Geothermal Power from Coproduced Fluids in the Williston Basin

Abstract

All sedimentary basins have potential for development of geothermal power due to the existence of deep aquifers having sufficient temperatures and high fluid production capacities. Advances in commercial development of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and other heat-to-power conversion technologies make geothermal power generation economical with water temperatures as low as 90 ºC and flow rates of 30,000 bbls/day. The Williston Basin in particular possesses several advantageous characteristics for oil field geothermal power: 1) high geothermal gradients which lead to high temperatures at relatively shallow depths, 2) a large number of permeable formations that are producing oil and are capable of producing hot water, 3) a cool climate, which provides a large temperature drop for the ORC process, 4) a highly-developed petroleum industry infrastructure with a large demand for additional electrical power. This paper provides an overview of the potential to use coproduced fluids to generate electrical power.