Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Geothermal energy is considered as a green and infinite energy source at human scale. Currently, the yield of geothermal power plants is limited to temperatures of the operating fluid which 350 °C. From tectonic and volcanic activity at mid-ocean ridges, Iceland is a location where supercritical fluid extraction (T> 375 °C) can considered for the near future. Exploiting such fluids could theoretically multiply by a factor of ten the electrical power delivered by geothermal wells. Can such fluids circulate at the base of brittle oceanic crust? This work investigates the petrophysical properties of basalts in order to constrain geophysical observations in Iceland and predict the behavior of very high temperature geo-hydrothermal reservoirs. The first approach consisted in studying the physical properties of rocks that have hosted deep hydrothermal circulations at oceanic ridges. The study of these rocks at ODP Site 1256 shows that the porosity measured both in the field and in the lab is associated with amphibolite facies alteration minerals (T> 500 ° C). The second approach was to recreate in the laboratory the conditions of pressure, temperature and pore fluid pressure of high temperature to supercritical hydrothermal systems to predict the mechanical and electrical properties of basalts under these conditions. The mechanical results indicate that the brittle/ductile transition occurs at a temperature of about 550° C, where a strong permeability decrease is expected. The implementation and calibration of a new cell for measuring electrical conductivity at high temperature provide the first results for the interpretation of geophysical data. When applied to basaltic crustal conditions in Iceland, these results indicate that hydrothermal fluids could circulate, at least temporarily, in a supercritical state up to 5 km depth.
La géothermie est considérée comme une source d'énergie propre et inépuisable à échelle humaine. Actuellement, le rendement des centrales géothermiques est limité à l'exploitation de fluides de températures inférieures à 350 °C. L'association de l'activité tectonique et volcanique aux dorsales océaniques fait de l'Islande un lieu où l'extraction de fluides supercritiques (T> 375 °C) peut être envisagée. Cette exploitation pourrait multiplier par dix la puissance électrique délivrée par le système géothermal. Ces fluides peuvent-ils circuler dans la croûte océanique ? Ce travail propose de contraindre les observations géophysiques et de prédire le fonctionnement des réservoirs géo-hydrothermaux de très haute température par l'étude des propriétés physiques des basaltes. La première approche est focalisée sur l'étude de roches ayant accueilli une circulation hydrothermale par le passé. L'étude de ces roches au site ODP 1256, montre que leur porosité est associée à la présence de minéraux d'altération hydrothermale du facies amphibolite (T> 500 °C). La seconde approche a consisté à recréer, en laboratoire, les conditions des systèmes hydrothermaux, à très haute température, afin de prédire les propriétés mécaniques et électriques des basaltes dans ces conditions. Les résultats mécaniques indiquent que la transition fragile/ductile, souvent associée à une forte décroissance de perméabilité, intervient à une température d'environ 550 °C. La mise en place d'une cellule de mesure de la conductivité électrique de haute température a fourni les premiers résultats utiles à l'analyse des données géophysiques. Appliqués aux conditions de la croûte basaltique Islandaise, ces résultats indiquent que des fluides hydrothermaux pourraient circuler au moins transitoirement à l'état supercritique jusqu'à ~ 5 km de profondeur.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00591798

tel-00591798
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00591798
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00591798/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00591798/file/THESE_MV_pro.pdf

