Towards High Performance Simulation of Geothermal Reservoir Systems

Abstract

Australia has a unique Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) geothermal resource that could potentially provide enough green energy to meet all its energy needs. Geodynamics Limited, an Australian company that is leading the nation in developing HFR geothermal energy, is presently conducting Australia’s first HFR field test. Supported by an ARC linkage grant, a novel supercomputer simulation tool is being developed with collaboration of Geodynamics Limited for simulating the highly coupled geomechanical fluid-flow thermal systems involving heterogeneously fractured geomaterials. It addresses the key scientific and technological challenge in developing HFR energy. Namely, it is targeting a new predictive modelling capacity with the potential to yield breakthroughs in understanding how to enhance the flow of water through the geothermal field and how to sustain it over decades such that the trapped heat energy can be extracted.