Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs

Fu, Pengcheng; Hao, Yue; Walsh, Stuart D. C.; Carrigan, Charles R.

doi:10.1007/s00603-015-0776-0

Title: Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the flow-channeling phenomenon caused by thermal drawdown in fractured geothermal reservoirs. A discrete fracture network-based, fully coupled thermal–hydrological–mechanical simulator is used to study the interactions between fluid flow, temperature change, and the associated rock deformation. The responses of a number of randomly generated 2D fracture networks that represent a variety of reservoir characteristics are simulated with various injection-production well distances. We find that flow channeling, namely flow concentration in cooled zones, is the inevitable fate of all the scenarios evaluated. We also identify a secondary geomechanical mechanism caused by the anisotropy in thermal stress that counteracts the primary mechanism of flow channeling. This new mechanism tends, to some extent, to result in a more diffuse flow distribution, although it is generally not strong enough to completely reverse flow channeling. We find that fracture intensity substantially affects the overall hydraulic impedance of the reservoir but increasing fracture intensity generally does not improve heat production performance. Finally, increasing the injection-production well separation appears to be an effective means to prolong the production life of a reservoir.

Authors:

Fu, Pengcheng ^[1]; Hao, Yue ^[1]; Walsh, Stuart D. C. ^[1]; Carrigan, Charles R. ^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy Division

Publication Date:: Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Research Org.:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office; LLNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

OSTI Identifier:: 1366903

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-644453
Journal ID: ISSN 0723-2632

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

Resource Type:: Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 49; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0723-2632

Publisher:: Springer

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 58 GEOSCIENCES; 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; geothermal; enhanced geothermal system; hot wet rock; thermal breakthrough; flow channeling; THM model

Citation Formats


                    Fu, Pengcheng, Hao, Yue, Walsh, Stuart D. C., and Carrigan, Charles R. Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
        Web.  doi:10.1007/s00603-015-0776-0.

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                    Fu, Pengcheng, Hao, Yue, Walsh, Stuart D. C., & Carrigan, Charles R. Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0776-0

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                    Fu, Pengcheng, Hao, Yue, Walsh, Stuart D. C., and Carrigan, Charles R. 2015.  
        "Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0776-0.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1366903.

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@article{osti_1366903,

  title        = {Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs},

  author       = {Fu, Pengcheng and Hao, Yue and Walsh, Stuart D. C. and Carrigan, Charles R.},

  abstractNote = {In this paper, we investigate the flow-channeling phenomenon caused by thermal drawdown in fractured geothermal reservoirs. A discrete fracture network-based, fully coupled thermal–hydrological–mechanical simulator is used to study the interactions between fluid flow, temperature change, and the associated rock deformation. The responses of a number of randomly generated 2D fracture networks that represent a variety of reservoir characteristics are simulated with various injection-production well distances. We find that flow channeling, namely flow concentration in cooled zones, is the inevitable fate of all the scenarios evaluated. We also identify a secondary geomechanical mechanism caused by the anisotropy in thermal stress that counteracts the primary mechanism of flow channeling. This new mechanism tends, to some extent, to result in a more diffuse flow distribution, although it is generally not strong enough to completely reverse flow channeling. We find that fracture intensity substantially affects the overall hydraulic impedance of the reservoir but increasing fracture intensity generally does not improve heat production performance. Finally, increasing the injection-production well separation appears to be an effective means to prolong the production life of a reservoir.},

  doi          = {10.1007/s00603-015-0776-0},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1366903},
  journal      = {Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering},

  issn         = {0723-2632},

  number       = 3,

  volume       = 49,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015},

  month        = {Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015}

}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Solute tracer test quantification of the effects of hot water injection into hydraulically stimulated crystalline rock
journal, June 2020

Kittilä, Anniina; Jalali, Mohammadreza; Saar, Martin O.
Geothermal Energy, Vol. 8, Issue 1
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-020-00172-x

Solute tracer test quantification of the effects of hot water injection into hydraulically stimulated crystalline rock
text, January 2020

Kittilä, Anniina; Jalali, Mohammadreza; Saar, Martin O.
ETH Zurich
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000420224

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Similar Records

Title: Thermal Drawdown-Induced Flow Channeling in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs

Abstract

Citation Formats

Flow channeling in a single fracture induced by shear displacement journal, October 2006

Characterizing rock joint geometry with joint system models journal, January 1988

A hydro-thermo-mechanical numerical model for HDR geothermal reservoir evaluation journal, July 1996

Numerical simulation of thermal-hydrologic-mechanical-chemical processes in deformable, fractured porous media journal, July 2009

Thermal–hydrologic–mechanical–chemical processes in the evolution of engineered geothermal reservoirs journal, July 2009

