Articles

New results on the gravity monitoring (2014–2017) of Soultz-sous-Forêts and Rittershoffen geothermal sites (France)

This article presents the study of the mass redistribution associated with the geothermal energy exploitation of the Soultz-sous-Forêts and Rittershoffen plants by microgravity monitoring in the period 2014–20...

Authors: Nolwenn Portier, Jacques Hinderer, Umberto Riccardi, Gilbert Ferhat, Marta Calvo, Yassine Abdelfettah and Jean-Daniel Bernard

Evaluating efficiency and stability of calcite scaling inhibitors at high pressure and high temperature in laboratory scale

Reduction or prevention of scaling is commonly achieved by injecting scaling inhibitors into the geothermal circuit. Inhibitor-efficiency tests can be carried out in static or dynamic experiment set-ups allowi...

Authors: Joerg Zotzmann, Alexandra Vetter and Simona Regenspurg

Borehole damaging under thermo-mechanical loading in the RN-15/IDDP-2 deep well: towards validation of numerical modeling using logging images

A wider exploitation of deep geothermal reservoir requires the development of Enhanced Geothermal System technology. In this context, drilling and stimulation of high-enthalpy geothermal wells raise technical ...

Authors: M. Peter-Borie, A. Loschetter, I. A. Merciu, G. Kampfer and O. Sigurdsson

Characterizing the physical properties of rocks from the Paleozoic to Permo-Triassic transition in the Upper Rhine Graben

Geothermal energy exploitation in the Upper Rhine Graben currently targets high-temperature anomalies in the crystalline Paleozoic basement at depths up to 5 km. However, at certain locations (e.g. Rittershoff...

Authors: Alexandra R. L. Kushnir, Michael J. Heap, Patrick Baud, H. Albert Gilg, Thierry Reuschlé, Catherine Lerouge, Chrystel Dezayes and Philippe Duringer

Temperature sensor module for groundwater flow detection around borehole heat exchangers

We present a temperature sensor module (TSM) for detecting the groundwater flow velocity and direction in the vicinity of a borehole heat exchanger (BHE). We demonstrate the method for double U-tube BHEs, whic...

Authors: Alexander Michalski and Norbert Klitzsch

How do the geological and geophysical signatures of permeable fractures in granitic basement evolve after long periods of natural circulation? Insights from the Rittershoffen geothermal wells (France)

Two deep wells were drilled at Rittershoffen (Alsace, France) to produce high-temperature fluids to supply heat to a biorefinery. The GRT-2 production well was drilled to a depth of 3196 m MD and was deviated ...

Authors: C. Glaas, A. Genter, J. F. Girard, P. Patrier and J. Vidal

Structure and nature of the Palaeozoic basement based on magnetic, gravimetric and seismic investigations in the central Upper Rhinegraben

New and old magnetic and gravimetric data acquired in the frame of a geothermal project have been processed in N. Vosges and the adjacent Rhinegraben in order to identify the nature and tectonic framework of t...

Authors: J. B. Edel, V. Maurer, E. Dalmais, A. Genter, A. Richard, O. Letourneau and R. Hehn

On the applicability of the moving line source theory to thermal response test under groundwater flow: considerations from real case studies

The classical methodology to perform and analyze thermal response test (TRT) is unsuccessful when advection contributes to heat transfer in the ground, due to the presence of a groundwater flow. In this study,...

Authors: Adriana Angelotti, Franco Ly and Andrea Zille

Estimating in situ rock mass strength and elastic modulus of granite from the Soultz-sous-Forêts geothermal reservoir (France)

Knowledge of the strength and elastic modulus of a reservoir rock is important for the optimisation of a particular geothermal resource. The reservoir rock for many geothermal projects in the Upper Rhine Grabe...

Authors: Marlène C. Villeneuve, Michael J. Heap, Alexandra R. L. Kushnir, Tao Qin, Patrick Baud, Guanglei Zhou and Tao Xu

Optimization of operating parameters of earth air tunnel heat exchanger for space cooling: Taguchi method approach

In the present study, CFD-based parametric analysis is carried out to optimise the parameters affecting the temperature drop and heat transfer rate achieved from earth air tunnel heat exchanger (EATHE) system....

Authors: Kamal Kumar Agrawal, Mayank Bhardwaj, Rohit Misra, Ghanshyam Das Agrawal and Vikas Bansal

Hydrochemistry and geothermometry of thermal water in northeastern Morocco

Thermal water in northeastern Morocco is a promising, sustainable resource of energy. To date, thermal water has not been used as a source of renewable energy in Morocco as no clear strategy has yet been devel...

