Download or read book Enhanced Geothermal System EGS Well Stimulation Design and Simulation Using DFN based Model written by Ilham Permata and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Numerical Modeling and Well Layout Design for EGS written by Fangming Jiang and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2014-11-25 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We first present with great details a three-dimensional transient model of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) heat extraction processes. This model takes the reservoir as an equivalent porous medium while considers the local thermal non-equilibrium between solid rock matrix and fluid flowing in the fractured rock mass. One other salient feature of this model is its capability of simulating the complete subsurface thermo-hydraulic process in EGS, not only the thermo-flow in the reservoir and well boreholes, but also the heat transport in rocks enclosing the reservoir. Simulation results unravel the underlying mechanism for preferential flow or short-circuit flow forming in well-fractured, homogeneous reservoirs of different permeability values. We then perform a thorough numerical study to the effects of well layout on EGS heat extraction. Last, we discuss about the hot dry rock (HDR) heat recovery factor based on numerous simulated cases and estimate the amount of HDR geothermal resource that can be converted into electricity by EGS.

Download or read book Evaluation of Oil Industry Stimulation Practices for Engineered Geothermal Systems written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geothermal energy extraction is typically achieved by use of long open-hole intervals in an attempt to connect the well with the greatest possible rock mass. This presents a problem for the development of Enhanced (Engineered) Geothermal Systems (EGS), owing to the challenge of obtaining uniform stimulation throughout the open-hole interval. Fluids are often injected in only a fraction of that interval, reducing heat transfer efficiency and increasing energy cost. Pinnacle Technologies, Inc. and GeothermEx, Inc. evaluated a variety of techniques and methods that are commonly used for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells to increase and evaluate stimulation effectiveness in EGS wells. Headed by Leen Weijers, formerly Manager of Technical Development at Pinnacle Technologies, Inc., the project ran from August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2006 in two one-year periods to address the following tasks and milestones: 1) Analyze stimulation results from the closest oil-field equivalents for EGS applications in the United States (e.g., the Barnett Shale in North Texas) (section 3 on page 8). Pinnacle Technologies, Inc. has collected fracture growth data from thousands of stimulations (section 3.1 on page 12). This data was further evaluated in the context of: a) Identifying techniques best suited to developing a stimulated EGS fracture network (section 3.2 on page 29), and b) quantifying the growth of the network under various conditions to develop a calibrated model for fracture network growth (section 3.3 on page 30). The developed model can be used to design optimized EGS fracture networks that maximize contact with the heat source and minimize short-circuiting (section 3.4 on page 38). 2) Evaluate methods used in oil field applications to improve fluid diversion and penetration and determine their applicability to EGS (section 4 on page 50). These methods include, but are not limited to: a) Stimulation strategies (propped fracturing versus water fracturing versus injecting fluid below fracturing gradients) (section 4.1 on page 50); b) zonal isolation methods (by use of perforated casing or packers) (section 4.2 on page 57); c) fracture re-orientation and fracture network growth techniques (e.g., by use of alternating high- and low-rate injections) (section 4.4 on page 74); and d) fluid diversion methods (by use of the SurgiFrac technique, the StimGun perforation technique, or stress shadowing). This project task is to be completed in the first project year, enabling the most promising techniques to be field tested and evaluated in the second project year. 3) Study the applicability of the methods listed above by utilizing several techniques (section 5 on page 75) including, but not limited to: a) Hydraulic Impedance Testing (HIT) to determine the location of open hydraulic fractures along a open-hole interval; b) pressure transient testing to determine reservoir permeability, pore pressure, and closure stress; and c) treatment well tilt mapping or microseismic mapping to evaluate fracture coverage. These techniques were reviewed for their potential application for EGS in the first project year (section 5.1 on page 75). This study also includes further analysis of any field testing that will be conducted in the Desert Peak area in Nevada for ORMAT Nevada, Inc. (section 5.2 on page 86), with the aim to close the loop to provide reliable calibrated fracture model results. Developed through its hydraulic fracture consulting business, techniques of Pinnacle Technologies, Inc. for stimulating and analyzing fracture growth have helped the oil and gas industry to improve hydraulic fracturing from both a technical and economic perspective. In addition to more than 30 years of experience in the development of geothermal energy for commercial power generation throughout the world, GeothermEx, Inc. brings to the project: 1) Detailed information about specific developed and potential EGS reservoirs, 2) experience with geothermal well design, completion, and testing practices, and 3) a direct connection to the Desert Peak EGS project.

