Complex Evaluation of Abandoned Hydrocarbon Wells for Geothermal Use in Northern Hungary

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that the geothermal conditions are very good in Hungary. There are thousands of abandoned wells as a result of the previous intense petroleum exploration activity. The purpose of the completed research is to introduce a new methodology to utilize abandoned or unproductive oil exploration drillings/wells for geothermal energy production in Hungary. An innovative and complex evaluation method was developed and improved to provide the possible future investors in the geothermal energy business with adequate information for the decision-making process. To achieve this goal, the different data of 1211 wells were investigated with the proposed evaluation system in North Hungary to give information about the geothermal energy potential on well as well as area scale. The most important parameters were determined, which are critical for the geothermal energy utilization or the balneological use. Creating a geothermal well can cost more than $ 5.7 million, depending on the depth, so the effectiveness of our research can greatly reduce the cost and designability of building such a system.