Thermal structure of Tournemire Underground Research Lab (France) #
Abstract #
The purpose of this project is the thermal characterization of the Tournemire Underground Research Lab (URL), located in Southern France. This includes in-situ thermal heating experiments, in-situ logging and laboratory test of thermal rock properties. Finally, heat flow is calculated and evaluated.
Introduction #
The thermal characterization of the clayey Jurassic (Upper Toarcian, ca. 180 My old) is contributing to the site characterization of the Tournemire Underground Research Lab (URL), located in Southern France. This URL is installed in a former railway tun-nel to better understand the physical processes resulting from thermal and hydraulic loading in a small fault zone in a highly consolidated shale formation (Bonnelye et al., 2023). At the Tournemire site, faults and fractures of different sizes extend from the surface (sedimentary cover) to the crystalline basement. At one specific gallery (Gallery East 03) installed in the former tunnel, thermally controlled in-situ fluid injection experiments are scheduled on a strike-slip fault zone outcropping at the URL (Bonnelye et al., 2023). We perform baseline characterization of thermal properties and to study the heterogeneity of the clay-dominated formation and their impact on the thermal field.
Objectives #
Understanding the background thermal field as baseline for temporal heating and injection experiments. Understanding the difference between lab and in-situ measurements of thermal properties of clay rocks.
Expected Output #
1) Thermal properties of clay rocks
2) Borehole temperature data
3) Temperature monitoring during heating experiment
4) Heat flow calculation"