Download or read book Geoenergy Modeling III written by Norihiro Watanabe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on numerical modeling of deep hydrothermal and petrothermal systems in fractured georeservoirs for utilization in Geothermal Energy applications. The authors explain the particular challenges and approaches to modeling heat transport and high-throughput flow in multiply fractured porous rock formations. In order to help readers gain a system-level understanding of the necessary analysis, the authors include detailed examples of growing complexity as the techniques explained in the text are introduced. The coverage culminates with the fully-coupled analysis of real deep geothermal test-sites located in Germany and France.

Download or read book Modeling Study of a Signle well Enhanced Geothermal System EGS written by Zhe Wang and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Heat Transfer Investigations for Optimal Harnessing of Enhanced Geothermal Systems written by Esuru Rita Okoroafor and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) offer the opportunity of exploiting the vast energy resources contained in hot impermeable rocks. In such rocks, the natural flow capacity of the system may not be sufficient to support adequate geothermal applications until it is enhanced by opening up existing fractures and propagating new fractures. Cold fluid is injected into the reservoir to exploit the energy resource, whose permeability has been enhanced. The increased permeability allows the fluid to circulate through the opened fractures to production or extraction well(s), thereby capturing and transporting the heat contained in the hot impermeable rock for power generation. Accurate prediction of the thermal performance of EGS depends on an understanding of how the heat transport is affected by the presence of the fracture(s) -- the primary flow conduit of EGS. These fractures may have aperture variability that could create channels and alter flow paths, affecting the availability of surface area for heat transfer. The overall goal of this study was to understand the fracture topology, investigate how it can impact flow and heat transport, and demonstrate ways Enhanced Geothermal Systems can be harnessed to optimize thermal performance. To achieve the goal of this study, a systematic fracture characterization approach was used, and numerical simulation models were used to study the physical processes that govern the interaction between the fluid and the rock during heat extraction from Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Using variogram modeling and Sequential Gaussian Simulation method, fracture apertures representing actual fractures were generated for lab-scale and field-scale investigations. Fracture characterization metrics such as the Joint Roughness Coefficient (JRC) and Hurst exponent were used in analyzing the data. Geometric anisotropy was a vital character of the generated fracture aperture distributions, which was seen to originate from the process of shearing or slip. Flow and heat transport relative to the direction of fracture shear was studied, with the perpendicular flow configuration being perpendicular to the direction of fracture shear. In contrast, the parallel flow configuration had flow in the same direction as the fracture shear direction. It was demonstrated in this study that the flow wetted surface area had a direct and significant contribution to the amount of heat extracted. For the lab-scale fractures, the JRC confirmed geometric anisotropy of the fracture aperture and was seen to have a direct correlation with the flow contact area. The lower the difference in JRC values between the perpendicular and parallel flow configurations, the more flow contact area expected in the perpendicular flow direction, which will lead to more heat extracted from the rock. From the variogram model parameters, it was deduced that high geometric anisotropy results in high differences in thermal drawdown and consequently a high difference in energy extracted. The thermal performance appeared to be better in the perpendicular flow configuration with a ratio of 70:30 for the lab-scale fractures. For the field-scale fractures, it was seen that most of the fracture aperture distributions with a geometric anisotropy ratio of 2 had Hurst exponents of fracture surface aperture variability found in nature. For all the fracture aperture distributions analyzed for the field scale, the perpendicular flow configuration resulted in better thermal performance than the parallel flow configuration with a ratio of 58:42. Furthermore, for the geometric anisotropy ratio of 2, the ratio was 70:30. The perpendicular flow configuration had the injected fluid move through tortuous flow paths. These tortuous flow paths contributed to more fracture surface area being contacted by the flowing fluid, leading to an improved thermal performance in that flow configuration. Throughout this study, temperature-dependent viscosity was used. However, a section of this study investigated the impact of using a constant viscosity in the thermohydraulic model. It was seen that for fractures with smooth, uniform apertures, for all temperature ranges and at the operating conditions being modeled, there was no significant difference between using a constant viscosity or a temperature-dependent