Clement Roques and his colleagues published a paper in Nature Scientific Reports, where they used a miniRUEDI to study changes of dissolved-gas concentrations in groundwater in response to hydraulic stimulation and fracturing of the reservoir rocks (Nature Scientific Reports, 10, 6949, 2020). The miniRUEDI was installed on-site to continuously analyse the dissolved-gas concentrations of the groundwater. The high-frequency He and Ar measurements indicate that trapped fluids were mobilized from the rocks in response to the fracking. The miniRUEDI revealed the nature and evolution of the fracture network and flow paths, and showed the effect of the fracking procedures on groundwater quality.

Full paper: “In situ observation of helium and argon release during fluid-pressure-triggered rock deformation.” Sci Rep 10, 6949 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63458-x

Eawag News article: https://www.eawag.ch/en/news-agenda/news-portal/news-detail/observing-how-fissure-systems-are-formed-thanks-to-the-gas-sniffer/