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Title: Reserach on the physical properties of geothermal reservoir rock. Quarterly report. [From Columbia Plateau volcanic basin]

Abstract

Laboratory measurements of thermal conductivity and capillary pressure have been undertaken for samples of Cenozoic Volcanic rocks collected from the Columbia Plateau Volcanic basin. These measurements were performed at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Various methods of measuring thermal conductivity were investigated and finally a flash method was chosen. The equipment was constructed and tested. The results were favorable. Numerous capillary pressure curves were obtained by use of the mercury injection technique. These curves indicate pore structure: pore size, pore distribution, pore volume, and pore geometry. Measurements of this type help to explain variations in rock properties such as seismic velocities and resistivities.

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Colorado School of Mines, Golden (USA). Dept. of Geophysics
OSTI Identifier:
6161213
Report Number(s):
COO-2908-4
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-S-02-2908
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS; RESERVOIR ROCK; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; VOLCANIC ROCKS; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; CENOZOIC ERA; MEASURING METHODS; POROSITY; POROUS MATERIALS; RESERVOIR PRESSURE; THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY; VOLCANIC REGIONS; GEOLOGIC AGES; IGNEOUS ROCKS; MATERIALS; ROCKS; THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES; Geothermal Legacy; 152002* - Geothermal Data & Theory- Properties of Minerals & Rocks; 150201 - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems- USA- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Skokan, C.K., and Ibrahim, A. Reserach on the physical properties of geothermal reservoir rock. Quarterly report. [From Columbia Plateau volcanic basin]. United States: N. p., 1978. Web. doi:10.2172/6161213.
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Skokan, C.K., & Ibrahim, A. Reserach on the physical properties of geothermal reservoir rock. Quarterly report. [From Columbia Plateau volcanic basin]. United States. doi:10.2172/6161213.
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Skokan, C.K., and Ibrahim, A. Sat . "Reserach on the physical properties of geothermal reservoir rock. Quarterly report. [From Columbia Plateau volcanic basin]". United States. doi:10.2172/6161213. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6161213.
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@article{osti_6161213,
title = {Reserach on the physical properties of geothermal reservoir rock. Quarterly report. [From Columbia Plateau volcanic basin]},
author = {Skokan, C.K. and Ibrahim, A.},
abstractNote = {Laboratory measurements of thermal conductivity and capillary pressure have been undertaken for samples of Cenozoic Volcanic rocks collected from the Columbia Plateau Volcanic basin. These measurements were performed at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Various methods of measuring thermal conductivity were investigated and finally a flash method was chosen. The equipment was constructed and tested. The results were favorable. Numerous capillary pressure curves were obtained by use of the mercury injection technique. These curves indicate pore structure: pore size, pore distribution, pore volume, and pore geometry. Measurements of this type help to explain variations in rock properties such as seismic velocities and resistivities.},
doi = {10.2172/6161213},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978},
month = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978}
}
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Technical Report:
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DOI:  10.2172/6161213
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    Rock samples were collected from the Snake River Plain volcanic depression of Idaho, the Columbia Plateau's volcanic basin located in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and western Idaho, the Modoc volcanic province of northeastern California, the volcanic fields of south central Nevada, and the Jemez volcanic field of north central New Mexico. Strategy governing sample selection is described. From each field, 64 individual rock samples, each being several kilograms in size, were collected. (JGB)

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    A laboratory study of the P-wave velocity and electric resistivity was undertaken on Cenozoic volcanic rocks collected from the Columbia Plateau volcanic basin (C) and the Jemez volcanic field (NM). Electric resistivities of cylindrical samples saturated with 0.1 N NaCl solution were measured using a four electrode system and a 1.0 KHz frequency source. Seismic P-wave velocities were calculated from measured transit time of mechanical pulses generated and received by piezoelectric transducers. The electric resistivity of water saturated samples decreased as temperature increased to the boiling point of water. Above boiling point, resistivity increased rapidly as water changed to vapor.more » Resistivity is most sensitive to temperature changes between 35/sup 0/C to 65/sup 0/C. Resistivities of samples increased with decrease in saturation. The effect is more pronounced at lower temperatures. No dependence of seismic P-wave velocities on temperature was observed. Both resistivity and P-wave velocity depend on porosity. The increase in porosity results in a decrease in the resistivity formation factor. Assuming a relationship FF = a phi/sup -m/ (Archie's Law), where FF and phi represent the formation factor and porosity respectively, least squares indicate a variation of a between .5 and 2.0. The value of m varied between 1.2 to 1.7. Seismic velocities (v) decrease as porosity increases. Porosity appears to be linearly related to log v. Several samples show anomalous relationship between porosity and resistivity. Most of these samples also show anomalous seismic velocities. The majority of these samples have coarse grains or large pores. The effect of saturation on P-wave velocity is small and can be observed in few samples. In these samples, seismic velocities decrease with increase in saturation at high saturation (100% to 85%), and show a reverse relationship at low saturation. Between 15% and 85% saturation in velocity is constant.« less

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    Measurements have been made of the electrical resistivity, the acoustic wave speed, density, and water content of six groups of rock samples taken from Cenozoic volcanic units. It has been found from these measurements that the correlations between physical properties are significantly different in the case of volcanic rocks than in the case of sandstones and limestones. For a given porosity and water content, the resistivity of a volcanic rock is several fold greater than that of a sandstone or limestone. Also, there is a weaker correlation between acoustic wave speed and porosity in volcanic rocks than in sandstones andmore » limestones. The effect of temperature on the properties of these rocks appears to be predictable from fundamental considerations to temperatures as high as 100/sup 0/C.« less

  • ; ; ; ...
    General balance laws and constitutive relations are developed for convective hydrothermal geothermal reservoirs. A fully interacting rock-fluid system is considered; typical rock-fluid interactions involve momentum and energy transfer and the dependence of rock porosity and permeability upon the fluid and rock stresses. The mathematical model also includes multiphase (water/steam) effects. A simple analytical model is employed to study heat transfer into/or from a fluid moving in a porous medium. Numerical results show that for fluid velocities typical of geothermal systems (Reynolds number much less than 10), the fluid and the solid may be assumed to be in local thermal equilibrium.more » Mathematical formalism of Anderson and Jackson is utilized to derive a continuum species transport equation for flow in porous media; this method allows one to delineate, in a rigorous manner, the convective and diffusive mechanisms in the continuum representation of species transport. An existing computer program (QUAGMR) is applied to study upwelling of hot water from depth along a fault; the numerical results can be used to explain local temperature inversions occasionally observed in bore hole measurements.« less

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