Code Modifications for Modeling Chemical Tracers and Embedded Natural Fractures at EGS Collab

Abstract

The EGS Collab SIGMA‐V project is a multi‐lab and university collaborative research project that is being undertaken at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. The project consists of studying stimulation, fluid‐flow, and heat transfer processes at a scale of 10‐20 m, which is readily amenable to detailed characterization and monitoring. One objective of the project is to establish circulation from injector to producer by hydraulically fracturing the injector. Data generated during these experiments is to be compared with predictions from coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical simulators. One such a simulator, TOUGH2-CSM, has been enhanced in order to simulate EGS Collab SIGMA‐V project experiments. These modifications include adding tracers, the capability to model tracer sorption, and an embedded fracture formulation. A set of example problems validate our conservative tracer transport and sorption formulations. We then simulated tracer transport and thermal breakthrough for the first EGS Collab SIGMA‐V experiment.