Résumé : Le fluide chaud produit par les forages de la centrale géothermique de Bouillante (Guadeloupe) est enrichi en espèces dissoutes telles que la silice qui peuvent précipiter sous forme de dépôts solides lors de son refroidissement et gêner fortement la production électrique. L’un des principaux objectifs de ce travail de thèse a donc été d’améliorer l’état des connaissances sur les conditions physiques, chimiques et cinétiques de la précipitation de la silice amorphe à Bouillante. Après une étude des caractéristiques physico-chimiques des fluides et des dépôts associés au champ de Bouillante, des expériences sur la cinétique de précipitation de la silice, sur site, pour une large gamme de température (25 - 90°C) et de pH (4 - 12) ont été menées et analysées en détail.Pour l’ensemble de ces expériences, seule la polymérisation (réversible) de la silice dissoute, sous forme de suspensions colloïdales très stables en solution, a été observée. La modélisation des données expérimentales de cinétique montre que la vitesse de polymérisation de la silice suit une loi d’ordre 2 vis-à-vis de la silice dissoute jusqu’à l’équilibre en accord avec une dimérisation de la silice. Par contre, durant l’étape initiale de la réaction, une loi d’ordre 4 semble mieux adaptée, suggérant des réactions de polymérisation plus complexes avec formation de tétramères. La température a un effet limité sur la cinétique de polymérisation de la silice comparé à l’effet du pH qui est beaucoup plus important. L’énergie d’activation de la réaction globale est de 41 - 54 kJ pour des pH compris entre 5 et 8.La caractérisation de la silice précipitée a mis en évidence des différences notables entre la structure poreuse de la silice solide prélevée sur les installations de surface et celle de la silice colloïdale obtenue par polymérisation lors des expériences de cinétique, ce qui semble indiquer que des mécanismes différents interviennent dans ces deux contextes de précipitation de la silice dissoute.Le deuxième objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer la possibilité de valoriser la silice extraite de l’eau géothermale de Bouillante dans un procédé de traitement des eaux naturelles par adsorption. Pour cela, les propriétés d’adsorption de la silice géothermale brute et fonctionnalisée par le poly(ethylèneimine) (ou PEI) ont été étudiées pour deux polluants : un colorant, le bleu de méthylène et un métal lourd, le plomb. Les résultats obtenus montrent que la silice brute possède une grande capacité d’adsorption vis-à-vis du bleu de méthylène. En outre, la fonctionnalisation de la silice par le PEI permet d’améliorer sa capacité d’adsorption vis-à-vis du plomb en solution, en accord avec un modèle cinétique du pseudo-second ordre suggérant une chimisorption. Le modèle d’isotherme de Redlich-Peterson est également en très bon accord avec les données expérimentales.
The hot geothermal fluid produced by the geothermal power plant of Bouillante (Guadeloupe) contains various dissolved components such as silica that can precipitate as solid deposits during their cooling and cause serious problems on the electricity generation. One of the aim of this study is to improve the understanding on the physical, chemical and kinetics conditions of the amorphous silica precipitation in the Bouillante geothermal field. After a study on the physical and chemical characteristics of the Bouillante fluids and deposits which can form during their exploitation, experiments on the kinetics of silica precipitation, on site, under a large range of temperature (25 – 90°C) and pH (4 – 12) have been carried out and analyzed in detail.During on site kinetics experimentations only dissolved silica polymerization (reversible) as colloidal gel, very stable in solution, was observed. Modeling of the experimental data showed that the kinetics polymerization is characterized by a 2-order kinetic law relative to dissolved silica until the equilibrium that is consistent with silica dimerization. On the other side, the initial stage of the reaction is better characterized by a 4-order kinetic law that suggested more complex polymerization reactions with tetramers formation.Temperature has a little effect on the polymerization kinetics compared with the pH which has an effect more important. The activation energy of silica precipitation calculated between 25 and 90°C, is about 41 - 54 kJ for pH ranging to 5 - 8.The characterization of the silica precipitate reveals significant differences in the porous structure of the silica collected on the surface installations and the one obtained from kinetic experiments that suggests different precipitation mechanisms. The second objective of this thesis was to evaluate the possibility to promote geothermal silica for the treatment of natural waters containing contaminants by adsorption. Adsorption properties of the untreated and functionalized by poly(ethylèneimine) (ou PEI) geothermal silica have been investigated for two pollutants: a colorant, the methylene blue and a heavy metal, the lead.Results showed that untreated silica has a great adsorption capacity concerning the methylene blue. Besides, silica functionalization by the PEI allows improving the adsorption capacity for lead in solution. The adsorption kinetics curves followed a pseudo-second order model consistent with a chimisorption. The isotherm model of Redlich-Peterson fitted well the experimental data.

