Resource Model Calibration at Neal Hot Springs, Oregon, USA

Abstract

Neal Hot Springs is a robust low-temperature resource in the northern Basin and Range geologic province that currently supplies a 26 MWe (net) binary power plant. Production of this field has been reliable and stable since the commissioning of this plant in 2012. Since acquiring the field in 2018, Ormat has collected an array of data to facilitate the understanding of the reservoir. Of importance is the quantification of an order-of-magnitude increase in injection capacity in one of the utilized injection wells (NHS-11). This evolution of permeability in the reservoir has been linked to a decrease in injection return times to the production field and a deflection in the predicted cooling trend of the system. This paper presents the conceptual resource model and an updated numerical model for Neal Hot Springs and serves a case study to highlight the advantages of iterative interdisciplinary workflow in a 3D modelling environment.