Towards the Uncertainty Quantification of Fractured Karst Systems: Reactive Transport and Fracture Networks: Where Numerical Modeling Meets Outcrop Observations

Society relies on large amounts of energy to progress and allow for a high standard of living. The recent severe climate changes require advanced technologies related to cleaner energy resources. One such technology beneficial for accelerating this current energy transition is geothermal energy. This type of energy is often found in fractured...

Robots, sheep and architecture

This project focuses on the hinterland of Trieste, the Classic Karst plateau. It tries to rethink landscape maintenance approaches, seeking alternatives to aforestation that appreciate the three millennia long landscape identity of the karst as consisting of semi-natural dry grasslands. With advanced technological developments traditional...

Silicification, flow pathways, and deep-seated hypogene dissolution controlled by structural and stratigraphic variability in a carbonate-siliciclastic sequence (Brazil)

Fractured and karstified carbonate units are key exploration targets for the hydrocarbon industry as they represent important reservoirs. Furthermore, large water reserves and geothermal systems are hosted in carbonate aquifers. This paper documents the relationships between stratigraphy, structural patterns, silicification, and the spatial...

The influence of subseismic-scale fracture interconnectivity on fluid flow in fracture corridors of the Brejões carbonate karst system, Brazil

The present study used a multitool approach to characterize fractures of several orders of magnitude in large fracture corridors, caves, and canyons to investigate their impact on fluid flow in carbonate units. The study area is the Brejões carbonate karst system that is located in the Neoproterozoic Salitre Formation in the Irecê Basin, São...

Application of neural networks for the reliability design of a tunnel in karst rock mass

This paper offers a solution to overcome time-consuming numerical analysis for the evaluation of the impact of tunnel construction in a complex karst environment by implementing Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) using a neural network (NN) tool. The rock mass is described using three parameters: Geological Strength Index, the uniaxial compression...

Characterization of Karst Geometry and Stability Analysis of Cave Tunnels in Bahia, Brazil

Carbonate reservoirs are of significant importance as they host a high percentage of the world’s oil and gas reserves. They are however subject to dissolution and may be heavily karstified often resulting in large cavities which may impose major hazards in drilling and production. In many cases, difficulty remains due to poor understanding of...

Geometry and Stability Analysis of Caves in Bahia, Brazil

More than 30% of the world’s hydrocarbon reserves are located in carbonate reservoirs, and this percentage is likely to increase, as a result of discoveries of new giant oil fields in carbonate rocks, generically named “Pre-salt layers”. However, there are still some problems in understanding karst systems that still unresolved. The karst caves...

Problems and promise of managed recharge in karstified aquifers: the example of Lebanon

Managed aquifer recharge can store surface water as safe and reliable groundwater for later recovery. However, most options are problematic in karstic aquifers due to complex hydrodynamics reducing their effectiveness and hence general applicability. River bank filtration and urban stormwater infiltration systems are among the main managed...

Dynamic simulation of a geothermal reservoir: Case study of the Dinantian carbonates in the Californië geothermal wells, Limburg, NL

In the context of the energy transition, rapid development of the geothermal sector in the Netherlands has to take place. The first steps have been taken by establishing the Green Deal UDG between multiple industrial consortia, which agree to share knowledge on the research and use of ultra-deep geothermal energy . The Dinantian carbonates are...

Monitoring of long term deformations in Bobova tunnel

The 189.50 m long Bobova tunnel constructed in 2005 is located on the D404 state highway and passes under a part of the Vežica – Sušak town area in Rijeka. The overburden above the tunnel pipe is between 2 m to 18 m thick. The rock mass along the tunnel route is made up of karst deposits (transient carbonate breccia, dolomite and limestone...

Analysis and Remediation of the Salinized, Damour Coastal (Dolomitic) Limestone Aquifer in Lebanon

Coastal aquifer management has recently emerged as a main scope in groundwater hydrology, especially in arid and semi-arid zones. About two thirds of the human population are currently gathered close to shorelines relying on coastal groundwater resources. Worldwide, these systems are subject to quality deterioration due to a multitude of...