http://www.theses.fr/2014AGUY0698/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Despite many studies, our understanding of silica precipitation from natural waters remains limited, in particular for geothermal waters. Here we present a detailed study on the kinetics of silica polymerization as a function of fluid temperature and pH using high-temperature (250-260 °C) seawater-derived geothermal fluids as those discharged from the Bouillante geothermal site.We monitored the on-site decrease in monomeric silica concentration(initial SiO2 concentration of about 600 mg/l)with time using the molybdenum blue spectrophotometric method on samples of separated water collected from the high-pressure separator at 167 °C and cooled to 25, 50, 75, and 90 °C and for pH values ranging from 5 to 8. During all these experiments, only silica polymerization was observed, with the formation of colloidal particles in suspension in the solutions. No scaling of amorphous silica was formed. The collected data were after modeled in order to determine the useful kinetic parameters for predicting and preventing amorphous silica precipitation in the production wells during fluid exploitation in the specific context of Bouillante. Results under the investigated experimental conditions show that the kinetics of silica precipitation is affected more strongly by pH than by temperature change. The reaction in the acidic Bouillante solution begins with a transition period that significantly decreases the kinetics of silica polymerization. Modeling the experimental data indicates that the silica polymerization up to the state of equilibrium is characterized by a 2nd-order kinetic law relative to dissolved silica; this could indicate that the polymerization is controlled mainly by the formation of dimers. However, the first hour of the experiments is better characterized by a 4th-order kinetic law, suggesting more complex polymerization reactions in the initial stage with the formation of nanocolloidal particles containing 3 to 4 monomers. In both cases, the corresponding kinetics rate constant k is linearly dependent on pH for pH between 5 and 7. The activation energy Ea for the overall reaction, calculated using the Arrhenius equation under the considered pH and temperature conditions, ranges between 41±9.8 and 54±9.6 kJ/mol. To complete this work, the colloid particles formed at the end of the kinetics experiments were extracted and analyzed by SEM and TEM microscopy, X-ray Diffraction and the BET method. Results show that the size of the colloids increase and their specific surface decrease with increasing pH and are thus dependent on pH. Globally, our work provides a reliable database for understanding silica polymerization kinetics in natural geothermal brines or geologic waters characterized by a near neutral pH and moderate dissolved silica concentrations.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-01403092
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01403092
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.08.031

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The way faults control upward fluid flow in nonmagmatic hydrothermal systems in extensional context is still unclear. In the Eastern Pyrénées, an alignment of twenty-nine hot springs (29 ∘ C to 73 ∘ C), along the normal Têt fault, offers the opportunity to study this process. Using an integrated multiscale geological approach including mapping, remote sensing, and macro-and microscopic analyses of fault zones, we show that emergence is always located in crystalline rocks at gneiss-metasediments contacts, mostly in the Têt fault footwall. The hot springs distribution is related to high topographic reliefs, which are associated with fault throw and segmentation. In more detail, emergence localizes either (1) in brittle fault damage zones at the intersection between the Têt fault and subsidiary faults or (2) in ductile faults where dissolution cavities are observed along foliations, allowing juxtaposition of metasediments. Using these observations and 2D simple numerical simulation, we propose a hydrogeological model of upward hydrothermal flow. Meteoric fluids, infiltrated at high elevation in the fault footwall relief, get warmer at depth because of the geothermal gradient. Topography-related hydraulic gradient and buoyancy forces cause hot fluid rise along permeability anisotropies associated with lithological juxtapositions, fracture, and fault zone compositions.
ISSN: 1468-8115

hal-01582968
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968/file/Taillefer_et_al_Geofluids_2017.pdf
DOI : 10.1155/2017/8190109

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In orogenic systems, thrust faults play a major role in stacking different tectonic units and may act as conduits for the expulsion of large amounts of fluid of different origins (metamorphic, diagenetic, meteoric). This study focuses on the Monte Perdido thrust unit emplaced in the Paleogene Jaca thrust-sheet-top basin, in the SW-central Pyrenees. We aim to decipher the mechanisms and P-T conditions of deformation in fault zones and characterize the related fluid involvement, through combined microstructural, geochemical and microthermometry analyses. Two thrust faults cutting platform limestones, marls and siliciclastic turbidites of the lower part of the basin-fill (Paleocene-lower Eocene) have been studied. The fault zones are characterized by metre-thick shear zones with highly deformed, foliated clay-rich sediments. Foliation is underlined by preferentially oriented phyllosilicates. Several generations of shear and extension calcite, quartz and chlorite-bearing veins attest to fluid-rock interactions during a multi-stage deformation. Microstructural observations and stable isotope analyses on calcite from veins and host sediments suggest that deformation was aseismic and dominated by diffusive mass transfer from pressure solution sites along cleavage and stylolites to the precipitation sites in veins, with mineralizing fluids in equilibrium with the host sediments. Our results suggest an essentially closed hydrologic system, and imply the absence of significant fluid flow along the studied fault zones. Microthermometric study on fluid inclusions present in calcite and quartz veins, and calcite-quartz oxygen isotopic fractionation determined for the first generation shear veins, allow a geothermal gradient of 34 degrees C/km to be estimated. Analytical results demonstrate an evolution of the fault zones in three stages. The first stage was related to the emplacement of the Monte Perdido thrust unit during the middle Eocene at a temperature of similar to 208 degrees C and a burial depth of similar to 5.7 km. The second stage corresponds to a fault reactivation at a temperature of similar to 240 degrees C and a burial depth of similar to 6.5 km. The latter deformation may have been related to folding of the Monte Perdido thrust unit during the emplacement of the underlying Gavarnie thrust unit during the late Eocene-early Oligocene, with deeper burial resulting from aggradation of the thrust-sheet-top basin-fill. The last event corresponds to the formation of a dilatant vein system likely related to the exhumation of the massif.
ISSN: 0191-8141

