Using Tracer Reactivity to Overcome Some Dilemmas of Single-Well Tracer Test Inversion

Tracer tests are indispensable for measuring fluid transport parameters that control georeservoir performance for various uses (oil/gas production, geothermal, underground gas or energy storage, waste disposal). Single-well tests are particularly attractive for obvious reasons, however tracer signal inversion from single-well tests often faces parameter ambiguity issues, because the 'push-then-pull' configuration weakens the correlation between tracer residence time and target georeservoir parameters. The article shows how dual-tracer reactivity can alleviate this problem, and restore the sensitivity of tracer signals to parameters like fluid-rock interface areas.