Influence of different fracture morphology on heat mining performance of enhanced geothermal systems based on COMSOL

Formation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) is the necessary approach to obtain geothermal energy efficiently. In-situ stress, nature of reservoir physical properties and fracturing methods will affect the artificial fracture morphology after reservoir stimulation. A three-dimension thermal coupled seepage model of fractured media was established to simulate the influence of fracture morphology on heat mining performance of EGS, considering the pressure- and temperature-dependent physical properties of working medium. The results indicate that formation of complex fracture network is favorable for heat mining. Production mass flow in Case1 with complex fracture network enhances nearly 2.5 times comparing to the unenhanced model at exploitation beginning. The total net energy rate will up to 44 MW and be maintained above 10 MW for 5 years. The system impedance can be effectively reduced, however the sustainable heat mining duration decreased to 30 years. The increase in length and number of branch fractures is expected. While increasing the width of branch fractures deliberately has little effect on the exploitation of EGS. Finally, we investigate the adaptability of employing supercritical CO₂ in EGS with complex fracture network. Production mass flow will be enhanced 3–5 times compared with water, but the stability is poor, total net energy rate decrease from 90 MW to 3 MW over the 10-year operation period.     

A three-dimensional thermo-poroelastic model for fracture response to injection/extraction in enhanced geothermal systems

Water injection in enhanced geothermal systems sets in motion coupled poro-thermo-chemo-mechanical processes that impact the reservoir dynamics and productivity. The variation of injectivity with time and the phenomenon of induced seismicity can be attributed to the interactions between these processes. In this paper, a three-dimensional transient numerical model is developed and used to simulate fluid injection into geothermal reservoirs. The approach couples fracture flow and heat transport to thermo-poroelastic deformation of the rock matrix via the displacement discontinuity (DD) method. The use of the boundary integral equations, for the pressure diffusion and heat conduction in the rock matrix, eliminates the need to discretize the infinite reservoir domain. The system of linear algebraic equations for the unknown displacement discontinuities, and fluid and heat sources are used in a finite element formulation for the fluid flow and heat transport in the fracture. This yields a system of equations which are solved to obtain the temperature, pressure, and aperture distributions within the fracture at every time step. In this way, the temporal variation of the fracture aperture and fluid pressure, caused by pressurization and thermo-poroelastic stresses, are determined. Numerical experiments using the model illustrate the feed-back between matrix dilation, shrinkage, and pressure in the fracture. It is observed that whereas the poroelastic effects dominate the early stage of injection pressure profile and the fracture aperture evolution, thermoelastic effects become dominant for large injection times.     

Multifracture response to supercritical CO2‐EGS and water‐EGS based on thermo‐hydro‐mechanical coupling method

Hydraulic‐fracturing treatments have become an essential technology for the development of deep hot dry rocks (HDRs). The deep rock formation often contains natural fractures (NFs) at micro and macroscales. In the presence of the NF, the hydraulic‐fracturing process may form a complex fracture network caused by the interaction between hydraulic fractures and NF. In this study, analysis of carbon dioxide (CO₂)‐based enhanced geothermal system (EGS) and water‐based EGS in complex fracture network was performed based on the thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) coupling method, with various rock constitutive models. The complexity of the fracture geometry influences the fluid flow path and heat transfer efficiency of the thermal reservoir. Compared with CO₂‐based EGS, water‐based EGS had an earlier thermal breakthrough with a rapid decline in production temperature. CO₂ can easily gain heat rising its temperature thus reducing the effect of a premature thermal breakthrough. Both CO₂‐based EGS and water‐based EGS are affected by in‐situ stress; the increase in stress ratio improved the fracture permeability but resulted in an early cold thermal breakthrough. When the same injection rate is applied to water‐based EGS and CO₂‐based EGS, water‐based EGS displayed higher injection pressure buildup. Water‐based EGS had higher reservoir deformation area than CO₂‐based EGS, and thermoelastic constitutive model for water‐based EGS showed larger deformed area ratio than thermo‐poroelastic rock model. Furthermore, higher values of rock modulus accelerated the reservoir deformation for water‐based EGS. This study established a novel discussion investigating the performance of CO₂‐based EGS and water‐based EGS in a complex fractured reservoir. The findings from this study will help in deepening the understanding of the mechanisms involved when using CO₂ or water as a working fluid in EGS.     