hal-00644828
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644828
DOI : 10.1016/j.jsg.2011.06.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : EGU2012-6377- Geophysical Research Abstracts vol. 14
The hot geothermal fluid produced by the wells of the Bouillante power station, in Guadeloupe, contains various dissolved species such as silica or some metals (Zn, Pb, etc). During the exploitation, the geothermal fluid is flashing and cooling (from 260 to 160°C for the high-pressure steam-liquid separation and down to 110°C for the low-pressure phase separation of a part of the separated liquid at 160°C). Consequently, the dissolved species can form scale deposits such as amorphous silica or poly-metallic sulphides, according to the exploitation conditions, and cause serious scaling problems on the production and the surface installations. These minerals could also precipitate during the partial underground re-injection of the production fluids which is being set up in the Bouillante power station. In this study, in order to predict and prevent the possible silica precipitation at temperature lower than 160°C, during the partial underground reinjection of the production fluids of Bouillante or their thermal valorization down to 110°C temperatures, we propose to investigate on site the kinetics of silica precipitation as a function of temperature and pH. The experiments presented here were carried out on site on samples of separated waters collected after the steam-water separator at 160°C, containing about 600 ppm of SiO2, at four cooling temperatures: 22, 50, 75 and 90°C, and for pH ranging from 4 to 9. These experiments showed that the silica deposition was always initiated by a polymerization mechanism characterized by an order 2 kinetic law and the formation of a white colloidal gel, which slowed down the silica precipitation under solid form. This latter was observed much later, after the polymerization stage, and only in particular conditions (long time of atmospheric exposure, water stagnation,. . . ). The results also confirmed that the silica precipitation kinetics is strongly dependent on pH. In acidic solution, a transition period is observed before the beginning to the silica polymerization. At neutral-basic pH, there is no transition period and the rate of polymerization is maximal for pH close to 8. The undergoing modeling of these experimental data and specific surface area measurements on the colloidal gel will allow us to determinate the kinetics parameters useful for the prediction and prevention of silica precipitation under the specific exploitation conditions of Bouillante power station. This work is financially supported by ADEME (French Agency for Energy and Environment), BRGM and UAG.
EGU General Assembly 2012
Vienne, Austria

hal-00697627
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00697627

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Temperature and fluid pressure conditions control rock deformation and mineralization on geological faults, and hence the distribution of earthquakes1. Typical intraplate continental crust has hydrostatic fluid pressure and a near-surface thermal gradient of 31 ± 15 degrees Celsius per kilometre2, 3. At temperatures above 300–450 degrees Celsius, usually found at depths greater than 10–15 kilometres, the intra-crystalline plasticity of quartz and feldspar relieves stress by aseismic creep and earthquakes are infrequent. Hydrothermal conditions control the stability of mineral phases and hence frictional–mechanical processes associated with earthquake rupture cycles, but there are few temperature and fluid pressure data from active plate-bounding faults. Here we report results from a borehole drilled into the upper part of the Alpine Fault, which is late in its cycle of stress accumulation and expected to rupture in a magnitude 8 earthquake in the coming decades4, 5. The borehole (depth 893 metres) revealed a pore fluid pressure gradient exceeding 9 ± 1 per cent above hydrostatic levels and an average geothermal gradient of 125 ± 55 degrees Celsius per kilometre within the hanging wall of the fault. These extreme hydrothermal conditions result from rapid fault movement, which transports rock and heat from depth, and topographically driven fluid movement that concentrates heat into valleys. Shear heating may occur within the fault but is not required to explain our observations. Our data and models show that highly anomalous fluid pressure and temperature gradients in the upper part of the seismogenic zone can be created by positive feedbacks between processes of fault slip, rock fracturing and alteration, and landscape development at plate-bounding faults.
ISSN: 0028-0836

hal-01685757
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01685757
DOI : 10.1038/nature22355

