Numerical experiments with a model of a supercritical geothermal system

Abstract

We have set up a numerical model of a supercritical geothermal system and used it to carry out numerical experiments on the natural state of the system and its response to various production/injection scenarios. The model is based on a synthetic geothermal system that we use in teaching various courses on geothermal modelling, but we have extended the area of the model considerably and deepened it to ~ 8km. Thus, the model is large enough to act as a whole-of-system model and includes a supercritical zone at depth. In the experiments on the natural state model, we investigate what permeabilities are required at depth to allow the formation of a supercritical zone. In the experiments on the production scenarios, we investigate deep and mid-depth production and deep and mid-depth injection giving four possible scenarios.