First Tracer Test at Cooper-Basin, Australia HDR Reservoir

Abstract

At Habanero site in Cooper-Basin EGS field in South Australia, the first circulation test was conducted between injection well Habanero #1 and production well Habanero #3 in December 2008. As part of this test, a tracer test was performed in order to characterize the connection between these two wells and estimate reservoir volume. The tracer test started on 17 December 2008 and 50 kg of the tracer uranine (sodium salt of fluorescein) and 100 kg of the tracer 1,3,5-naphthalene trisulfonate (1,3,5-nts) were injected into Habanero #1. There was tracer breakthrough on 21 December, 4 days after tracer injection. Tracer concentration reached peak value around 26 December, 9 days after the start of injection. The distance between Habanero #1 and Habanero #3 is about 500 meters and the average flow rate in closed-loop system was about 14 kg/second. Based on this flow rate, the tracer breakthrough volume was estimated to be about 4,000 m3 and the peak volume about 9,000 m3, the calculated tracer-swept pore volume was 18,500 m3.