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Serpentinites from subduction environments represent an important sink for fluid-mobile elements. In order to constrain geochemical behavior of fluid-mobile elements hosted by serpentine phases during subduction processes, we carried out a geochemical study (trace elements and Pb isotopes) of a series of serpentinites and cumulates from the accretionary wedge of Greater Caribbean (Cuba and Dominican Republic). The trace element compositions of the primary and alteration-related phases were analyzed in situ using LA-HR-ICP-MS techniques. The studied samples represent parts of the subducted proto-Atlantic oceanic lithosphere, which has experienced low to high grade metamorphism (greenschist to eclogite facies), before being exhumed; a subset of these samples were derived from the mantle wedge. This sampling provides the opportunity to trace the chemical mobility of fluid-mobile elements during prograde metamorphism along a cold geotherm in an oceanic subduction setting.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-00720895
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00720895
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2012.04.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Fault zones are major discontinuities in sedimentary basins. Understanding their role on fluid migrations is an essential issue to (i) characterize the mechanisms and kinematics of deformation and (ii) to determine the parameters which control the distribution of energetic or mineral resources. This work applies to faulting under a temperature range of 200-250°C, corresponding to that of deeply buried reservoirs as well as potentially seismogenic fault zones. The studied faults are normal faults affecting the “Grès d’Annot” Formation, a Priabonian-Rupelian siliclastic turbidite succession of the Alpine foreland basin. They are located in two distinct areas: the Moutière-Restefond area in the eastern part of the basin and the Estrop area in the western part. Vitrinite reflectance outside fault zones indicates maximal temperatures of 240-260°C at Moutière-Restefond and 170-200°C at Estrop, i.e. burial depths around 8 km and 6 km, respectively, assuming a mean geothermal gradient of 30°C/km. Burial was due to underthrusting below the Embrunais-Ubaye Alpine nappes, the difference in burial between the two areas traducing the westward taper of the nappe front.The studied faults affect alternating arkosic sandstone beds and pelite layers with offsets from centimeters to decameters. Two types of core zones are recognized: (1) the foliated core zones of the Moutière-Restefond area, where deformation dominated by pressure solution and synkinematic phyllosilicate neoformation resulted in a foliated fabric, and (2) the core zones of the Estrop area, characterized by dilatant quartz-mineralized veins and breccia. Fault and host rock petrophysical properties were measured on drill plugs, using the water porosity technique and nitrogen permeability technique under 2 Mpa of confining pressure. In the Moutière-Restefond fault zones, plug axes were oriented in three orthogonal directions corresponding to the main deformation axes (X, Y, Z) of the foliated arkose to characterize the effect of structural anisotropy. In the Estrop fault zones, where deformation does not show equivalent anisotropy, the plug axes were oriented according to the main fault plane orientation (i.e., parallel to azimuth, parallel to dip and normal). In each fault zone, the porosity of fault rocks is equivalent to that of host rocks. In the Moutière-Restefond fault zones, the plugs parallel to the X and Z axes of deformation have a permeability similar to that of the host rocks, whereas permeability parallel to the Y axis (i.e. parallel to the foliation and the main fault plane) is one order of magnitude higher. By contrast, the permeability values in the Estrop fault zones are isotropic and equivalent to the host rock values. This study highlights the importance of various types of deformation mechanisms and related fluid-rock interactions in determining different fault rock types within a similar protolith, ultimately controlling distinct petrophysical properties of fault zones.
Les zones de failles constituent des discontinuités majeures dans la croûte supérieure. Ce mémoire s’intéresse aux failles actives à des profondeurs de 5-8 km, i.e. dans des conditions pouvant jouer un rôle important (i) sur le comportement mécanique de de la croûte, en particulier sur son potentiel sismogénique et (ii) sur la compartimentation des réservoirs géologiques profondément enfouis.Les failles étudiées sont des failles normales (rejet jusqu’à 50 mètres) affectant des alternances de bancs de grès arkosiques et de pélites dans les Grès d’Annot, une formation turbiditique d’âge priabonien-rupélien du bassin d’avant-chaine alpin. Les Grès d’Annot ont été enfouis sous les nappes de l’Embrunais-Ubaye peu de temps après leur dépôt et exhumés au Miocène moyen-supérieur. L’étude a été réalisée dans deux secteurs des Alpes de Haute-Provence, (1) le secteur de l’Estrop (chaine des Trois Evéchés, dans la partie occidentale du bassin) et (2) le secteur de Point Vert-Restefond (alentours du col de la Bonette, dans la partie orientale du bassin). La réflectance de la vitrinite dans les Grès d’Annot indique des températures maximales de 160-190°C dans le secteur (1) et de 240-260 °C dans le secteur (2) , soit des profondeurs d’enfouissement de 5-6 km et 8-10 km, respectivement, dans l’hypothèse d’un gradient géothermique moyen de 25-30°C/km. A partir des observations microstructurales, de données d’inclusions de fluides, de modélisations thermodynamiques sur chlorites syncinématiques et des indices de cristallinité de l’illite, on a établi que les failles du secteur (1) ont fonctionné à une température d’environ 200°C pour une pression de 0.6Kbar et celles du secteur (2) dans une gamme de température de 200-220°C et de pression comprise entre 0.6 et 1.1 Kba. L’activité de la faille de Point-Vert a été datée par la méthode 40Ar/39Ar au Miocène inférieur (21 Ma). Ces failles sont interprétées comme associées aux premiers stades du soulèvement résultant de l’activité des chevauchements dans le socle sous-jacent.Deux types principaux de roches de failles caractérisent les failles étudiées. Les brèches dilatantes sont majoritaires dans les zones de failles du secteur (1) alors que les arkoses foliées sont majoritaires dans les zones de failles du secteur (2). Les brèches dilatantes témoignent de mécanismes de déformation dominés par la fracturation transgranulaire et la pression-solution des silicates. Ce dernier mécanisme se manifeste principalement par d’abondantes précipitations cycliques de quartz, les stylolites restant peu développés. Les géométries structurales sont associées à l’activation de plans T de Riedel déterminant l’ouverture de relais extensifs et un régime localement dilatant. Nous associons ce type de roche de faille à une faible pression effective au cours de la déformation.La déformation cisaillante exprimée dans les arkoses foliées témoigne de mécanismes de déformation dominés par (i) la fracturation intragranulaire et transgranulaire, (ii) la pressionsolution/ précipitation des silicates, principalement le quartz, (iii) la néoformation de micas blancs liée à l’altération des feldspaths et (iv) la précipitation de chlorite. Ce travail montre également que les transformations minéralogiques liées aux interactions fluide-roche dans la zone de faille (forte augmentation de la proportion des phyllosilicates au dépend des feldspaths) changent radicalementla composition minéralogique de la roche. Nous associons ce type de roche de faille à une forte pression effective au cours de la déformation.La pétrophysique montre que les brèches de failles (secteur 1) ont une perméabilité isotrope et équivalente à celle du protolithe (10-3mD sous 2 MPa de confinement) tandis que les roches foliées (secteur 2) montrent une augmentation de perméabilité (10-2mD) selon l’axe Y de la déformation, d’un ordre de grandeur supérieure aux perméabilités suivant les axes X et Z et dans la roche hôte (10-3mD). Ce drain préférentiel potentiel est associé à l’orientation des phyllosilicates dans la foliation.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382