Pressure analysis of the hydromechanical fracture behaviour in stimulated tight sedimentary geothermal reservoirs

Hydromechanical phenomena in fractured sediments are complex. They control the flow in stimulated tight sediments and are crucial for the exploitation of geothermal energy from such rocks. We present the analysis of a cyclic water injection/production (huff–puff) process, a promising method to extract geothermal energy from tight sedimentary reservoirs. It uses a single borehole, which considerably reduces investment costs. A huff–puff test was performed in a 3800-m deep sedimentary formation (borehole Horstberg Z1, Lower Saxony, Germany). The analysis presented herein explains the downhole pressure measurements by a simplified reservoir model containing a single vertical fracture. The model addresses the flow behaviour between the fracture and the rock matrix in a layered formation, and the coupling between fluid flow and the mechanical deformation of the fracture. The latter aspect is relevant to predict the efficiency of the geothermal reservoir because cooled regions resulting from a particular injection/production scheme can be identified. The analysis methods include: (1) the curve-fitting code ODA used for a determination of different flow regimes (radial or linear), (2) an analytical solution for the calculation of the injection pressure, assuming a time-dependent fracture area, and (3) the simulator ROCMAS, which numerically solves the coupling between fluid flow and fracture deformation. Whereas each single approach is insufficient to explain the complete test data, a combination of the results yields an understanding of the flow regimes taking place during the test.     

增强型地热系统中液-岩化学作用数值模拟研究

增强型地热系统（Enhanced Geothermal System, EGS）利用深层岩石中连通的裂隙网络进行流体工质循环,从而实现地热能的持续开采。EGS运行时循环流体工质会与深层岩石产生化学反应,引起岩石中矿物的溶解/沉积,使热储中的裂隙网络形貌产生动态变化,对地下流动与传热过程造成影响。本文分析了EGS中液–岩化学作用特点,详细阐述了在多孔介质热流动模型中耦合入液–岩化学反应的方法,基于已开发成功的EGS传热传质数值模型初步建立了传热–流动–化学（Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical, THC）多场耦合数值模型,并使用该模型对五井布局EGS的长期运行过程进行了模拟分析,模拟时仅考虑方解石在水流体中溶解和沉积。模拟结果显示,循环流体的注入温度以及注入流体中的矿物离子浓度的设定十分重要。如果二者没有达到较为合适的“平衡”,就会导致注入井附近渗透率和孔隙率的持续变化,对EGS的导流能力造成极大影响。     

地下热流固耦合对EGS热开采的影响

人工热储的孔隙率及渗透率在增强型地热系统（EGS）地下热开采过程中受温度（T）、水力（H）、应力（M）的综合影响。本文建立了EGS热开采过程THM耦合的三维计算模型,并采用局部非热平衡假设处理液岩对流换热。对一理想的五口井EGS系统采热过程进行了THM模拟计算,分析了岩石温度、孔隙压力对岩石应力场的作用机理,进一步研究了应力场对EGS采热性能的影响。结果表明,开采过程中岩石应力场为热储内孔隙压力和温差综合作用的结果,由孔隙压力造成的岩石应力为压应力,仅集中于注入井附近,由岩石温度变化引起的热应力为拉应力,随着热开采区域的扩展而扩展。液−岩温差是触发工质与岩石热交换的动因,同时也是产生热应力的根本。     

Geothermal reservoir characterization via thermal injection backflow and interwell tracer testing

The joint application of a thermal injection backflow test and an interwell tracer test for an in-situ determination of geothermal reservoir flow and heat transport parameters is proposed. The procedure is unique in several aspects. First, it uses two tracers with totally different transport characteristics, i.e. heat and a chemical/radioactive tracer, in a single field test operation. During field application of the proposed test, a low-temperature tracer carrying fluid is injected into the reservoir until an adequate amount of the chemical/radioactive tracer is recovered at the observation well(s). The tracer return profiles are interpreted to determine connectivity and flow velocity between the injector and producer wells. As the thermal front does not travel far from the injection well, the temperature transients during backflow are used to determine the heat transport parameters. The most important parameters controlling thermal breakthrough during long-term injection are, therefore, inferred in situ in a single field test. New analytical models are presented for interpreting the temperature and concentration profiles during the backflow period, providing a valuable insight into the collective roles of the parameters controlling heat transport in a single fracture/matrix system.     

Boiling flow in a horizontal fracture

The modeling of a geothermal reservoir requires an in-depth understanding of the heat transfer process that causes the fluid flowing within a fracture to boil as heat is transferred to the fluid from the surrounding rock. One of the key parameters that describes this process is the boiling heat transfer coefficient. In this work, experiments were performed and a model based on the experiments was developed in order to quantify the heat transfer coefficient. In the process, it was also determined that flow in fractures may be described using linear relative permeability functions.     