Authors: Abdelhakim Jilali, Abdelkarim Chamrar and Abdelilah El Haddar

Toward performance-driven seismic risk monitoring for geothermal platforms: development of ad hoc fragility curves

Earthquakes, despite being a mostly natural phenomenon, may also be induced by a wide range of anthropogenic activities such as mining, fluid injection and extraction, hydraulic fracturing and geothermal reser...

Authors: Konstantinos G. Megalooikonomou, Stefano Parolai and Massimiliano Pittore

Modeling fracture cementation processes in calcite limestone: a phase-field study

The present work investigates the influence of crack opening rates on the development of four important calcite vein morphologies, namely fibrous, elongate-blocky, partially open, and euhedral, as a result of ...

Authors: Nishant Prajapati, Michael Selzer, Britta Nestler, Benjamin Busch and Christoph Hilgers

The effect of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity on the geothermal structure of the Sydney Basin

The thermal structure of continental crust is a critical factor for geothermal exploration, hydrocarbon maturation and crustal strength, and yet our understanding of it is limited by our incomplete knowledge o...

Authors: Alexandre Lemenager, Craig O’Neill, Siqi Zhang and Morgan Evans

Geothermal exploration in a sedimentary basin: new continuous temperature data and physical rock properties from northern Oman

The lateral and vertical temperature distribution in Oman is so far only poorly understood, particularly in the area between Muscat and the Batinah coast, which is the area of this study and which is composed ...

Authors: Felina Schütz, Gerd Winterleitner and Ernst Huenges

Doped bentonitic grouts for implementing performances of low-enthalpy geothermal systems

Mechanical (flexural and uniaxial compressive strengths) and physical (thermal conductivity) properties of two new bentonitic grouts doped with 5 and 10% of graphite powder are discussed in this work and evalu...

Authors: Marco Viccaro

Geologic framework of the Fang Hot Springs area with emphasis on structure, hydrology, and geothermal development, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand

Geologic mapping, a magnetotelluric survey, well data, and earlier reports are integrated to guide further development of the Fang geothermal system. The Fang Hot Springs originally flowed ~ 20 l s⁻¹ of 90–99 °C ...

Authors: Spencer H. Wood, Pichet Kaewsomwang and Fongsaward Suvagonda Singharajwarapan

Matrix permeability of reservoir rocks, Ngatamariki geothermal field, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

The Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) hosts 23 geothermal fields, seven of which are currently utilised for power generation. Ngatamariki geothermal field (NGF) is one of the latest geothermal power generation develop...

Authors: J. L. Cant, P. A. Siratovich, J. W. Cole, M. C. Villeneuve and B. M. Kennedy

A numerical investigation of combined heat storage and extraction in deep geothermal reservoirs

Heat storage capabilities of deep sedimentary geothermal reservoirs are evaluated through numerical model simulations. We combine storage with heat extraction in a doublet well system when storage phases are r...

Authors: Márton Major, Søren Erbs Poulsen and Niels Balling

Effect of an 860-m thick, cold, freshwater aquifer on geothermal potential along the axis of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho

A 1912-m exploration corehole was drilled along the axis of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho. Two temperature logs run on the corehole display an obvious inflection point at about 960 m. Such behavior is i...

Authors: Thomas E. Lachmar, Thomas G. Freeman, Christopher J. Sant, Jeffrey R. Walker, Joseph F. Batir, John W. Shervais, James P. Evans, Dennis L. Nielson and David D. Blackwell

Analysis of geothermal energy as an alternative source for electricity in Colombia

Geothermal energy is the energy that is stored inside the earth and which may be used by man either directly (with no transformation) or to generate electricity by means of a geothermal power plant. This artic...

Authors: Samuel S. Salazar, Yecid Muñoz and Adalberto Ospino

Microstructural and petrophysical properties of the Permo-Triassic sandstones (Buntsandstein) from the Soultz-sous-Forêts geothermal site (France)

Geothermal projects in the Upper Rhine Graben aim to harness thermal anomalies that have arisen due to hydrothermal circulation within the granitic basement and the overlying Permo-Triassic sedimentary units. ...

Authors: Michael J. Heap, Alexandra R. L. Kushnir, H. Albert Gilg, Fabian B. Wadsworth, Thierry Reuschlé and Patrick Baud

The element-release mechanisms of two pyrite-bearing siliciclastic rocks from the North German Basin at temperatures up to 90 °C under oxic and anoxic conditions

Leaching tests with synthetic brines (25 g/L NaCl) between 25 °C and 90 °C were performed under oxic and anoxic conditions over 7 days on two pyrite-bearing siliciclastic rocks from the Lower Jurassic Hettangi...

