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US 12,618,702 B2Granted
Methods for assessing groundwater flow zones
AssigneeHydro-Ressources Inc.
InventorMichael Verreault
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed a method of assessing a flow of fluid in a borehole. The method comprises dispersing or mixing a tracer in the fluid of a borehole; and measuring a tracer concentration over a plurality of timepoints at a predetermined location in the borehole, wherein a decrease in the tracer concentration over time at said predetermined location indicates the borehole is in fluid communication with a flow of groundwater at or around said predetermined location.
Claims12
A method for characterizing natural hydraulic exchange zones within a water-containing borehole, comprising:
- (a) introducing into the borehole water a tracer element that dissolves or disperses to release a tracer material along substantially the entire water column of the borehole;
- (b) allowing the borehole to remain under ambient hydraulic conditions, without applying any internal hydraulic stress to the borehole water or surrounding formation;
- (c) performing a first measurement of tracer concentration by moving a probe vertically along the borehole at a substantially constant speed to generate a depth-resolved concentration dataset;
- (d) repeating step (c) at two or more subsequent times after the initial tracer release, without further mixing of the borehole water or additional tracer addition, to obtain successive depth-resolved concentration datasets;
- (e) comparing the successive datasets to determine local variations in tracer concentration over time;
- and
- (f) identifying natural hydraulic inflow and outflow zones along the borehole based on the local variations.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.