Forecasting Thermal Breakthrough of Reinjected Water Using a Dispersion-Retention Model for Tracer Test Interpretation
- Key words
- Well Tests; Reservoir Models; New Zealand; Wairakei; Injection; Tracers; Test Methods; Forecasts; Models; DOE; Stanford; Breakthrough; Dyes
- Location
- Wairakei, New Zealand; Taupo Volcanic Zone
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1985
- Session
- Reservoir modeling; Tracer testing; Reservoir cooling; Fract
- Language
- English
Abstract
Estimation of fracture aperture from tracer test results is of central importance to the forecasting of thermal breakthrough in geothermal reinjection schemes. Earlier tracer interpretation work at Stanford showed that a tracer "retention and release" mechanism was necessary to fully explain the observed shapes of tracer return profiles. Unfortunately it was not possible to directly estimate fracture aperture from these models. This paper shows a slightly more complex model which separates the dispersion and retention effects by treating them as acting in perpendicular directions. This accomplishes a decoupling of the effects and permits a direct estimation of fracture aperture. Field examples from eh Wairakei geothermal field demonstrate the technique.
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