Hydraulic characterization of aquifers by thermal response testing: Validation by large-scale tank and field experiments

[1] Thermal response tests (TRTs) are a common field method in shallow geothermics to estimate thermal properties of the ground. During the test, a constantly heated fluid is circulated in closed tubes within a vertical borehole heat exchanger (BHE). The observed temperature development of the fluid is characteristic for the thermal properties of the ground and the BHE. We show that, when the BHE is installed in an aquifer with significant horizontal groundwater flow, this test can also be used for hydrogeological characterization of the penetrated subsurface. An evaluation method based on the moving line source equation and considering the natural occurring variability of the thermal transport parameters is presented. It is validated by application to a well-controlled, large-scale tank experiment with 9 m length, 6 m width, and 4.5 m depth, and by data interpretation from a field-scale test. The tank experiment imitates an advection-influenced TRT in a well-known layered aquifer. The field experiment was recorded with a 100 m deep BHE, installed in a gravel aquifer in southwest Germany. The evaluations of both experiments result in similar hydraulic conductivity ranges as determined by standard hydraulic investigation methods such as pumping tests and sieve analyses. Thus, advection-influenced TRTs could also potentially be used to determine integral hydraulic conductivity of the subsurface.