viscosity in modeling an Enhanced Geothermal System. However, for fractures with spatial variations, it was determined that modeling with a temperature-dependent viscosity was necessary, especially for systems with high differences in reservoir and injection temperatures, and for fractures with high correlation lengths. The impact of thermal stresses on heat extraction was also investigated. An analog Enhanced Geothermal System, the Altona Field Laboratory, was also studied for thermo-mechanical influences. It was found out that the injection of hot water into the cold rock resulted in thermal stress generation and reduction in the aperture but did not cause significant changes to the temperature profile due to the small volumetric flow rate through the system. Also, anisotropic aperture distributions were studied to determine the impact of thermoelasticity on the heat extraction of Enhanced Geothermal Systems. It was shown that when thermoelasticity is taken into consideration, the thermal drawdown could either be improved or deteriorated depending on the nature of the aperture distribution. The impact of fracture aperture variability was investigated for Enhanced Geothermal Systems using supercritical CO2 as working fluids. It was established that CO2 as an EGS working fluid would result in better heat extracted from the system if the fractures are considered smooth, which agrees with related studies. However, where there is spatial variation in the fracture aperture, channeling could be detrimental to CO2, especially at high fracture correlation lengths and high mass flow rates, due to the high mobility of CO2. The following are the main contributions from this study. First, it has been demonstrated that heat transport is affected by the geometric anisotropy of fracture surfaces. It was determined that in most cases, flowing perpendicular to the direction of shear or slip results in more heat extracted due to more contact of the fluid with the rock while moving through tortuous flow paths. Secondly, the conditions under which a constant viscosity can be used in modeling EGS were determined. If the fractures are known to be smooth, have low correlation lengths, or have distributed surface areas, a constant viscosity can be used in the model, especially if the difference between the reservoir temperature and the injection water temperature is small. However, for anisotropic fracture surfaces, surfaces with high correlations lengths or high tortuosity, and when the difference between the reservoir temperature and injection water temperature is large, the use of constant viscosity could result in significant computational errors from the actual. Thirdly, it has been shown that thermal drawdown could either be improved or deteriorate when thermoelasticity is considered. This finding is different from studies previous studies that have looked into coupling thermohydromechanical processes for fractures with spatial variations and suggests that Enhanced Geothermal Systems may benefit from thermal stimulation. Finally, this work shows the first comparison between CO2 and water at a field scale considering fracture aperture variability. Recommended future work includes modeling of vertical fractures with spatial variations in fracture aperture to investigate how convection may impact the current findings; considering multiple fractures with spatial variations in the fracture aperture; considering non-Darcy flow in the simulation models; coupling geomechanics with the study of CO2 on fractures with spatial variations, and developing proxy models that are quicker to perform the thermohydraulic and thermohydromechanical simulations.

Download or read book Thermo Hydro Mechanical THM coupled simulations of innovative enhanced geothermal systems for heat and electricity production as well as energy storage written by Muhammad Haris and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2022-08-05 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) evolved from the hot dry rock can provide a significant amount of energy while shifting towards negligible carbon emission. In order to investigate some important issues related to EGS, several scenarios have been analyzed using powerful numerical tools (FLAC3Dplus and TOUGH2MP-TMVOC). While conducting multiple hydraulic fracturing, it is observed that the newly created successive fracture’s configuration highly depends on the previous one under the influence of stress shadow. Therefore, the assumption of using similar multiple fracture geometries and shapes for energy exploitation may lead to erroneous estimations. A case study has been performed further using the engineering data of the GeneSys project in the North German Basin. Numerous scenarios have been investigated, and the optimized EGS project is proposed, whose installed power capacity of one side of the injection well declines from 7.17 MW to 5.08 MW over 30 years. Moreover, the Levelized cost of electricity is calculated at 5.46 c$/kWh, which is quite economical compared to the current electricity price. Finally, an innovative concept of regenerative EGS is proposed by storing surplus renewable energy in multiple hydraulic fractures that can reduce the reservoir temperature reduction rate. The results of continuous injection/production cycles depicted that a regenerative EGS could be achieved in reality.

