Predictability of initial hydrogeochemical effects induced by short-term infiltration of ∼75 °C hot water into a shallow glaciogenic aquifer

Lüders, Klas; Hornbruch, Götz; Zarrabi, Nilufar; Heldt, Stefan; Dahmke, Andreas; Köber, Ralf

doi:10.1016/j.wroa.2021.100121

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The field site TestUM is located in northern Germany (see Figure ), near the city of Wittstock/Dosse in the federal state of Brandenburg (N 53° 11′ 38.9616, E 12° 30′ 11.178). The field site has been previously used for in situ experiments to investigate the biogeochemical and hydrogeological effects of injected CO 2 or heat. ,− The area is composed of heterogeneous glaciofluvial sediments from the Pleistocene, ranging from sands, clay, and silts typical for sandurs to glacial loam and tills from the Saale and Vistula ice ages. Geological formations are tilting in the western direction.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage

Löffler

Schrader

Lüders³

et al. 2022

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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In the context of the shift toward clean, carbon-free energy, hydrogen (H2) has received growing attention as an energy carrier. We monitored a simulated leakage of gaseous molecular H2, e.g., from a pipeline. H2 was injected into a shallow aquifer, and the resulting biogeochemical processes were monitored. For the first time, stable isotopes of hydrogen were used to track in situ H2 transport and consumption. Isotopic composition of injected H2 was δ2H = −161.1 ± 0.4‰. During the injection, initial shifts in the isotope signature of about Δ2H = +8‰ in well D06 (1 m from injection) and Δ2H = −120‰ in well D04 (2 m from injection) were observed, probably caused by a mass-dependent isotope effect associated with the pressure of the injection and the migration of the gas phase through pores and channels in the aquifer. After the injection, H2 concentrations decreased and an equilibrium isotope exchange with water led to an isotopic depletion of H2 (δ2H = −710.7 ± 2.7‰) within 28 days, presumably catalyzed by hydrogenase enzymes of microbes. The theoretical equilibrium between H2 and water was however not reached. We hypothesize that a continuous isotopic shift in available H2 as a result of physical transport processes resulted in a new isotope equilibrium with water, catalyzed by hydrogenases. Acetate detected in groundwater samples indicates in situ H2 oxidation by microbial homoacetogenesis. In laboratory experiments using H2-amended sediments sampled from the same site, microbial H2 oxidation was accompanied by equilibrium isotope exchange with water and homoacetogenesis and ferric iron reduction were the main microbial H2-consuming processes. Overall, the H2 isotope ratio was considerably impacted by physical and microbial processes occurring in the shallow aquifer. Monitoring of the equilibrium isotope exchange between H2 and water could be used as a proxy for ongoing microbial H2 oxidation.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage

Löffler

Schrader

Lüders³

et al. 2022

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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“…The hydrogeological TestUM test site is located near Wittstock/Dosse (Brandenburg, Germany) approximately 100 km from Berlin (Figure S1). Previously, a CO 2 injection test − and a five-day infiltration test of ∼75 °C hot water − were conducted in other areas of the test site (Figure S1). The corresponding studies include a detailed description of the location and give an overview of the wider geological conditions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Groundwater was sampled as previously described; , a detailed description is given in the Supporting Information (SI-1–3). The sampling wells were selected according to a previous study for monitoring isotopic effects, i.e., groundwater was taken from 11.5, 14.5, or 17.5 m from wells D04, D06, and D11 and subsequently analyzed, respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Consumption of Dihydrogen Injected into a Shallow Aquifer by Ecophysiologically Different Microbes

Keller,

Lüders,

Hornbruch

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The envisaged future dihydrogen (H2) economy requires a H2 gas grid as well as large deep underground stores. However, the consequences of an unintended spread of H2 through leaky pipes, wells, or subterranean gas migrations on groundwater resources and their ecosystems are poorly understood. Therefore, we emulated a short-term leakage incident by injecting gaseous H2 into a shallow aquifer at the TestUM test site and monitored the subsequent biogeochemical processes in the groundwater system. At elevated H2 concentrations, an increase in acetate concentrations and a decrease in microbial α-diversity with a concomitant change in microbial β-diversity were observed. Additionally, microbial H2 oxidation was indicated by temporally higher abundances of taxa known for aerobic or anaerobic H2 oxidation. After H2 concentrations diminished below the detection limit, α- and β-diversity approached baseline values. In summary, the emulated H2 leakage resulted in a temporally limited change of the groundwater microbiome and associated geochemical conditions due to the intermediate growth of H2 consumers. The results confirm the general assumption that H2, being an excellent energy and electron source for many microorganisms, is quickly microbiologically consumed in the environment after a leakage.

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“…The near subsurface consists of quaternary glacial sediments, which is a representative scenario for many areas in the North European Plain. The "TestUM" site was already intensively used for several injection experiments (Heldt et al, 2021;Hu et al, 2023;Peter et al, 2012;Lamert et al, 2012;Keller et al, 2021;Keller et al, 2024;Löffler et al, 2022;Lüders et al, 2021). Drillings in the area show a high spatial geological variability typical for glacial sedimentation.…”

Section: Experimental Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Combining crosshole and reflection borehole-GPR for imaging controlled freezing in shallow aquifers

Jung,

Hornbruch,

Dahmke

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Abstract. During test operation of a geological latent heat storage system as a potential option in the context of heat supply for heating and cooling demands a part of a shallow quaternary glacial aquifer at the “TestUM” test site is frozen. To evaluate the current thermal state in the subsurface the dimension of the frozen volume has to be known. With the target being too deep for high resolution imaging from the surface, the use of borehole Ground-Penetrating-Radar (GPR) is assessed. For imaging and monitoring of a vertical freeze-thaw boundary, crosshole zero-offset and reflection measurements are applied. The freezing can be imaged in ZOP, but determination of ice body size is ambiguous, because of lacking velocity information in the frozen sediment. Reflection measurements are able to image the position of the freezing boundary with an accuracy determined through repeated measurements of ±0.1 m, relying on the velocity information from ZOP. We found, that the complementary use of ZOP and reflection measurements make for a fast and simple method, to image freezing in geological latent heat storage systems. Problematic is the presence of superimposed reflections from other observation wells and low signal-to-noise ratio. The use in multiple observation wells allows for an estimation of ice body size. A velocity model derived from zero-offset profiles (ZOP) enabled to extrapolate geological information from direct-push based logging and sediment cores to a 3D-subsurface model.

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Predictability of initial hydrogeochemical effects induced by short-term infiltration of ∼75 °C hot water into a shallow glaciogenic aquifer

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage

Rapid Consumption of Dihydrogen Injected into a Shallow Aquifer by Ecophysiologically Different Microbes

Combining crosshole and reflection borehole-GPR for imaging controlled freezing in shallow aquifers

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Predictability of initial hydrogeochemical effects induced by short-term infiltration of ∼75 °C hot water into a shallow glaciogenic aquifer

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H2 Leakage

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H2 Leakage

Rapid Consumption of Dihydrogen Injected into a Shallow Aquifer by Ecophysiologically Different Microbes

Combining crosshole and reflection borehole-GPR for imaging controlled freezing in shallow aquifers

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Product

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Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage

Stable Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation of Hydrogen in a Field Injection Experiment: Simulation of a Gaseous H₂ Leakage