Predicting reservoir property trends under heat exploitation: interaction between flow, heat transfer, transport, and chemical reactions in a deep aquifer at Stralsund, Germany

The subsurface flow and hydrogeothermal simulation system SHEMAT (Bartels, J., Kuhn, M., Pape, H., Clauser, C., 2000. A new aquifer simulation tool for coupled flow, heat transfer, multi-species transport and chemical water-rock interactions. In: Proceedings World Geothermal Congress 2000, Kyushu – Tohuku, Japan, May 28 – June 10, pp. 3997–4002) is used to investigate a typical hydrothermal sandstone reservoir situated in the North German Basin. This study focuses on the prediction of long-term behavior of reservoir properties for the entire operation time with reinjection during heat exploitation for district heating. The Stralsund location in NE Germany and the Detfurth sandstone horizon (Buntsandstein) are chosen due to the combination of its already confirmed geothermal potential and the availability of a complete data set. An installation of two production wells and one well for reinjection implements heat exploitation. Reinjection is required due to high salinity of the water. In order to quantify injectivity changes and allow the separation of thermal from chemical effects, changes in the hydraulic parameters of the reservoir are at first studied without chemical reactions. Reinjection of cooled water of higher viscosity than the natural reservoir fluid leads to a continuous reduction of the injectivity. This effect is partially balanced by thermally induced mineral reactions. Dissolution of anhydrite in the vicinity of the injection well dominates the effect of anhydrite precipitation at the propagating thermal front leading to a net increase of injectivity. Observed calcite precipitation around the injection well and dissolution at the thermal front are too small to alter reservoir properties significantly. Coupled numerical simulation indicates that the injectivity of the reservoir is influenced primarily by the viscosity effect, but that mineral reactions weaken this negative trend. Operation of a geothermal heating plant at the Stralsund location would not be restricted by a long-term reduction in the injectivity of the reinjection well.     

Changes in fracture aperture and fluid pressure due to thermal stress and silica dissolution/precipitation induced by heat extraction from subsurface rocks

The numerical model developed by Suresh Kumar and Ghassemi [Suresh Kumar, G., Ghassemi, A., 2005. Numerical modeling of non-isothermal quartz dissolution in a coupled fracture–matrix system. Geothermics 34, 411–439] is used to study fluid pressure and permeability changes in a fracture in a rock mass by taking into account the effects of thermal stresses and silica precipitation/dissolution, which is computed using linear reaction kinetics. Fluid flow in the fracture is calculated based on the cubic law. Solute transport mechanisms by advection and dispersion are included in the model. Mass exchange between the horizontal fracture and the rock matrix is accounted for by assuming diffusion-limited solute transport. Heat transfer between the fracture and the rock matrix is modeled considering only conduction, while heat transport within the fracture includes thermal advection, conduction, and dispersion in the horizontal plane. Pressures of the circulating fluid through the fracture are allowed to vary with time, while the flow rate is assumed to remain constant.     

Modeling heat extraction from hot dry rock in a multi-well system

A mathematical model is developed for describing the heat energy extracted from a hot dry rock in a multi-well system. The solutions for the water temperature, accounting for a geothermal gradient in a geothermal reservoir, are given in the Laplace domain and computed by numerical inversion, the modified Crump method. The results show that the heat extraction effectiveness is affected significantly by the well spacing, well radius, reservoir thickness, and pumped flow rate in a multi-well system. The water temperature decreases with increasing pumping rate and increases with the well spacing, well radius, and reservoir thickness. The geothermal gradient affects only the early time heat extraction effectiveness significantly and has direct impact on the water temperature all the time if the vertical thickness of geothermal reservoir is large. The present solution is useful for designing and simulating the heat extraction project of geothermal energy exploitation in a multi-well system.     

Engineering evaluation of geothermal reservoirs

Reservoir engineering evaluation of geothermal systems attempts to provide answers on the extent of the reserves, their probable longevity and the deliverability and production rate of the reservoir. Economic decisions on the desirability of the exploitation of the particular reservoir hinge on these findings. This paper presents a set of calculational procedure and thinking sequences available to the geothermal reservoir engineer that would aid in an appropriate management decision. An exploitable geothermal system consists of a fluid as well as a heat reservoir. Since much of the heat is stored in the confining rock, reinjection strategies are outlines for the efficient mining of heat.     

