Response of east Mesa and Raft River reservoirs to injection-backflow testing

Conference · Thu Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5488096

Russell, B F; Hull, L C; Downs, W F

Analysis of tracer recovery curves from injection-backflow testing at two geothermal reservoirs reveals large differences in responsebetween the two. The east Mesa reservoir is in a layered sandstone matrix, and tracer behavior can be adequately described by porous media theory. As the volume of water injected into the reservoir increases and, consequently, the depth of penetration into the formation, the ratio of dispersive flux to advective flux decreases, indicating the increasing importance of advective transport. This effect can be seen in normalized tracer recovery curves that become more symmetrical with greater injection volume. At the Raft River site, the reservoir is dominated by a single major fracture zone. Injecting larger volumes of water into the fracture does not change the shape of the normalized tracer recovery curves. This indicates that the dispersion coefficient increases proportionally to the distance traveled by the injection front. Differences in the shape of tracer recovery curves are related to fundamental differences in reservoir characteristics. Long tails on the tracer recovery curves at Raft River suggest a dual porosity reservoir with a secondary fracture network connected to the major fracture. Such findings may considerably affect calculations of secondary heat recovery using injection wells.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 5488096
• Report Number(s): EGG-M-24883; CONF-831253-2; ON: DE84005099
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150600* -- Geothermal Energy-- Environmental Aspects
EAST MESA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
FAILURES
FEDERAL REGION X
FLUID INJECTION
FRACTURES
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
IDAHO
INJECTION WELLS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
POROSITY
RAFT RIVER VALLEY
RESERVOIR PRESSURE
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SHALES
TESTING
TRACER TECHNIQUES
USA
WELLS