Abandoned Wells and Geothermal Energy: A Survey on the Utilization of Geothermal Heat from Abandoned Wells in Energy Systems

2022 ◽  
pp. 337-355
Author(s):  
Mohammad-Reza Kolahi ◽  
Mohammad Ebadollahi ◽  
Hossein Nami ◽  
Mortaza Yari ◽  
Majid Amidpour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Abandoned Wells

Geo-Thermo-Mechanical Modeling of Pre-Drilled Wellbores to Extract Geothermal Energy from Subsurface to Produce Cleaner Energy for United Arab Emirates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubedullah Ansari ◽  
Najeeb Anjum Soomro ◽  
Farhan Ali Narejo ◽  
Shafquat Ali Baloch ◽  
Faiz Ali Talpur
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Mechanical Model ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Abandoned Wells ◽  
Single Well

Abstract The middle eastern countries including United Arab Emirates (UAE) have enjoyed the energy production from hydrocarbon resource for a very long period. Indeed, now various countries in this region has shifted to alternative resources of power generation with cheaper and cleaner sources. Geothermal is the top of the list among those sources. Therefore, this study presents an ultimate model converting abandoned oil and gas wells into subsurface geothermal recovery points. Fundamentally, this study offers a geo-thermo-mechanical model of abandoned wellbore which can help in developing an optimistic geothermal energy not only from subsurface thermal reserve but also from abandoned casing and pipes installed in Wellbores. In this approach the source of heat is thermally active rock formations and the metallic pipes that are present in wellbores drilled through hot dry rocks. In the model the already drilled wells are incorporated as medium of heat flow in which water in injected and brought back to surface along with thermal impact. The results of this study revealed that, at the depth of 6000 m of high temperature wellbore the temperature is above 85°C and at this temperature the metallic casings further rise the reserve temperature thus the conversion of water into steam can be processed easily. Moreover, at high depths the stability of wellbore is also issue in high temperature formation, so mechanical model suggests that injection of water and conversion into steam in already cased wellbore can sustain up to 6 MPa stress at around 100C. Thus, the geo-thermo-mechanical model of wellbore will illustrate the possibility of converting water into steam and it will also reveal the average amount of heat that can be generated from a single well. henceforth, the thermal recovery from abandoned wells of UAE is best fit solution for clean energy. The abandoned wells are used as conduit to transport heat energy from subsurface by using water as transport medium, as water at surface temperature is injected in those wellbores and let thermal energy convert that water into steam. Later the steam is returned to surface and used as fuel in turbines or generators.

Technology Focus: Wellbore Tubulars (July 2021)

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (07) ◽  
pp. 50-50
Author(s):  
Robello Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
The Future ◽  
Geothermal Wells ◽  
Abandoned Wells ◽  
Thermal Simulations ◽  
Technology Focus

How we think about the future of the pipe industry must evolve. How must tubular design and manufacturing change as we transition to clean energy? Geothermal energy is an area that needs attention and, further, needs very specific attention on tubulars. Tubulars are an important component in the construction of geothermal wells, and we must align our requirements for geothermal energy. Some of the main challenges encountered in geothermal wells are corrosion and scaling. Moreover, temperature becomes a major consideration for tubulars, even more so with the temperature excursion during geothermal production. Perhaps the critical aspect in the design of the geothermal wells involves casing selection and design. Beyond manufacturing casing pipes to withstand these problems, considering the manufacturing of other components, such as connections, float collars, and float shoes, also is essential. Thermal expansion and thermal excursion of casings are well-integrity concerns; thus, casing design is important for long-term sustainability of geothermal wells. Apart from thermal simulations, guidelines and software are needed to undergird the designs to withstand not only temperature excursions but also thermomechanical and thermochemical loadings. Engineered nonmetallic casings also provide an alternative solution because they provide the desired strength and corrosion resistance in addition to meeting the goals of sustainability. Undoubtedly, the future of the tubular industry is going to be revitalized. The question now is how we can retrofit existing abandoned wells for this purpose. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 199570 - Special Considerations for Well-Tubular Design at Elevated Temperatures by Gang Tao, C-FER Technologies, et al.

5.18 Energy Management in Geothermal Energy Systems

2018 ◽  
pp. 742-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Calise ◽  
Adriano Macaluso ◽  
Antonio Piacentino ◽  
Laura Vanoli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Management ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Energy Systems

scholarly journals The GRETA project: the contribution of near-surface geothermal energy for the energetic self-sufficiency of Alpine regions

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Casasso ◽  
Bruno Piga ◽  
Rajandrea Sethi ◽  
Joerg Prestor ◽  
Simona Pestotnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Geothermal Resources ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Alpine Regions ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Geothermal Heat Pump ◽  
Alpine Space

The Alpine regions are deeply involved in the challenge set by climate change, which is a threat for their environment and for important economic activities such as tourism. The heating and cooling of buildings account for a major share of the total primary energy consumption in Europe, and hence the energy policies should focus on this sector to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction targets set by international agreements. Geothermal heat pump is one of the least carbon-intensive technologies for the heating and cooling of buildings. It exploits the heat stored within the ground, a local renewable energy source which is widely available across the Alpine territory. Nevertheless, it has been little considered by European policies and cooperation projects. GRETA (near-surface Geothermal REsources in the Territory of the Alpine space) is a cooperation project funded by the EU INTERREG-Alpine Space program, aiming at demonstrating the potential of shallow geothermal energy and to foster its integration into energy planning instruments. It started in December 2015 and will last three years, involving 12 partners from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. In this paper, the project is presented, along with the results of the first year of work.

