Modeling of Bouillante Geothermal Field Guadeloupe, French Lesser Antilles)

Abstract

Since the January 2005 commissioning of its second production unit, the Bouillante geothermal field has been supplying the Guadeloupe Island (French Lesser Antilles) with 6 to 8% of its consumption of electric energy. The consequent increase in geothermal fluid withdrawal induced a change in reservoir behavior and well head pressures evolution. Altogether with the need for the reinjection of the produced brines these observations raised several questions whose answers needed better reservoir characterization and modeling.
As a first step towards this, available data is currently gathered to build a conceptual geological model integrating both regional and reservoir scale data. Lumped parameters models were used as first exploration tools to test conceptual schemes of the geothermal field and forecast pressure evolutions. Current modeling efforts are focusing on the development of reservoir and regional scale hydrothermal modeling to understand both the main physical processes controlling the behavior of the geothermal field and help exploration activities aimed at developing its potential.