Analytical model of cold water front movement in a geothermal reservoir

Injection of cooled geothermal water back into the producing formation is a procedure that maintains reservoir pressure and increases energy extraction efficiency, but, because reinjected fluids tend to be much colder than the reservoir rock, injection can also cause cooling of the fluid produced from nearby wells. It is therefore essential to determine the cold front velocity in a geothermal reservoir. Constant thermal properties of both rock and fluid are generally assumed in order to solve this problem. In this paper, the rock density and heat capacity of the water–rock system as functions of temperature are assumed. Using the method of characteristics, an analytical solution is obtained. It is shown that the variable heat capacity of rock leads to a temperature-dependent speed of propagation of the thermal front. This results in a steepening of the front when cold water is injected into a hot zone, and eventually the formation of a discontinuous solution, or shock. A method is proposed for finding such discontinuous solutions and an equation for the velocity of the thermal front is presented. The difference between the front velocity obtained by means of the weak solution presented here and the classical model with constant thermal properties varies between about 1 and 14%.     

Fluid circulation and heat extraction from engineered geothermal reservoirs

A large amount of fluid circulation and heat extraction (i.e., thermal power production) research and testing has been conducted on engineered geothermal reservoirs in the past 15 years. In confined reservoirs, which best represent the original Hot Dry Rock concept, the flow distribution at any given time is primarily determined by three parameters: (1) the nature of the interconnected network of pressure-stimulated joints and open fractures within the flow-accessible reservoir region, (2) the mean pressure in the reservoir, and (3) the cumulative amount of fluid circulation—and therefore reservoir cooling—that has occurred. For an initial reservoir rock temperature distribution and mean fluid outlet temperature, the rate of heat extraction (i.e., thermal power) is at first only a function of the production flow rate, since the production temperature can be expected to remain essentially constant for some time (months, or even years). However, as reservoir circulation proceeds, the production temperature will eventually start to decline, as determined by the mean effective joint spacing and the total flow-accessible (i.e., heat-transfer) volume of the reservoir. The rate of heat extraction, which depends on the production flow rate, can also vary with time as a result of continuing changes in the flow distribution arising from reservoir cooling.The thermal power of engineered reservoirs can most readily be increased by increasing the production flow rate, as long as this does not lead to premature cooldown, the development of short-circuit flow paths, or excessive water losses. Generally, an increase in flow rate can be accomplished by increasing the injection pressure within limits. This strategy increases the driving pressure drop across the reservoir and the mean reservoir pressure, which in turn reduces the reservoir flow impedance by increasing the amount of joint dilation. However, the usefulness of this strategy is limited to reservoir operating pressures below the fracture extension pressure, and may lead to excessive water losses, particularly in less-confined reservoirs. Under such conditions, a downhole production-well pump may be employed to increase productivity by recovering more of the injected fluid at lower mean reservoir operating pressures.     

Geothermal reservoir potential of volcaniclastic settings: The Valley of Mexico,Central Mexico

The geothermal potential of the Valley of Mexico has not been addressed in the past, although volcaniclastic settings in other parts of the world contain promising target reservoir formations. An outcrop analogue study of the thermophysical rock properties of the Neogene rocks within the Valley of Mexico was conducted to assess the geothermal potential of this area. Permeability and thermal conductivity are key parameters in geothermal reservoir characterization and the values gained from outcrop samples serve as a sufficient database for further assessment. The mainly low permeable lithofacies types may be operated as stimulated systems, depending on the fracture porosity in the deeper subsurface. In some areas also auto-convective thermal water circulation might be expected and direct heat use without artificial stimulation becomes reasonable. Thermophysical properties of tuffs and siliciclastic rocks qualify them as target horizons for future utilization of deep geothermal reservoirs.     

新疆油田火山岩气藏体积压裂机理研究及应用

进行火山岩气藏压裂改造时,通常采用形成单一裂缝的增产改造技术,气井稳产时间较短.借鉴页岩气开发理念,深入研究火山岩气藏体积压裂机理.根据缝内压力传导的力学模型,研究不同液体体系对压力传导的影响,分析无滤饼压裂液体系对体积压裂的作用,优选出压裂液体系;建立不同角度天然裂缝开启的力学模型,确立体积形成的关键力学条件,并针对火山岩气藏压裂目的层的地应力结构进行实际分析.从储层矿物角度出发,研究对比火山岩储层的脆性系数;根据力学条件,结合压裂工艺过程,建立相关模型,优化研究体积压裂关键工艺参数,包括排量、压裂规模等;分析降阻水、线性胶、浓胶液三种不同黏度液体对裂缝网络的作用.在上述研究基础上,针对新疆油田DX1413井实际地质条件,分析该井进行体积压裂的有利条件,并进行压裂设计与改造施工,对施工曲线、施工过程、施工结果进行分析,得到了一些有益的结论,这些结论对火山岩气藏的开发有重要的启迪作用.     

