skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Simulations of carbon dioxide push-pull into a conjugate fault system modeled after Dixie Valley—Sensitivity analysis of significant parameters and uncertainty prediction by data-worth analysis

Abstract

Characterizing the faults and fractures that provide flow pathways for efficient geothermal energy production is critical for design of sustainable geothermal energy production. Both natural faults and stimulated fractures in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are difficult to image and map by seismic methods because hot brine filling the fractures and faults does not create a strong seismic property contrast relative to surrounding rock. We investigate here the technical feasibility of using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injection into faults in a single-well push-pull scenario to characterize the hydraulic properties of the fault zone by emplacing scCO2 that can serve as a contrast fluid for seismic monitoring. We develop a conceptual and numerical reservoir model of two intersecting faults based on the Dixie Valley geothermal system in Nevada, USA.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1];  [3];  [3]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA (United States)
  3. Schlumberger-Doll Research, Cambridge, MA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE); Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA); USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1477326
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1496280
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geothermics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 74; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0375-6505
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; enhanced geothermal sites (EGS); CO2 push-pull; Dixie Valley geothermal system; sensitivity analysis; data-worth analysis

Citation Formats

Lee, Kyung Jae, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Doughty, Christine, Jung, Yoojin, Borgia, Andrea, Pan, Lehua, Zhang, Rui, Daley, Thomas M., Altundas, Bilgin, and Chugunov, Nikita. Simulations of carbon dioxide push-pull into a conjugate fault system modeled after Dixie Valley—Sensitivity analysis of significant parameters and uncertainty prediction by data-worth analysis. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.02.011.
Lee, Kyung Jae, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Doughty, Christine, Jung, Yoojin, Borgia, Andrea, Pan, Lehua, Zhang, Rui, Daley, Thomas M., Altundas, Bilgin, & Chugunov, Nikita. Simulations of carbon dioxide push-pull into a conjugate fault system modeled after Dixie Valley—Sensitivity analysis of significant parameters and uncertainty prediction by data-worth analysis. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.02.011
Lee, Kyung Jae, Oldenburg, Curtis M., Doughty, Christine, Jung, Yoojin, Borgia, Andrea, Pan, Lehua, Zhang, Rui, Daley, Thomas M., Altundas, Bilgin, and Chugunov, Nikita. 2018. "Simulations of carbon dioxide push-pull into a conjugate fault system modeled after Dixie Valley—Sensitivity analysis of significant parameters and uncertainty prediction by data-worth analysis". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.02.011. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1477326.
@article{osti_1477326,
title = {Simulations of carbon dioxide push-pull into a conjugate fault system modeled after Dixie Valley—Sensitivity analysis of significant parameters and uncertainty prediction by data-worth analysis},
author = {Lee, Kyung Jae and Oldenburg, Curtis M. and Doughty, Christine and Jung, Yoojin and Borgia, Andrea and Pan, Lehua and Zhang, Rui and Daley, Thomas M. and Altundas, Bilgin and Chugunov, Nikita},
abstractNote = {Characterizing the faults and fractures that provide flow pathways for efficient geothermal energy production is critical for design of sustainable geothermal energy production. Both natural faults and stimulated fractures in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are difficult to image and map by seismic methods because hot brine filling the fractures and faults does not create a strong seismic property contrast relative to surrounding rock. We investigate here the technical feasibility of using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injection into faults in a single-well push-pull scenario to characterize the hydraulic properties of the fault zone by emplacing scCO2 that can serve as a contrast fluid for seismic monitoring. We develop a conceptual and numerical reservoir model of two intersecting faults based on the Dixie Valley geothermal system in Nevada, USA.},
doi = {10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.02.011},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1477326}, journal = {Geothermics},
issn = {0375-6505},
number = C,
volume = 74,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Solving iTOUGH2 simulation and optimization problems using the PEST protocol
journal, July 2011


Practical notes on local data-worth analysis: NOTES ON DATA-WORTH ANALYSIS
journal, December 2015


Propagation pathways and fluid transport of hydrofractures in jointed and layered rocks in geothermal fields
journal, August 2002


A Closed-form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils1
journal, January 1980


Characterization of a fracture zone using seismic attributes at the In Salah CO2 storage project
journal, May 2015