tel-01310382
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382/file/Th%C3%A8seCAVAILHES2012.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The way faults control upward fluid flow in extensive hydrothermal systems without an abnormal heat source such as volcanic or plutonic activity is still unclear. In the Eastern Pyrénées, an alignment of 29 hot springs (from 29 • C to 73 • C) along the Têt normal Fault offers the opportunity to study this process. Using an integrated multi-scale geological approach including mapping, remote sensing, macro and microscopic analyses of fault zones, we show that hot springs locate close to high topographic reliefs related to fault throw and segmentation. Emergences are always in crystalline rocks at gneiss-metasediments contacts, mostly in the Têt Fault footwall. In more details, they localize either (1) in brittle fault damage zones at the intersection between the Têt Fault and subsidiary faults, and (2) into hercynian ductile faults where dissolution cavities run along shear zones. Using these observations and 2D preliminary numerical simulations, we propose a hydrogeological model of upward hydrothermal flow. Meteoric fluids infiltrate at high altitude in the fault footwall relief where they acquire temperature because of the geothermal gradient. Hydraulic gradient and buoyancy forces allow them to upflow along fault-related permeability anisotropies. The identification and prioritization of the features controlling this kind of system have important implications for geothermal exploration and for the understanding of fluid-flow into the brittle Earth's crust in general.
EGU 2017
Vienne, Austria