Download or read book On Modeling of Chemical Stimulation of an Enhanced Geothermal System Using a High PH Solution with Chelating Agent written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dissolution of silica and calcite in the presence of a chelating agent (NTA) at a high pH was successfully demonstrated in laboratory experiments using a high-temperature flow reactor. (Note that the term 'silica' used here includes amorphous silica, quartz, and silicate glass bead). The mineral dissolution and associated porosity enhancement in the experiments were reproduced by reactive transport modeling using TOUGHREACT. The chemical stimulation method was applied by numerical modeling to a field geothermal injection well system to investigate its effectiveness. Parameters applicable to the quartz monzodiorite unit at the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) site at Desert Peak (Nevada) were used. Results indicate that the injection of a high pH chelating solution results in dissolution of both calcite and plagioclase, while avoiding precipitation of calcite at high temperature conditions. Consequently reservoir porosity and permeability can be enhanced especially near the injection well. Injection at a lower temperature of 120 C (over 160 C in the base-case) results in a porosity increase that is smaller close to the injection point, but extends to a larger radial distance. A slower kinetic rate results in less aggressive mineral dissolution close to the injection point and larger extent along the flow path, which is favorable for chemical stimulation.

Download or read book Enhanced Geothermal Systems EGS written by Department of Energy (DOE) and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-12 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity production from geothermal resources is currently based on the exploitation of hydrothermal reservoirs. Hydrothermal reservoirs possess three ingredients critical to present day commercial extraction of subsurface heat: high temperature, in-situ fluid and high permeability. Relative to the total subsurface heat resource available, hydrothermal resources are geographically and quantitatively limited. This report provides an assessment of well construction technology for EGS with two primary objectives: 1. Determining the ability of existing technologies to develop EGS wells. 2. Identifying critical well construction research lines and development technologies that are likely to enhance prospects for EGS viability and improve overall economics. Towards these ends, a methodology is followed in which a case study is developed to systematically and quantitatively evaluate EGS well construction technology needs. A baseline EGS well specification is first formulated. The steps, tasks and tools involved in the construction of this prospective baseline EGS well are then explicitly defined by a geothermal drilling contractor in terms of sequence, time and cost. A task and cost based analysis of the exercise is subsequently conducted to develop a deeper understanding of the key technical and economic drivers of the well construction process. Finally, future research and development recommendations are provided and ranked based on their economic and technical significance. Contents: Chapter 1 - Introduction * Chapter 2 - Well construction considerations and baseline well specification * Chapter 3 - Baseline Well Specification * Chapter 4 - Well Construction Case Study * Chapter 5 - Analysis of Well Construction Case Study * Chapter 6 - Well Construction R & D Recommendations * Chapter 7 - Conclusions

Download or read book Numerical Modeling of an Enhanced Geothermal System with High Permeability in Kizildere Field Turkey written by Burak Firat and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geothermal energy has the potential to be a key player in energy transformation all over the world through Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). This study evaluates the energy production from the geothermal reservoir located in the Kizildere field in Turkey in conjunction with analytical and numerical approaches. Moreover, this work investigates the impact of natural fracture networks in this high-permeability field. First, the Kizildere field data were evaluated, and then the data were analyzed for energy production for 50 years by applying a few analytical models. The field was simulated for 50 years using CMG Thermal STARS with a novel code, thermal Embedded Discrete Fracture Model (EDFM). The simulations analyzed the effects of different well designs on heat generation. Sensitivity analysis was by using various natural fracture network densities. The results show that the number of natural fractures in high permeable reservoirs does not impact the amount of heat extraction because the circulation fluid mainly flows through the matrix instead of fractures in EGS with high permeability. In addition, this thesis shows that the impact of well placement primarily depends on reservoir dimensions. Additional work was done regarding the effect of high temperature in the selection of casing. Furthermore, the thesis delivers forecasts and possible recommendations for further research

