NEXT GENERATION RESERVOIR ENGINEERING FOR A GEOTHERMAL FUTURE

Abstract

We postulate that the timing is ripe for Geothermal Energy to trigger a technological change within the coming 10 -15 years. This time frame is considered to be normal to push innovation for e.g. the medical sector from prototype to field test to 50% commercial penetration. Because of the massive scale of operation, the pace of technological change in the energy sector has, however, traditionally lagged behind by a factor of 2-3. The much-needed energy transition away from fossil fuels can only be accelerated by a global initiative where research-industry-and government join forces.
The proposed innovation, developed in our Unconventional Geomechanics/Geodynamics Team (UGG-Team), is a prototype reservoir simulation approach that uses knowledge about THMC processes to replace the current empirically based theories by a fundamental physics-based approach. The multi-scale simulator allows an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering [ICME, 2008] approach for geosciences (dubbed “Next Generation Reservoir Engineering”).