This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2019
Please use the identifier:
http://hdl.handle.net/2128/23243 in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2019.100036 in citations.
Groundwater age dating in fractured rock using 4 He data
Groundwater age dating in fractured rock using 4 He data
Using environmental tracers to date groundwater age in fractured systems is difficult since mass exchange processes between fractures and matrix might mask the actual distribution of groundwater velocity, thus leading to biased results. Here, we propose an analytical solution to date groundwater age...
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Personal Name(s): | Trinchero, Paolo (Corresponding author) |
---|---|
Sidborn, Magnus / Puigdomenech, Ignasi / Iraola, Aitor / Bosbach, Dirk / Deissmann, Guido | |
Contributing Institute: |
JARA - HPC; JARA-HPC Nukleare Entsorgung; IEK-6 |
Published in: | Journal of hydrology, 4 (2019) S. 100036 |
Imprint: |
Amsterdam [u.a.]
Elsevier
2019
|
DOI: |
10.1016/j.hydroa.2019.100036 |
Document Type: |
Journal Article |
Research Program: |
Understanding coupled reactive transport in fractured crystalline rocks at sub-millimeter scale Nuclear Waste Management |
Link: |
OpenAccess OpenAccess |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Please use the identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2019.100036 in citations.
Using environmental tracers to date groundwater age in fractured systems is difficult since mass exchange processes between fractures and matrix might mask the actual distribution of groundwater velocity, thus leading to biased results. Here, we propose an analytical solution to date groundwater age in fractured media using data. The solution, which is an extension of existing solutions based on linear accumulation methods, decouples the transport equation in the flowing fracture from the diffusion equation in the rock matrix, under the assumption of steady-state conditions. In the proposed analytical solution groundwater age and concentration are linearly related, and the bulk production rate in matrix, scaled by the inverse of fracture volume fraction, is the proportionality constant. This scaling factor accounts for the underlying mass exchange processes between fracture and rock matrix. Moreover, an Equivalent Continuous Porous Medium (ECPM)-based formulation for the numerical assessment of steady-state levels in fractured media is presented and used to test the performance of the proposed dating technique in realistic conditions. |