; Purtschert, Roland (2009). Ambient vertical flow in long-screen wells: a case study in the Fontainebleau Sands Aquifer (France). Hydrogeology journal, 17(2), pp. 425-431. Hannover: Verlag Heinz Heise 10.1007/s10040-008-0383-1

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A tritium (3H) profile was constructed in a long-screened well (LSW) of the Fontainebleau Sands Aquifer (France), and the data were combined with temperature logs to gain insight into the potential effects of the ambient vertical flow (AVF) of water through the well on the natural aquifer stratification. AVF is commonly taken into account in wells located in fracture aquifers or intercepting two different aquifers with distinct hydraulic heads. However, due to the vertical hydraulic gradient of the flow lines intercepted by wells, AVF of groundwater is a common process within any type of aquifer. The detection of 3H in the deeper parts of the studied well (approximate depth 50 m), where 3H-free groundwater is expected, indicates that shallow young water is being transported downwards through the well itself. The temperature logs show a nearly zero gradient with depth, far below the mean geothermal gradient in sedimentary basins. The results show that the age distribution of groundwater samples might be biased in relation to the age distribution in the surroundings of the well. The use of environmental tracers to investigate aquifer properties, particularly in LSWs, is then limited by the effects of the AVF of water that naturally occurs through the well.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Physics Institute > Climate and Environmental Physics

UniBE Contributor:

Purtschert, Roland

ISSN:

1431-2174

Publisher:

Verlag Heinz Heise

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 15:23

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1007/s10040-008-0383-1

Web of Science ID:

000266008100014

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/37525

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/37525 (FactScience: 208804)

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