Download or read book Creation of an Enhanced Geothermal System Through Hydraulic and Thermal Stimulation written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report describes a 10-year DOE-funded project to design, characterize and create an Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) through a combination of hydraulic, thermal and chemical stimulation techniques. Volume 1 describes a four-year Phase 1 campaign, which focused on the east compartment of the Coso geothermal field. It includes a description of the geomechanical, geophysical, hydraulic, and geochemical studies that were conducted to characterize the reservoir in anticipation of the hydraulic stimulation experiment. Phase 1 ended prematurely when the drill bit intersected a very permeable fault zone during the redrilling of target stimulation well 34-9RD2. A hydraulic stimulation was inadvertently achieved, however, since the flow of drill mud from the well into the formation created an earthquake swarm near the wellbore that was recorded, located, analyzed and interpreted by project seismologists. Upon completion of Phase 1, the project shifted focus to a new target well, which was located within the southwest compartment of the Coso geothermal field. Volume 2 describes the Phase 2 studies on the geomechanical, geophysical, hydraulic, and geochemical aspects of the reservoir in and around target-stimulation well 46A-19RD, which is the deepest and hottest well ever drilled at Coso. Its total measured depth exceeding 12,000 ft. It spite of its great depth, this well is largely impermeable below a depth of about 9,000 ft, thus providing an excellent target for stimulation. In order to prepare 46A-19RD for stimulation, however, it was necessary to pull the slotted liner. This proved to be unachievable under the budget allocated by the Coso Operating Company partners, and this aspect of the project was abandoned, ending the program at Coso. The program then shifted to the EGS project at Desert Peak, which had a goal similar to the one at Coso of creating an EGS on the periphery of an existing geothermal reservoir. Volume 3 describes the activities that the Coso team contributed to the Desert Peak project, focusing largely on a geomechanical investigation of the Desert Peak reservoir, tracer testing between injectors 21-2 and 22-22 and the field's main producers, and the chemical stimulation of target well 27-15.

Download or read book Geothermal Reservoir Engineering written by Malcolm Alister Grant and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As nations alike struggle to diversify and secure their power portfolios, geothermal energy, the essentially limitless heat emanating from the earth itself, is being harnessed at an unprecedented rate. For the last 25 years, engineers around the world tasked with taming this raw power have used Geothermal Reservoir Engineering as both a training manual and a professional reference. This long-awaited second edition of Geothermal Reservoir Engineering is a practical guide to the issues and tasks geothermal engineers encounter in the course of their daily jobs. The book focuses particularly on the evaluation of potential sites and provides detailed guidance on the field management of the power plants built on them. With over 100 pages of new material informed by the breakthroughs of the last 25 years, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering remains the only training tool and professional reference dedicated to advising both new and experienced geothermal reservoir engineers. - The only resource available to help geothermal professionals make smart choices in field site selection and reservoir management - Practical focus eschews theory and basics- getting right to the heart of the important issues encountered in the field - Updates include coverage of advances in EGS (enhanced geothermal systems), well stimulation, well modeling, extensive field histories and preparing data for reservoir simulation - Case studies provide cautionary tales and best practices that can only be imparted by a seasoned expert