hal-01491096
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01491096
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01491096/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01491096/file/EGU2017-Taillefer-etal_4996.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The purpose of our study is to model a geothermal reservoir. When geothermal reservoir are assumed to be composed of pure water, the transfer of mass and energy is classically described by two balance equations: mass balance equation and the energy balance equation. In addition to those equations, fluid velocity ist classically given by the Darcy law while thermodynamic properties, inferred from theoretical or empirical equations of state, are used to close the mathematical system. Once this system is closed, there exist different solutions. The first one is to solve for pressure and temperature with a variable switch to saturation in the two-phase region (e.g. TOUGH2). The second one is to solve for pressure and enthalpy to increase stability of phase transition between single and two-phase states (e.g. Hydrotherm). We adopted the second option and chose te use a splitting method to get rid of the complexity of coupling equations and a finite volume method for the spatial discretization. Selecting object-oriented languages, we developed a multi-language framework, combining Python, Fortran and a C++ implementation of IAPWS (from the freesteam project) including the supercritical equations, in porous media velocity is given by Darcy law and to close the system physical properties are determined by the IAPWS-IF97 thermodynamic formulation. We resolve the equations in pressure and enthalpy instead of pressure and temperature in order to increase stability and to handle easier the passage from a single-phase to a two-phase system. We solve the system by using a splitting method - to get rid of the complexity of coupling equations - and a finite volume method. We offer some freedom to users thanks to the implementation of several methods like explicit or implicit Euler, Runge-Kutta or BDF2 for time solvers or GMRES and BICGSTAB for the linear solver. We can handle several boundary conditions like no-flow - describing a boundary which can not exchange matter with the exterior - or like a mixed-therm condition - a Dirichlet condition to the pressure and a Dirichlet or an outflow condition to the temperature in order to describe a recharge or a discharge zone - ... We're developing a multi-language framework, combining Python, Fortran and the C++ implementation of IAPWS (from the freesteam project). All these languages are object-oriented. We've applied this simulation model to the dogger in Paris, France, to several one-dimensional systems and a two-dimensional one made by Coumou with the CSMP++ platform. The dogger is a reservoir exploited to produce heat by pumping water at 70 and reinjecting it in the reservoir at 40. In the one-dimensional systems we wanted to observe the process of heat transfer from a higher temperature boundary to a smaller one in a high-energy domain. The last simulation shows the natural convection of water in a fault. For every simulation we compared the solutions we found with an other code (TOUGH2 or CSMP++) and they agreed. The next step will be to model the geothermal plant in Guadeloupe, West Indies. It's the only place in France - and in the West Indies so far - producing electricity with the earth power. The temperature can reach up to 1000 and the pressure range is around a few hundreds MPa. In some surface zones we can see two-phase water at atmospheric pressure. In the 1980s Bouillante was a laboratory for France. Since 1995 Bouillante has given 30GWh electricity a year to the Guadeloupeans.
PROCEEDINGS, Thirty-Ninth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
Stanford, United States

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-00944133
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00944133
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00944133/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00944133/file/Copol.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Avec la centrale de Bouillante, la Guadeloupe possède le seul site français de géothermie haute énergie conventionnelle. Le principe de fonctionnement est simple : des forages de production artésiens permettent la remontée naturelle d'une saumure à haute température. En surface la baisse de pression entraîne la vaporisation du fluide produit. Vapeur et eau sont ensuite séparées. La vapeur qui emmagasine une partie du contenu énergétique du fluide est turbinée .pour la production d'électricité. L'eau chaude n'est pas exploitée. Une partie est rejetée à la mer après refroidissement, l'autre est réinjectée dans le réservoir. Le réservoir est un milieu perméable (roches fracturées) rempli d'une saumure dont les conditions de température et pression sont très variables. La présence de fumerolles en surface atteste que certaines zones sont diphasiques sur le pourtour du champ, aux conditions atmosphériques. Lorsque l'on considère la source de chaleur du système hydrothermal, on doit prendre en compte des gammes de température et pressions pouvant aller jusqu'à 1000°C et une centaine de MPa avec un fluide potentiellement supercritique. Le problème est défini par les équations de conservation de la masse et de l'énergie, par la loi de Darcy et par les lois d'état obtenues à partir d'une implémentation libre des tables d'état IAPWS-IF97 (Freesteam). On rajoutera ultérieurement une loi de conservation du sel et les tables thermodynamiques associées pour modéliser le comportement de la saumure exploitée à Bouillante. On a choisi comme variables principales la pression et l'enthalpie pour des raisons de stabilité par rapport aux lois d'états. Les équations étant essentiellement hyperboliques on a retenu des schémas volumes finis pour la discrétisation. À ce jour nous testons différentes méthodes dans le but de comprendre le comportement des équations dans le cadre de la mise en place du champ géothermal à l'échelle géologique (" état naturel " du champ).
19ème Conférence Géologique de la Caraïbe
Le Gosier, Guadeloupe, France

