Hydraulic and thermal impact modelling at the scale of the geothermal heating doublet in the Paris Basin, France

13 pagesInternational audienceThe Paris Basin is extensively developed for the geothermal district heating (GDH) of approximately 150 000 dwellings. As of late 2010, thirty four GDH systems apply the doublet concept in the Paris suburban area and mine the heat of the Dogger reservoir, a limestone formation of Mid-Jurassic age at depths ranging from 1500 to 2000 m. As the brine is fully reinjected, cold water bodies progressively invade the reservoir around injector wells inducing both thermal and hydraulic interactions at the doublet scale. The premature production well cooling and the sustainable development of the resource highlight two critical parameters, the thermal breakthrough time (tB) and the extent of the cooled fluid bubble(S) respectively. First, a set of benchtest simulations was launched to compare the sensitivities of tB and S parameters to selected reservoir conceptual model typologies. These simulations were applied on a GDH doublet undergoing a suspected thermal breakthrough. Five reservoir modelling teams validated their “in house” simulations by (i) checking an analytical (Gringarten-Sauty, 1979) solution, and (ii) testing three candidate reservoir structures on the doublet considered remotely located (i.e. not interfering with nearby exploitations) for a first step. The outcome resulted in a rewarding insight into the variability of simulation outputs. An additional segment will enable the actors to compare their modelling expertise on the same doublet considered in interaction with the other GDH operations located in its environment. Second, BRGM carried out a survey towards various rehabilitation schemes (a new doublet or a triplet) and their contribution toward sustainability standards. From a hypothetical, twenty five year life, doublet simulation, an initial hydraulic/temperature field was derived. Then, several new well locations were simulated and isotherms, alongside production well cooling kinetics, compared accordingly. A two-stage rehabilitation scheme, i.e. triplet then a new doublet, seems to reconcile the resource longevity and the economic demand. Further work is required to compare the different designs with a method integrating both the impact of the geothermal exploitation on the resource and the lifetime of the exploitation in a single mathematical factor

Geohistorical dataset of ten plant species introduced into Occitania (France)

International audienceThe original dataset presented here is the result of the first near-exhaustive analysis performed on historical data concerning ten plant species introduced in and around Occitania (south-western France) since 1651. Research was carried out on the following species: Alnus incana, Buddleja davidii, Castanea sativa, Helianthus tuberosus, Impatiens glandulifera, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus laurocerasus, Reynoutria japonica, Robinia pseudoacacia and Spiraea japonica.The data file contains 199 occurrence data exclusively based on historical observations and records made between 1651 and 2004 that were retrieved from 111 of the 640 literary sources consulted. All the records are associated with a year and 61% of them have associated spatial coordinates. Initially, the EI2P-VALEEBEE research project focused on the introduction of these species into Occitania (95 occurrences, 47.7%), but mentions found of introductions beyond this territory - mainly in metropolitan France - are also reporte

Kinaesthetic mirror illusion and spatial congruence

International audiencePosition sense and kinaesthesia are mainly derived from the integration of somaesthetic and visual afferents to form a single, coherent percept. However, visual information related to the body can play a dominant role in these perceptual processes in some circumstances, and notably in the mirror paradigm. The objective of the present study was to determine whether or not the kinaesthetic illusions experienced in the mirror paradigm obey one of the key rules of multisensory integration: spatial congruence. In the experiment, the participant’s left arm (the image of which was reflected in a mirror) was either passively flexed/extended with a motorized manipulandum (to induce a kinaesthetic illusion in the right arm) or remained static. The right (unseen) arm remained static but was positioned parallel to the left arm’s starting position or placed in extension (from 15° to 90°, in steps of 15°), relative to the left arm’s flexed starting position. The results revealed that the frequency of the illusion decreased only slightly as the incongruence prior to movement onset between the reflected left arm and the hidden right arm grew and remained quite high even in the most incongruent settings. However, the greater the incongruence between the visually and somaesthetically specified positions of the right forearm (from 15° to 90°), the later the onset and the lower the perceived speed of the kinaesthetic illusion. Although vision dominates perception in a context of visuoproprioceptive conflict (as in the mirror paradigm), our results show that the relative weightings allocated to proprioceptive and visual signals vary according to the degree of spatial incongruence prior to movement onset

How smart products with built in flexibility empower users to self - design the use: A theoretical framework for use generation.

International audienc

Dare to be resilient: the key to future pesticide-free orchards?

International audienceIn a context of urgent need for a more sustainable fruit tree production, it's high time to find durable alternatives to the systematic use of phytosanitary products in orchards. To this aim, resilience can deliver a number of benefits. Relying on a combination of tolerance, resistance and recovery traits, disease resilience appears as a corner stone to cope with the multiple pest and disease challenge over the orchard’s lifetime. Here, we propose to describe resilience as the capacity of a tree to be minimally affected by external disturbances or to rapidly bounce back to normal functioning after being exposed to these disturbances. Based on a literature survey largely inspired from research on livestock, we highlight different approaches for dissecting resilience phenotypic and genotypic components. In particular, multisite experimental designs and longitudinal measures of so-called ‘resilience biomarkers’ are required. We identified a list of promising biomarkers relying on eco-physiological and digital measurements. Recent advances in high-throughput phenotyping and genomics tools will likely facilitate the fine and temporal monitoring of tree health, allowing to identify resilient genotypes with the calculation of specific resilience indicators. Although resilience can appear as ‘black box’ trait, we demonstrate how it could become a realistic breeding goal

How digital/physical toolkits integrated in consumer products empower users to self-design their uses: A theoretical framework for use generation

International audienceMaking use of the modern design theories like C-K theory, we propose, in this paper to develop a theoretical framework that permit to understand thoroughly the design activities presently carried by digital/physical toolkits. Then, we apply it on two sets of design tools embedded in the ADIDAS One running shoes and the EMOTIO software. Relying on the findings, we consider managerial implications for firms attempting to integrate digital/physical toolkits into their products at low risk

Deciphering plant resilience mechanisms to face the multiple disease challenge in fruit trees

International audienceAs perennial plants, fruit trees must cope, individually, with the fluctuating threat of multiple pathogens over the years. In this long-lasting battle for plant immunity, disease resilience is emerging as a key mechanism for tree survival and fitness. More fundamental research is required to improve our understanding of disease resilience mechanisms, which in turn could be particularly relevant for a more sustainable fruit production. As this approach is novel for that field, we propose i) a clear definition of resilience for fruit producing trees, ii) a methodology for studying its phenotypic components which requires repeated measures of “resilience biomarkers”, iii) to decipher the genetic architecture of resilience components, and iv) an innovative strategy based on high-throughput phenotyping and genomics for identifying resilient genotypes. All in all, disease resilience appears as a meaningful breeding perspective in a context of unprecedented plant protection restrictions

Deciphering plant resilience mechanisms to face the multiple disease challenge in fruit trees

International audienceAs perennial plants, fruit trees must cope, individually, with the fluctuating threat of multiple pathogens over the years. In this long-lasting battle for plant immunity, disease resilience is emerging as a key mechanism for tree survival and fitness. More fundamental research is required to improve our understanding of disease resilience mechanisms, which in turn could be particularly relevant for a more sustainable fruit production. As this approach is novel for that field, we propose i) a clear definition of resilience for fruit producing trees, ii) a methodology for studying its phenotypic components which requires repeated measures of “resilience biomarkers”, iii) to decipher the genetic architecture of resilience components, and iv) an innovative strategy based on high-throughput phenotyping and genomics for identifying resilient genotypes. All in all, disease resilience appears as a meaningful breeding perspective in a context of unprecedented plant protection restrictions