Download or read book Coupled Thermo Hydro Mechanical Processes in Fractured Rock Masses written by Fengshou Zhang and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-11 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The subject of thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled processes in fractured rock masses has close relevance to energy-related deep earth engineering activities, such as enhanced geothermal systems, geological disposal of radioactive waste, sequestration of CO2, long-term disposal of waste water and recovery of hydrocarbons from unconventional reservoirs. Despite great efforts by engineers and researchers, comprehensive understanding of the thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled processes in fractured rock mass remains a great challenge. The discrete element method (DEM), originally developed by Dr. Peter Cundall, has become widely used for the modeling of a rock mass, including its deformation, damage, fracturing and stability. DEM modeling of the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in fractured rock masses can provide some unique insights, to say the least, for better understanding of those complex issues. The authors of this book have participated in various projects involving DEM modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes during treatment of a rock mass by fluid injection and/or extraction and have provided consulting services to some of the largest oil-and-gas companies in the world. The breadth and depth of our engineering expertise are reflected by its successful applications in the major unconventional plays in the world, including Permian, Marcellus, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Horn River, Chicontepec, Sichuan, Ordos and many more. The unique combination of the state-of-the-art numerical modeling techniques with state-of-the-practice engineering applications makes the presented material relevant and valuable for engineering practice. We believe that it is beneficial to share the advances on this subject and promote some further development.

Download or read book Dixie Valley Engineered Geothermal System Exploration Methodology Project Baseline Conceptual Model Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) Exploration Methodology Project is developing an exploration approach for EGS through the integration of geoscientific data. The Project chose the Dixie Valley Geothermal System in Nevada as a field laboratory site for methodology calibration purposes because, in the public domain, it is a highly characterized geothermal system in the Basin and Range with a considerable amount of geoscience and most importantly, well data. The overall project area is 2500km2 with the Calibration Area (Dixie Valley Geothermal Wellfield) being about 170km2. The project was subdivided into five tasks (1) collect and assess the existing public domain geoscience data; (2) design and populate a GIS database; (3) develop a baseline (existing data) geothermal conceptual model, evaluate geostatistical relationships, and generate baseline, coupled EGS favorability/trust maps from +1km above sea level (asl) to -4km asl for the Calibration Area at 0.5km intervals to identify EGS drilling targets at a scale of 5km x 5km; (4) collect new geophysical and geochemical data, and (5) repeat Task 3 for the enhanced (baseline + new) data. Favorability maps were based on the integrated assessment of the three critical EGS exploration parameters of interest: rock type, temperature and stress. A complimentary trust map was generated to compliment the favorability maps to graphically illustrate the cumulative confidence in the data used in the favorability mapping. The Final Scientific Report (FSR) is submitted in two parts with Part I describing the results of project Tasks 1 through 3 and Part II covering the results of project Tasks 4 through 5 plus answering nine questions posed in the proposal for the overall project. FSR Part I presents (1) an assessment of the readily available public domain data and some proprietary data provided by Terra-Gen Power, LLC, (2) a re-interpretation of these data as required, (3) an exploratory geostatistical data analysis, (4) the baseline geothermal conceptual model, and (5) the EGS favorability/trust mapping. The conceptual model presented applies to both the hydrothermal system and EGS in the Dixie Valley region. FSR Part II presents (1) 278 new gravity stations; (2) enhanced gravity-magnetic modeling; (3) 42 new ambient seismic noise survey stations; (4) an integration of the new seismic noise data with a regional seismic network; (5) a new methodology and approach to interpret this data; (5) a novel method to predict rock type and temperature based on the newly interpreted data; (6) 70 new magnetotelluric (MT) stations; (7) an integrated interpretation of the enhanced MT data set; (8) the results of a 308 station soil CO2 gas survey; (9) new conductive thermal modeling in the project area; (10) new convective modeling in the Calibration Area; (11) pseudo-convective modeling in the Calibration Area; (12) enhanced data implications and qualitative geoscience correlations at three scales (a) Regional, (b) Project, and (c) Calibration Area; (13) quantitative geostatistical exploratory data analysis; and (14) responses to nine questions posed in the proposal for this investigation. Enhanced favorability/trust maps were not generated because there was not a sufficient amount of new, fully-vetted (see below) rock type, temperature, and stress data. The enhanced seismic data did generate a new method to infer rock type and temperature. However, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator for this project, this new methodology needs to be tested and evaluated at other sites in the Basin and Range before it is used to generate the referenced maps. As in the baseline conceptual model, the enhanced findings can be applied to both the hydrothermal system and EGS in the Dixie Valley region.