Authors: Daniel Richard Müller and Simona Regenspurg

Predictability of properties of a fractured geothermal reservoir: the opportunities and limitations of an outcrop analogue study

Minimizing exploration risk in deep geothermics is of great economic importance. Especially, knowledge about temperature and permeability of the reservoir is essential. We test the potential of an outcrop anal...

Authors: Johanna F. Bauer, Michael Krumbholz, Silke Meier and David C. Tanner

Correction to: Flow-through experiments on the interaction of sandstone with Ba-rich fluids at geothermal conditions

After publication of the article (Orywall et al. 2017), it has been brought to our attention that there are a number of errors. The authors have listed them below.

Authors: Pia Orywall, Kirsten Drüppel, Dietmar Kuhn, Thomas Kohl, Michael Zimmermann and Elisabeth Eiche

Numerical analysis for ground temperature variation

This paper aims to predict ground temperature variation with depth for time variant ambient air temperature and solar radiation data for Jamshedpur, India. Finite difference method has been used to discretise ...

Authors: Raviranjan Kumar Singh and Ram Vinoy Sharma

The new Geothermal Energy: Science, Society, and Technology

Authors: Olaf Kolditz, Luis Carlos Gutiérrez-Negrín, Ernst Huenges, Leslie Jakobs, Thomas Kohl and Inga Moeck

Flow-through experiments on the interaction of sandstone with Ba-rich fluids at geothermal conditions

It is commonly known that heat extraction and decompression can lead to mineral precipitation and reservoir clogging in geothermal systems. In the Upper Rhine Graben, the precipitating minerals are mainly bari...

Authors: Pia Orywall, Kirsten Drüppel, Dietmar Kuhn, Thomas Kohl, Michael Zimmermann and Elisabeth Eiche

Concepts of modeling surface energy anisotropy in phase-field approaches

To simulate the growth of geological veins, it is necessary to model the crystal shape anisotropy. Two different models, classical and natural models, which incorporate the surface energy anisotropy into the obje...

Authors: Oleg Tschukin, Alexander Silberzahn, Michael Selzer, Prince G. K. Amos, Daniel Schneider and Britta Nestler

Workshop “Geothermal fluids in saline systems”

Earth’s crust offers a vast resource of heat that can be used and converted into energy both for electricity and heating/cooling purposes. The utilization of this geothermal energy can make an important contri...

Authors: Simona Regenspurg and Thorsten Schäfer

Performance of geothermal power plants (single, dual, and binary) to compensate for LHC-CERN power consumption: comparative study

The aim of this study is to compare between single flash, dual flash, and binary power plants in terms of the power generated, their performance, and the related cost. The results from the comparison are used ...

Authors: M. El Haj Assad, E. Bani-Hani and M. Khalil

Utilizing supercritical geothermal systems: a review of past ventures and ongoing research activities

Supercritical geothermal systems are very high-temperature geothermal systems that are located at depths near or below the brittle–ductile transition zone in the crust where the reservoir fluid is assumed to b...

Authors: Thomas Reinsch, Patrick Dobson, Hiroshi Asanuma, Ernst Huenges, Flavio Poletto and Bernard Sanjuan

Computational modeling of calcite cementation in saline limestone aquifers: a phase-field study

The present article investigates the effect of initial grain size on the overall growth kinetics during calcite cementation from supersaturated geothermal fluid whilst tracking the grain boundary behavior of t...

Authors: Nishant Prajapati, Michael Selzer and Britta Nestler

Development of an updated geothermal reservoir conceptual model for NW Sabalan geothermal field, Iran

In this paper, a conceptual model has been developed for NW Sabalan geothermal field using exploration indicators. These indicators include the data and results of subsurface and surface investigations compris...

Authors: Mirmahdi Seyedrahimi-Niaraq, Faramarz Doulati Ardejani, Younes Noorollahi and Soheil Porkhial

Numerical analysis of downhole heat exchanger designed for geothermal energy production

A traditional way of geothermal energy production implies hot brine extraction from the reservoir to a surface facility. This method is economically profitable only for high enthalpy reservoirs associated with...

Authors: I. Akhmadullin and M. Tyagi

Assessment of performance and parameter sensitivity of multicomponent geothermometry applied to a medium enthalpy geothermal system

The determination of reservoir temperatures represents a major task when exploring geothermal systems. Since the uncertainties of classical solute geothermometry are still preventing reliable reservoir tempera...

Authors: Fabian Nitschke, Sebastian Held, Ignacio Villalon, Thomas Neumann and Thomas Kohl

Copper precipitation as consequence of steel corrosion in a flow-through experiment mimicking a geothermal production well

Decreasing production rates and massive precipitation of native copper (Cu(0)) were observed in the production well at the geothermal research facility Groß Schönebeck (Germany). The Cu precipitates filling up...