Flow channeling in heterogeneous fractured rocks journal, May 1998

Numerical Modeling of Hydraulic Fractures Interaction in Complex Naturally Fractured Formations journal, January 2013

Fundamentals of rock joint deformation journal, December 1983

Strength, deformation and conductivity coupling of rock joints journal, June 1985

Injection and Thermal Breakthrough in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs journal, February 1982

A 3-D study of the effects of thermomechanical loads on fracture slip in enhanced geothermal reservoirs journal, December 2007

A numerical study on the long term thermo-poroelastic effects of cold water injection into naturally fractured geothermal reservoirs journal, July 2011

Natural joints in rock: Mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behaviour and properties under normal stress journal, May 1992

Formulation of a fully-coupled thermal—mechanical—fluid flow model for non-linear geologic systems journal, June 1986

A modeling approach for analysis of coupled multiphase fluid flow, heat transfer, and deformation in fractured porous rock journal, June 2002

Impact of Induced Thermal Stresses During Circulation Tests in an Engineered Fractured Geothermal Reservoir: Example of the Soultz-Sous-Forêts European Hot Fractured Rock Geothermal Project, Rhine Graben, France journal, September 2002

An explicitly coupled hydro-geomechanical model for simulating hydraulic fracturing in arbitrary discrete fracture networks: FULLY COUPLED MODEL FOR HYDRO-FRACTURING IN ARBITRARY FRACTURE NETWORKS journal, August 2012

State of the art of geothermal reservoir simulation journal, August 2001

Channel model of flow through fractured media journal, March 1987

Progress toward a stochastic rock mechanics model of engineered geothermal systems journal, August 1996

An investigation of stimulation mechanisms in Enhanced Geothermal Systems journal, December 2014

Characterizing rock joint geometry with joint system models journal, January 1989

Coupled hydraulic, thermal and mechanical considerations for the simulation of hot dry rock reservoirs journal, April 1996

Natural joints in rock: mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behaviour and properties under normal stress journal, November 1992

Solute tracer test quantification of the effects of hot water injection into hydraulically stimulated crystalline rock journal, June 2020

Solute tracer test quantification of the effects of hot water injection into hydraulically stimulated crystalline rock text, January 2020

Flow channeling in a single fracture induced by shear displacement
journal, October 2006

Characterizing rock joint geometry with joint system models
journal, January 1988

A hydro-thermo-mechanical numerical model for HDR geothermal reservoir evaluation
journal, July 1996

Numerical simulation of thermal-hydrologic-mechanical-chemical processes in deformable, fractured porous media
journal, July 2009

Thermal–hydrologic–mechanical–chemical processes in the evolution of engineered geothermal reservoirs
journal, July 2009

Flow channeling in heterogeneous fractured rocks
journal, May 1998

Numerical Modeling of Hydraulic Fractures Interaction in Complex Naturally Fractured Formations
journal, January 2013

Fundamentals of rock joint deformation
journal, December 1983

Strength, deformation and conductivity coupling of rock joints
journal, June 1985

Injection and Thermal Breakthrough in Fractured Geothermal Reservoirs
journal, February 1982

A 3-D study of the effects of thermomechanical loads on fracture slip in enhanced geothermal reservoirs
journal, December 2007

A numerical study on the long term thermo-poroelastic effects of cold water injection into naturally fractured geothermal reservoirs
journal, July 2011

Natural joints in rock: Mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behaviour and properties under normal stress
journal, May 1992

Formulation of a fully-coupled thermal—mechanical—fluid flow model for non-linear geologic systems
journal, June 1986

A modeling approach for analysis of coupled multiphase fluid flow, heat transfer, and deformation in fractured porous rock
journal, June 2002

Impact of Induced Thermal Stresses During Circulation Tests in an Engineered Fractured Geothermal Reservoir: Example of the Soultz-Sous-Forêts European Hot Fractured Rock Geothermal Project, Rhine Graben, France
journal, September 2002

An explicitly coupled hydro-geomechanical model for simulating hydraulic fracturing in arbitrary discrete fracture networks: FULLY COUPLED MODEL FOR HYDRO-FRACTURING IN ARBITRARY FRACTURE NETWORKS
journal, August 2012

State of the art of geothermal reservoir simulation
journal, August 2001

Channel model of flow through fractured media
journal, March 1987

Progress toward a stochastic rock mechanics model of engineered geothermal systems
journal, August 1996

An investigation of stimulation mechanisms in Enhanced Geothermal Systems
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Characterizing rock joint geometry with joint system models
journal, January 1989

Coupled hydraulic, thermal and mechanical considerations for the simulation of hot dry rock reservoirs
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Natural joints in rock: mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behaviour and properties under normal stress
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