Improved energy recovery from geothermal reservoirs

Conference · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5988097

Boedvarsson, G S; Pruess, K; Lippmann, M; Bjoernsson, S

Numerical simulation methods are used to study how the exploitation of different horizons affects the behavior of a liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir. The reservoir model is a schematic representation of the Olkaria field in Kenya. The model consists of a two-phase vapor-dominated zone overlying the main liquid dominated reservoir. Four different cases were studied, with fluid produced from: 1) the vapor zone only, 2) the liquid zone only, 3) both zones and 4) both zones, but assuming lower values for vertical permeability and porosity. The results indicate that production from the shallow two-phase zone, although resulting in higher enthalpy fluids, may not be advantageous in the long run. Shallow production gives rise to a rather localized depletion of the reservoir, whereas production from deeper horizons may yield a more uniform depletion proces, if vertical permeability is sufficiently large.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5988097
• Report Number(s): LBL-12341; CONF-811023-5; ON: DE82001007
• Resource Relation: Conference: 1981 SPE annual technical conference and exhibition, San Antonio, TX, USA, 4 Oct 1981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
HOT-WATER SYSTEMS
HEAT RECOVERY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SIMULATION
HEAT EXTRACTION
KENYA
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
AFRICA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENERGY RECOVERY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS
RECOVERY
Geothermal Legacy
150202* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems- Non-USA- (-1989)
150906 - Geothermal Engineering- Reservoir Stimulation & Extraction Technology