Identifying Optimal Conditions for Sustainable Heat Production in Enhanced Geothermal Reservoirs Using Numerical Sensitivity Studies

Abstract

This study is focused on a series of sensitivity studies with respect to series of key field and operational parameters in Enhanced Geothermal Reservoirs (EGS) and postulates the optimal conditions for heat extraction. The conclusions are drawn based on a series of numerical sensitivity studies that evaluate response of EGS during both stimulation and heat production phases. Two-dimensional models of reservoirs with explicit representation of the pre-existing discrete fracture network are simulated using the discrete element technique. A series of metrics including shear-stimulated area, injectivity, produced water temperature and produced power are evaluated for each case. Comparison of these metrics provides insight into the effect and range of importance of these parameters, and leads to identifying the optimal in-situ and operational condition.