Geochemical modelling of fluid-rock interactions in the context of the Soultz-sous-Forets geothermal system

The development of the Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) at Soultz-sous-Forets (France) has given to scientists an interesting opportunity for the application of geochemical modelling of water rock interactions, combining theoretical studies with field and experimental data. The main results of four successive and complementary studies are summarized: geochemical modelling of fluid rock interactions with prediction of dissolution/precipitation of minerals, feed-back effects on the mineralogy and petrography of the rock (major role of silicates in the geological past and of carbonates in the near future of the exploitation), experimental control of the dynamics of silicates under thermal gradient and relation between the evolution of the petrophysics of the rocks and the heat and mass transfers. The thermal cycle of the fluid, between 200 degrees C and 65 degrees C in the geothermal loop, may be responsible for dissolution/precipitation of minerals which modify the porosity and permeability of the granite, as it happened in the geological past, in relation with hydrothermal circulations in the Rhine Graben. (C) 2010 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.