Hybrid Uses of High-Temperature Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage: Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
One of the critical challenges of the green energy transition is resolving the mismatch between energy generation provided by intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind and the demand for energy. There is a need for large amounts of energy storage over a range of time scales (diurnal to seasonal) to better balance energy supply and demand. Subsurface geologic reservoirs provide the potential for storage of hot water that can be retrieved when needed and used for power generation or direct-use applications, such as district heating. It is important to identify potential issues associated with high-temperature reservoir thermal energy storage (HT-RTES) systems so that they can be mitigated, thus reducing the risks of these systems. This paper reviews past experiences from moderate and high-temperature reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES) projects, along with hot water and steam flood enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations, to identify technical challenges encountered and evaluate possible ways to address them. Some of the identified technical problems that have impacted system performance include: 1) insufficient site characterization that failed to identify reservoir heterogeneity; 2) scaling resulting from precipitation of minerals having retrograde solubility that form with heating of formation brines; 3) corrosion from low pH or high salinity brines; 4) thermal breakthrough between hot and cold wells due to insufficient spacing. Proper design, characterization, construction, and operational practices can help reduce the risk of technical problems that could lead to reduced performance of these thermal energy storage systems.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 2203229
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-5700-87816; MainId:88591; UUID:4354aa53-2458-4b88-8ceb-7e2eb66bf2cb; MainAdminID:70904
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Presented at the SPE Energy Transition Symposium, 22-23 August 2023, Houston, Texas
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A New Appraisal- Lessons from the History of Efforts to Value Green and High-Performance Home Attributes in the United States
Findings on Subtask 3.1 - Bakken Rich Gas Enhanced Oil Recovery Project