Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5

Hickman, S H; Zoback, M D; Barton, C A; Benoit, R; Svitek, J; Summers, R

doi:10.2172/754683

Title: Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5

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Abstract

We collected borehole televiewer, temperature and flowmeter logs and conducted a hydraulic fracturing test in a well (82-5) that penetrated the SFZ within the known boundaries of the geothermal field but which failed to encounter significant permeability. Although stuck drill pipe prevented direct access to the SFZ, borehole breakouts and cooling cracks indicated a {approximately}90 degree rotation in the azimuth of the least horizontal principal stress (Shmin) in well 82-5 at about 2.7 km depth. This rotation, together with the low (Shmin) magnitude measured at 2.5 km depth in well 82-5, is most readily explained through the occurrences of one or more normal faulting earthquakes in the hanging wall of the SFZ in the northern part of the reservoir. The orientation of (Shmin) below 2.7 km (i.e., {approximately}20 to 50 m above the top of the SFZ) is such that both the overall SFZ and natural fractures directly above the SFZ are optimally oriented for normal faulting failure. If these fracture and stress orient ations persist into the SFZ itself, then the existence of a local stress relief zone (i.e., anormalously high (Shmin) magnitude) is the most likely explanation for the very low fault zone permeability encountered in well 82-5.

Authors:: Hickman, S H; Zoback, M D; Barton, C A; Benoit, R; Svitek, J; Summers, R

Publication Date:: Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1999

Research Org.:: USDOE Idaho Operations Office, Idaho Falls, ID; Oxbow Geothermal Corporation (US)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Geothermal Technologies (EE-12) (US)

OSTI Identifier:: 754683

Report Number(s):: DOE/ID/13762
TRN: AH200038%%346

DOE Contract Number:: FG07-99ID13762

Resource Type:: Technical Report

Resource Relation:: Other Information: PBD: 1 Dec 1999

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; DRILL PIPES; GEOTHERMAL FIELDS; HYDRAULIC FRACTURING; PERMEABILITY; VALLEYS; Geothermal Legacy; DIXIE VALLEY; STESS; GEOTHERMAL; BOREHOLE

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                    Hickman, S H, Zoback, M D, Barton, C A, Benoit, R, Svitek, J, and Summers, R. Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5.  United States: N. p., 1999. 
        Web.  doi:10.2172/754683.

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                    Hickman, S H, Zoback, M D, Barton, C A, Benoit, R, Svitek, J, & Summers, R. Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/754683

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                    Hickman, S H, Zoback, M D, Barton, C A, Benoit, R, Svitek, J, and Summers, R. 1999.  
        "Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/754683.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/754683.

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@article{osti_754683,

  title        = {Stress and Permeability Heterogeneity within the Dixie Valley Geothermal Reservoir: Recent Results from Well 82-5},

  author       = {Hickman, S H and Zoback, M D and Barton, C A and Benoit, R and Svitek, J and Summers, R},

  abstractNote = {We collected borehole televiewer, temperature and flowmeter logs and conducted a hydraulic fracturing test in a well (82-5) that penetrated the SFZ within the known boundaries of the geothermal field but which failed to encounter significant permeability. Although stuck drill pipe prevented direct access to the SFZ, borehole breakouts and cooling cracks indicated a {approximately}90 degree rotation in the azimuth of the least horizontal principal stress (Shmin) in well 82-5 at about 2.7 km depth. This rotation, together with the low (Shmin) magnitude measured at 2.5 km depth in well 82-5, is most readily explained through the occurrences of one or more normal faulting earthquakes in the hanging wall of the SFZ in the northern part of the reservoir. The orientation of (Shmin) below 2.7 km (i.e., {approximately}20 to 50 m above the top of the SFZ) is such that both the overall SFZ and natural fractures directly above the SFZ are optimally oriented for normal faulting failure. If these fracture and stress orient ations persist into the SFZ itself, then the existence of a local stress relief zone (i.e., anormalously high (Shmin) magnitude) is the most likely explanation for the very low fault zone permeability encountered in well 82-5.},

  doi          = {10.2172/754683},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/754683},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1999},

  month        = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1999}

}

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