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Title: Deep Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho using Multicomponent Geothermometry

Abstract

The U.S. Geological survey has estimated that there are up to 4,900 MWe of undiscovered geothermal resources and 92,000 MWe of enhanced geothermal potential within the state of Idaho. Of particular interest are the resources of the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) which was formed by volcanic activity associated with the relative movement of the Yellowstone Hot Spot across the state of Idaho. This region is characterized by a high geothermal gradient and thermal springs occurring along the margins of the ESRP. Masking much of the deep thermal potential of the ESRP is a regionally extensive and productive cold-water aquifer. We have undertaken a study to infer the temperature of the geothermal system hidden beneath the cold-water aquifer of the ESRP. Our approach is to estimate reservoir temperatures from measured water compositions using an inverse modeling technique (RTEst) that calculates the temperature at which multiple minerals are simultaneously at equilibrium while explicitly accounting for the possible loss of volatile constituents (e.g., CO2), boiling and/or water mixing. In the initial stages of this study, we apply the RTEst model to water compositions measured from a limited number of wells and thermal springs to estimate the regionally extensive geothermal system in themore » ESRP.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE - EE
OSTI Identifier:
1133885
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-13-30541
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 38th Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering,Stanford,02/24/2014,02/26/2014
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; Eastern Snake River Plain; geothermal; Geothermal energy; geothermometry; RTEst; Yellowstone Hotspot

Citation Formats

Neupane, Ghanashyam, Mattson, Earl D., McLing, Travis L., Palmer, Carl D., Smith, Robert W., and Wood, Thomas R. Deep Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho using Multicomponent Geothermometry. United States: N. p., 2014. Web.
Neupane, Ghanashyam, Mattson, Earl D., McLing, Travis L., Palmer, Carl D., Smith, Robert W., & Wood, Thomas R. Deep Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho using Multicomponent Geothermometry. United States.
Neupane, Ghanashyam, Mattson, Earl D., McLing, Travis L., Palmer, Carl D., Smith, Robert W., and Wood, Thomas R. 2014. "Deep Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho using Multicomponent Geothermometry". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1133885.
@article{osti_1133885,
title = {Deep Geothermal Reservoir Temperatures in the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho using Multicomponent Geothermometry},
author = {Neupane, Ghanashyam and Mattson, Earl D. and McLing, Travis L. and Palmer, Carl D. and Smith, Robert W. and Wood, Thomas R.},
abstractNote = {The U.S. Geological survey has estimated that there are up to 4,900 MWe of undiscovered geothermal resources and 92,000 MWe of enhanced geothermal potential within the state of Idaho. Of particular interest are the resources of the Eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) which was formed by volcanic activity associated with the relative movement of the Yellowstone Hot Spot across the state of Idaho. This region is characterized by a high geothermal gradient and thermal springs occurring along the margins of the ESRP. Masking much of the deep thermal potential of the ESRP is a regionally extensive and productive cold-water aquifer. We have undertaken a study to infer the temperature of the geothermal system hidden beneath the cold-water aquifer of the ESRP. Our approach is to estimate reservoir temperatures from measured water compositions using an inverse modeling technique (RTEst) that calculates the temperature at which multiple minerals are simultaneously at equilibrium while explicitly accounting for the possible loss of volatile constituents (e.g., CO2), boiling and/or water mixing. In the initial stages of this study, we apply the RTEst model to water compositions measured from a limited number of wells and thermal springs to estimate the regionally extensive geothermal system in the ESRP.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1133885}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}

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