Download or read book Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research and Development written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successful exploitation of the vast amount of heat stored beneath the earth's surface in hydrothermal and fluid-limited, low permeability geothermal resources would greatly expand the Nation's domestic energy inventory and thereby promote a more secure energy supply, a stronger economy and a cleaner environment. However, a major factor limiting the expanded development of current hydrothermal resources as well as the production of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) is insufficient knowledge about the chemical processes controlling subsurface fluid flow. With funding from past grants from the DOE geothermal program and other agencies, we successfully developed advanced equation of state (EOS) and simulation technologies that accurately describe the chemistry of geothermal reservoirs and energy production processes via their free energies for wide XTP ranges. Using the specific interaction equations of Pitzer, we showed that our TEQUIL chemical models can correctly simulate behavior (e.g., mineral scaling and saturation ratios, gas break out, brine mixing effects, down hole temperatures and fluid chemical composition, spent brine incompatibilities) within the compositional range (Na-K-Ca-Cl-SO4-CO3-H2O-SiO2-CO2(g)) and temperature range (T

Download or read book Utilization of Thermal Potential of Abandoned Wells written by Younes Noorollahi and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2022-03-30 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Utilization of Thermal Potential of Abandoned Wells: Fundamentals, Applications and Research is a lucid treatment of the fundamental concepts related to the energy harvesting of abandoned wells. The book provides a journey through recent technological developments to harvest energy from abandoned geothermal wells and allows the reader to view the process from a thermodynamic and numerical modeling perspective. Various applications and future prospects are also discussed to help inform reader's future work and research. Students, researchers and engineers will gain a thorough understanding on how to harvest energy from abandoned geothermal wells, particularly to make sound thermodynamic and economic evaluations. System designers and others engaged in the energy sector will understand how to design and choose the most appropriate technology, how to determine its efficiency, monitor the facility, and how to make informed physical and economical decisions for necessary improvements and environmental assessments. - Logically works through fundamentals, with various examples throughout - Provides instruction to simulate thermodynamic models and design efficient systems - Presents feasibility studies and applications

Download or read book MASSIVELY PARALLEL FULLY COUPLED IMPLICIT MODELING OF COUPLED THERMAL HYDROLOGICAL MECHANICAL PROCESSES FOR ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM RESERVOIRS written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) will require creation of a reservoir of sufficient volume to enable commercial-scale heat transfer from the reservoir rocks to the working fluid. A key assumption associated with reservoir creation/stimulation is that sufficient rock volumes can be hydraulically fractured via both tensile and shear failure, and more importantly by reactivation of naturally existing fractures (by shearing) to create the reservoir. The advancement of EGS greatly depends on our understanding of the dynamics of the intimately coupled rock-fracture-fluid system and our ability to reliably predict how reservoirs behave under stimulation and production. In order to increase our understanding of how reservoirs behave under these conditions, we have developed a physics-based rock deformation and fracture propagation simulator by coupling a discrete element model (DEM) for fracturing with a continuum multiphase flow and heat transport model. In DEM simulations, solid rock is represented by a network of discrete elements (often referred as particles) connected by various types of mechanical bonds such as springs, elastic beams or bonds that have more complex properties (such as stress-dependent elastic constants). Fracturing is represented explicitly as broken bonds (microcracks), which form and coalesce into macroscopic fractures when external load is applied. DEM models have been applied to a very wide range of fracturing processes from the molecular scale (where thermal fluctuations play an important role) to scales on the order of 1 km or greater. In this approach, the continuum flow and heat transport equations are solved on an underlying fixed finite element grid with evolving porosity and permeability for each grid cell that depends on the local structure of the discrete element network (such as DEM particle density). The fluid pressure gradient exerts forces on individual elements of the DEM network, which therefore deforms and fractures. Such deformation/fracturing in turn changes the permeability, which again changes the evolution of fluid pressure, coupling the two phenomena. The intimate coupling between fracturing and fluid flow makes the meso-scale DEM simulations necessary, as these methods have substantial advantages over conventional continuum mechanical models of elastic rock deformation. The challenges that must be overcome to simulate EGS reservoir stimulation, preliminary results, progress to date and near future research directions and opportunities will be discussed.