A Tool and a Method for Obtaining Hydrologic Flow Velocity Measurements in Geothermal Reservoirs

Abstract

Downhole instruments based on a thermal perturbation principle are being developed to measure heat flow in permeable formations where convective transport of heat is important. To make heat flow measurements in these regions, the ground water velocity vector must be determined. A downhole probe has been designed to measure the local ground water velocity vector. 'The probe is a cylindrical heat source operated at a constant heat flux. In a convecting environment, surface temperatures on the probe are perturbed from those values of a purely conductive environment. With the aid of analytical and numerical models, these temperature differences can be related to the local velocity vector.