The Prospects of Thermal Water Exploration in Ukraine

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Ivan Sadovenko ◽  
Dmytro Rudakov ◽  
Oleksandr Inkin
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Water ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Heat Extraction ◽  
Circulation System ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
Environmentally Safe ◽  
Depth Ranges

The total resources of geothermal energy in Ukraine up to the depth of 10 km are estimated at 1022 J, which significantly exceeds the reserves of fossil fuel sources. Nevertheless, geothermal exploration in each specific case requires comprehensive thermodynamic and feasibility studies taking into account local geological, hydrogeological conditions, and depth ranges. To facilitate such kind of studies an analysis has been made for Ukraine’s territory with the identification of aquifers that can be potentially used including the Transcarpathian trough, the Volyn-Podil’ska plate, the Dnipro-Donets depression, and Black Sea coast area. Regarding high thermal water mineralization a geo-technological scheme has been justified for environmentally safe exploration that suggests a closed cycle including (i) pumping out water to the surface, (ii) heat extraction, and (iii) re-injection of water into the aquifer. A mathematical model developed to evaluate the geo-circulation system effectiveness for various conditions allows predicting the changes in water temperature during circulation, power consumption, and heat capacity. Besides, the model enables optimizing the system performance depending on pumped water temperature. We assessed the effectiveness of geothermal heat extraction with the geo-circulation system in terms of profitability and net the present value (NPV). According to the estimations made for aquifers in Ukraine the geo-circulation system can be operated with the positive NPV in many regions of the country depending on the aquifer depth, heat flux, and groundwater flow. The obtained results correlate to the world standards of rational exploitation of geothermal energy.

Numerical Analysis of Geothermal Heat Exchangers to be Implemented in a Geothermal-Solar Hybrid Power Plant for Electricity Production in Mexico

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge A. Rangel Arista ◽  
J. Jesús Pacheco Ibarra ◽  
Carlos Rubio-Maya ◽  
Oskar J. González Pedraza ◽  
Daniel Alcantar Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Hybrid Plant ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Borehole Heat Exchanger ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Mexican Government ◽  
Hybrid Power Plant

The Mexican government due to the need of developing and creating cutting-edge technology for application of renewable energy has created renewable energy centers to develop research projects related to solar, wind and geothermal energy. In particular, geothermal energy has been of great interest due to high geothermal energy potential reported for the country. Regarding the projects approved by the Mexican government, the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, has been granted with fundings to carry out the design and implementation of a geothermal-solar hybrid plant for electricity production. This project is being developed in the community of San Nicolás Simirao (Michoacan State) where geothermal energy is available and exploited from an existing geothermal well. Initially, the well ran through induction, but fluid flow was not constant for long periods and was not sufficient to obtain a full operation of the geothermal-solar hybrid power plant. Therefore, it was necessary to explore new techniques to extract geothermal energy effectively, meeting design conditions of power plant. One solution might be a geothermal heat exchanger to extract heat from the rock and carry it to the surface. Literature reports two basic configurations of geothermal heat exchangers: one of them is the Downhole Coaxial Heat Exchanger and the other one is Borehole Heat Exchanger. Before making a decision to implement one type or another, several studies were carried out by the authors of this work to determine what type of configuration was most suitable, considering in such studies technical and economic aspects that provided information to continue or not the project. Therefore, in this paper the numerical analysis of both configurations (Downhole Coaxial Heat Exchanger and Borehole Heat Exchanger) is presented. The study was conducted to determine what type of geothermal exchanger presents the best trade-off between maximum heat extraction rate and minimum length to minimize costs. A minimum temperature of 125°C was proposed to reach at the hot fluid heat exchanger outlet, allowing a normal operation of the geothermal-solar hybrid plant. Through numerical analysis was determined that the Borehole Heat Exchanger configuration did not present good heat extractions rates, obtaining that for 100 m length the outlet temperature of the hot fluid was even lower to that of entering into the well. This behavior was attributed to heat loss in the return pipe. For the same configuration, but using a length of 500 m, a temperature of 117.21°C was reached at the heat exchanger outlet. On the other hand, the Downhole Coaxial Heat Exchanger configuration reached a temperature of 118.35°C for a length of 100 m. For a length of 200 m a temperature of 131.25°C was obtained, whereby the facility can operate with the minimum necessary conditions. Finally, for a length of 500 m, a temperature of 134.67°C was reached, showing that this type of configuration is the most suitable to be installed in the geothermal well. Thus the Downhole Coaxial Heat Exchanger configuration has more advantages than the Borehole Heat Exchanger configuration from a technical and economic (by pipe cost) point of view.

Heat flow in the Garibaldi volcanic belt, a possible Canadian geothermal energy resource area

1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Lewis ◽  
Alan M. Jessop
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Conduction ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Geothermal Reservoir ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Groundwater Movement ◽  
Uplift And Erosion

The geothermal heat flow has been determined in four boreholes drilled within the area of the Garibaldi volcanic belt of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The program was designed to investigate a suspected geothermal reservoir and the surrounding area as part of a continuing program of the Canadian Federal Government to assess the geothermal energy potential in western Canada.The measurements, after application of corrections for sediment diffraction, topography, Pleistocene thermal history, and uplift and erosion, fall into two distinct catagories. Three of the measurements, at distances greater than 10 km from Mt. Meager, have a mean of 79 mW m−2 with a standard deviation of 10 mW m−2, and the single measurement near Mt. Meager indicates a heat flux of 132 mW m−2. All these measurements are suspect to a certain degree because of groundwater movement at and around the measurement sites. The three distant observations are similar to others in the Cordilleran thermal zone, whereas the result at Mt. Meager appears to be anomalous. This pattern suggests that near the Mt. Meager area heat is being transported by means other than simple thermal conduction, consistent with other studies that indicate the presence of a geothermal reservoir of unknown size.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document