Authors: Simona Regenspurg, Ives Geigenmüller, Harald Milsch and Michael Kühn

Damage event analysis of vertical ground source heat pump systems in Germany

In recent years, some spectacular cases of damage occurred with vertical ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems in Germany. Broad media coverage attracted enormous public attention, with reports about land sub...

Authors: Paul Fleuchaus and Philipp Blum

How well suited are current thermodynamic models to predict or interpret the composition of (Ba,Sr)SO₄ solid-solutions in geothermal scalings?

In this study, we report results of the analysis of a particularly interesting scaling sample from the geothermal plant in Neustadt-Glewe in northern Germany, which contained 19% Galena (PbS) and 81% of a hete...

Authors: Frank Heberling, Dieter Schild, Detlev Degering and Thorsten Schäfer

Structural, geochemical, and mineralogical investigation of active hydrothermal fluid discharges at Strýtan hydrothermal chimney, Akureyri Bay, Eyjafjörður region, Iceland

A submarine hydrothermal fluid discharge structure in Akureyri Bay, Eyjafjörður region, Iceland, was investigated by means of structural, geochemical, and mineralogical methods. Thermal and chemical gradients ...

Authors: Richard Stanulla, Christiane Stanulla, Erlendur Bogason, Thomas Pohl and Broder Merkel

Assessment of the resource base for engineered geothermal systems in Great Britain

An assessment of the engineered geothermal system (EGS) resource base that might be available for the generation of electricity for Great Britain has been undertaken by adopting a globally self-consistent prot...

Authors: Jon Busby and Ricky Terrington

Groundwater age and hydrothermalism of confined aquifers in the Argentine Pampean plain

The Pampean plain of Cordoba province (Argentina) has hydrothermal manifestations linked to Cretaceous depocenters. However, they are in general neither well known nor carefully used, and, in numerous cases, t...

Authors: Adriana Cabrera, Mónica Blarasin and Luciana Maldonado

Fluid-induced seismicity: comparison of rate- and state- and critical pressure theory

Induced seismicity as generated by the injection of fluids in a homogeneous, permeable medium with faults with variable proximity to rupture conditions is simulated using the rate- and state-dependent friction...

Authors: Friedemann Wenzel

Scale-fragment formation impairing geothermal energy production: interacting H₂S corrosion and CaCO₃ crystal growth

Mineral precipitates (scaling) from deep saline thermal waters often constitute a major problem during geothermal energy production. The occurrence of scale-fragments accumulating and clogging pipes, filters, ...

Authors: Ronny Boch, Albrecht Leis, Edith Haslinger, Johann E. Goldbrunner, Florian Mittermayr, Heinz Fröschl, Dorothee Hippler and Martin Dietzel

Assessment of subsurface temperature distribution from the gauged wells of Puga Valley, Ladakh

Among the distinguished zones of geothermal potential in India, the Puga Valley is identified as one of the potential sites for tapping geothermal energy at industrial scale. The hydrogeological properties and...

Authors: Shibani K. Jha and Harish Puppala

Enjoying the outdoor pool in a cold climate

The article explores the significance of abundant geothermal resources Icelanders enjoy, the comfort of inexpensively heated homes and easily accessible year-round public spaces where young and old can gather ...

Authors: Örn D. Jónsson and Ólafur Rastrick

The origin of deep geothermal anomalies in the German Molasse Basin: results from 3D numerical models of coupled fluid flow and heat transport

The European Molasse Basin is a Tertiary foreland basin at the northern front of the Alps, which is filled with mostly clastic sediments. These Molasse sediments are underlain by Mesozoic sedimentary successio...

Authors: Anna M. Przybycin, Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth and Michael Schneider

Potential assessment of methane and heat production from geopressured–geothermal aquifers

Geopressured–geothermal aquifers of the US Gulf Coast contain a significant amount of geothermal energy and dissolved methane. This study investigates the effect of brine reinjection on the production of heat ...

Authors: Reza Ganjdanesh and Seyyed Abolfazl Hosseini

Response surface method for assessing energy production from geopressured geothermal reservoirs

Developing low-enthalpy geothermal resources along the US Gulf Coast is attractive for reducing global warming and providing clean energy. In this work, synthetic yet representative models for typical geopress...

Authors: Esmail Ansari and Richard Hughes

3D geophysical inversion modeling of gravity data to test the 3D geologic model of the Bradys geothermal area, Nevada, USA

Three-dimensional geophysical inversion modeling of gravity data has been performed to test the validity of a 3D geologic model constructed for the Bradys geothermal area. Geophysical modeling was implemented ...

Authors: Jeffrey B. Witter, Drew L. Siler, James E. Faulds and Nicholas H. Hinz