hal-00609480
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00609480

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The lithospheric mantle is intrinsically heterogeneous and anisotropic. These two properties govern the repartition of deformation, controlling intraplate strain localization and development of new plate boundaries. Geophysical and geological observations provide clues on the types, ranges, and characteristic length scales of heterogeneity and anisotropy in the lithospheric mantle. Seismic tomography points to variations in geothermal gradient and hence in rheological behavior at scales of hundreds of km. Seismic anisotropy data substantiate anisotropic physical properties consistent at scales of tens to hundreds of km. Receiver functions imply lateral and vertical heterogeneity at scales < 10 km, which might record gradients in composition or anisotropy. Observations on naturally deformed peridotites establish that compositional heterogeneity and Crystal Preferred Orientations (CPOs) are ubiquitous from the mm to the km scales. These data allow discussing the processes that produce/destroy heterogeneity and anisotropy and constraining the time scales over which they are active. This analysis highlights: (i) the role of deformation and reactive percolation of melts and fluids in producing compositional and structural heterogeneity and the feedbacks between these processes, (ii) the weak mechanical effect of mineralogical variations, and (iii) the low volumes of fine-grained microstructures and difficulty to preserve them. In contrast, olivine CPO and the resulting anisotropy of mechanical and thermal properties are only modified by deformation. Based on this analysis, we propose that strain localization at the plate scale is, at first order, controlled by large-scale variations in thermal structure and in CPO-induced anisotropy. In cold parts of the lithospheric mantle , grain size reduction may contribute to strain localization, but the low volume of fine-grained domains limits this effect.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01277174
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01277174
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.07.026

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Electrical resistivity soundings are used by geophysicists to determine the structure and composition of the Earth's crust and mantle and to explore natural resources (ore, oil, gas, water). Their interpretations in terms of composition and in-situ physical conditions depend mainly on laboratory measurements of electrical conductivity of rocks at simulated crustal conditions of temperature, pressure, saturation and pore pressures. These measurements present a numbers of limitations, in particular, in the case where conductive pore fluids are present, as in the case of deep reservoir conditions, where temperature exceeds 250 A degrees C. Here, we present a new cell capable of measuring electrical conductivity of large saturated samples at confining pressure up to 200 MPa, pore pressure up to 50 MPa, and temperature up to 500 A degrees C. The measurement cell has been developed in a commercial, internally heated, gas pressure apparatus (Paterson press). It is based on the concept of "guard ring" electrode, which is adapted to samples that are jacketed by a very conductive, metallic material. Numerical modeling of the current flow in the electrical cell allowed defining the optimal cell geometry. Calibration tests have been performed on Fontainebleau sandstones saturated with electrolytes of different conductivities, up to 350 A degrees C. The resulting electrical formation factor and temperature dependence of electrical conductivity are in very good agreement with previous studies. This new cell will improve the exploration and exploitation of deep fluid reservoirs, as in unconventional, high enthalpy geothermal fields. In particular, the investigations address possible effects of fluid-rock interactions on electrical resistivity of a reservoir host rock.
ISSN: 0169-3913

hal-00681997
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00681997
DOI : 10.1007/s11242-011-9846-2

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : 1 page
The main aim of this study, co-funded by BRGM, Regional Council of Guadeloupe, European Union, ADEME and UAG, was to examine the silica deposition mechanisms and estimate their deposition kinetics at acidic and basic pH conditions, during the cooling from 260 to 25°C of separated waters, discharged from production wells, located in the Bouillante geothermal field. The acquisition of this type of information is very useful not only for the geothermal exploitation but especially, if production fluids are re-injected in the ground, as this is envisaged in the Bouillante geothermal field. The different on site experiments showed that, in these conditions, the silica deposition was always initiated by a silica polymerization mechanism and the formation of a white colloidal gel, which slowed down the silica precipitation. In agreement with the literature data, this polymerization mechanism is characterized by an order 2 kinetic law, strongly dependant on pH. The determination of the specific surface area by specific mercury porosimetry for this gel (250 m2/g) in the UAG laboratories, allowed estimating the corresponding kinetic constant at 25°C. Other experiments at different final temperatures (50, 75 and 100°C) are necessary in order to define this constant as a function of the temperature. The silica precipitation under amorphous silica form was observed much later, after the polymerization stage, and only in particular conditions (long time of atmospheric exposure, water stagnation...). The pH of the Bouillante geothermal fluid is estimated to be close to 5.3±0.3, at 260°C, in the reservoir conditions. If this parameter, very influent on the kinetics of silica deposition, can be preserved at values less than 7 during the re-injection of the production fluids in the ground at relatively high temperatures (150-160°C), it is strongly probable that no chemical treatment is necessary to avoid silica precipitation.
19ème Conférence Géologique de la Caraïbe - 2011
Gosier, Guadeloupe, France

hal-00575943
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00575943