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Title: Analysis of Geothermal Reservoir and Well Operational Conditions using Monthly Production Reports from Nevada and California

Abstract

When conducting techno-economic analysis of geothermal systems, assumptions are typically necessary for reservoir and wellbore parameters such as producer/injector well ratio, production temperature drawdown, and production/injection temperature, pressure and flow rate. To decrease uncertainty of several of these parameters, we analyzed field data reported by operators in monthly production reports. This paper presents results of a statistical analysis conducted on monthly production reports at 19 power plants in California and Nevada covering 196 production wells and 175 injection wells. The average production temperature was 304 degrees F (151 degrees C) for binary plants and 310 degrees F (154 degrees C) for flash plants. The average injection temperature was 169 degrees F (76 degrees C) for binary plants and 173 degrees F (78 degrees C) for flash plants. The average production temperature drawdown was 0.5% per year for binary plants and 0.8% per year for flash plants. The average production well flow rate was 112 L/s for binary plant wells and 62 L/s for flash plant wells. For all 19 plants combined, the median injectivity index value was 3.8 L/s/bar, and the average producer/injector well ratio was 1.6. As an additional example of analysis using data from monthly production reports, amore » coupled reservoir-wellbore model was developed to derive productivity curves at various pump horsepower settings. The workflow and model were applied to two example production wells.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Georgia State University
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
U.S. Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS)
OSTI Identifier:
1423750
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-5500-68701
DOE Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Presented at the Geothermal Resources Council 41st Annual Meeting - Geothermal Energy: Power To Do More (GRC 2017), 1-4 October 2017, Salt Lake City, Utah
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY; monthly geothermal production reports; geothermal reservoir and wellbore performance; production temperature; injection temperature; thermal drawdown; well flow rate; injectivity index; well ratio; wellbore modeling

Citation Formats

Beckers, Koenraad J, Young, Katherine R, Johnston, Henry, and Snyder, Diana M. Analysis of Geothermal Reservoir and Well Operational Conditions using Monthly Production Reports from Nevada and California. United States: N. p., 2017. Web.
Beckers, Koenraad J, Young, Katherine R, Johnston, Henry, & Snyder, Diana M. Analysis of Geothermal Reservoir and Well Operational Conditions using Monthly Production Reports from Nevada and California. United States.
Beckers, Koenraad J, Young, Katherine R, Johnston, Henry, and Snyder, Diana M. 2017. "Analysis of Geothermal Reservoir and Well Operational Conditions using Monthly Production Reports from Nevada and California". United States.
@article{osti_1423750,
title = {Analysis of Geothermal Reservoir and Well Operational Conditions using Monthly Production Reports from Nevada and California},
author = {Beckers, Koenraad J and Young, Katherine R and Johnston, Henry and Snyder, Diana M.},
abstractNote = {When conducting techno-economic analysis of geothermal systems, assumptions are typically necessary for reservoir and wellbore parameters such as producer/injector well ratio, production temperature drawdown, and production/injection temperature, pressure and flow rate. To decrease uncertainty of several of these parameters, we analyzed field data reported by operators in monthly production reports. This paper presents results of a statistical analysis conducted on monthly production reports at 19 power plants in California and Nevada covering 196 production wells and 175 injection wells. The average production temperature was 304 degrees F (151 degrees C) for binary plants and 310 degrees F (154 degrees C) for flash plants. The average injection temperature was 169 degrees F (76 degrees C) for binary plants and 173 degrees F (78 degrees C) for flash plants. The average production temperature drawdown was 0.5% per year for binary plants and 0.8% per year for flash plants. The average production well flow rate was 112 L/s for binary plant wells and 62 L/s for flash plant wells. For all 19 plants combined, the median injectivity index value was 3.8 L/s/bar, and the average producer/injector well ratio was 1.6. As an additional example of analysis using data from monthly production reports, a coupled reservoir-wellbore model was developed to derive productivity curves at various pump horsepower settings. The workflow and model were applied to two example production wells.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1423750}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {10}
}

Conference:
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