A novel three-dimensional transient model for subsurface heat exchange in enhanced geothermal systems

Understanding the subsurface heat exchange process in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) is crucial to the efficiency of heat extraction and the sustainable utilization of geothermal reservoir. In the present work we develop a novel three-dimensional transient model for the study of the subsurface heat exchange process in EGS. The novelty of this model is embodied by a couple of salient features. First, the geometry of interest physically consists of multiple domains: open channels for injection and production wells, the artificial heat reservoir, and the rock enclosing the heat reservoir, while computationally we treat it as a single-domain of multiple sub-regions associated with different sets of characteristic properties (porosity and permeability etc.). This circumvents typical difficulties about matching boundary conditions between sub-domains in traditional multi-domain approaches and facilitates numerical implementation and simulation of the complete subsurface heat exchange process. Second, the heat reservoir is treated as an equivalent porous medium of a single porosity, while we consider thermal non-equilibrium between solid and fluid components and introduce two sets of heat transfer equations to describe the heat advection and conduction for fluid in rock apertures and the heat conduction in rock matrix, respectively, thus enabling the simulation and analysis of convective heat exchange between rock matrix and fluid flowing in the apertures. Case study with respect to an imaginary EGS demonstrates the validity and capability of the developed model.     

On production behavior of enhanced geothermal systems with CO2 as working fluid

Numerical simulation is used to evaluate the mass flow and heat extraction rates from enhanced geothermal injection–production systems that are operated using either CO₂ or water as heat transmission fluid. For a model system patterned after the European hot dry rock experiment at Soultz, we find significantly greater heat extraction rates for CO₂ as compared to water. The strong dependence of CO₂ mobility (=density/viscosity) upon temperature and pressure may lead to unusual production behavior, where heat extraction rates can actually increase for a time, even as the reservoir is subject to thermal depletion. We present the first ever, three-dimensional simulations of CO₂ injection–production systems. These show strong effects of gravity on the mass flow and heat extraction due to the large contrast of CO₂ density between cold injection and hot production conditions. The tendency for preferential flow of cold, dense CO₂ along the reservoir bottom can lead to premature thermal breakthrough. The problem can be avoided by producing from only a limited depth interval at the top of the reservoir.     

The geothermal system of Ischia Island (southern Italy): Critical review and sustainability analysis of geothermal resource for electricity generation

In this paper we analyze the main available data related to the geothermal system of Ischia Island, starting from the first geothermal exploration in 1939. Our aim is to define a conceptual model of the geothermal reservoir, according to geological, geochemical, geophysical and stratigraphic data. In recent times, the interest on geothermal exploitation for electricity generation in Italy is rapidly increasing and the Ischia Island is one of the main targets for future geothermal exploitation. Nowadays, one of the main economic resources of the island is the tourism, mainly driven by the famous thermal springs; so, it is crucial to study the possible interaction between geothermal exploitation and thermal spring activities. To this aim, we also analyze the possible disturbance on temperature and pressure in the shallow geothermal reservoir, due to the heat withdrawal for electric production related to small power plant size (1–5 MWe). Such analysis has been performed by using numerical simulations based on a well known thermofluid-dynamical code (TOUGH2^®). Obtained results show that such geothermal exploitation generates a perturbation of temperature and pressure field which, however, is confined in a small volume around the well. At shallow level (0–100 m) the exploitation does not produce any appreciable disturbance, and can be made compatible with thermal spring exploitation. Moreover, such results are crucial both for the evaluation of volcanological processes in the island and for the general assessment of geothermal resource sustainability.     

U型井开发干热岩井筒温度场研究

干热岩开发主要采用水力压裂的方式,而以U型井方法取代固有开发模式,具有减少水损、提高能量衰减周期,避免诱发地震等显著优势。因此,建立了U型井井筒和干热岩储层非稳态流动传热耦合模型,采用有限体积法结合Crank-Nicolson全隐式格式进行离散求解,并通过地热井数据验证了模型的可靠性。研究了干热岩开采过程中井筒及地层的温度变化特征,定量分析不同的敏感性因素对出口温度的影响,利用正交试验法明确影响取热量大小的因素排列。结果表明：各个因素的大小对出口温度影响明显,而影响取热量的因素由主到次为注入流量、水损率、岩石导热系数、水平段长度、入口温度、井筒直径。研究成果进一步完善了干热岩高效热提取理论,可为我国干热岩地热能的开发利用提供借鉴作用。