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Energy extraction from low-temperature geothermal resources in hydrocarbon fields of Taranaki region
conference contribution
posted on 2021-08-20, 04:49 authored by Rohit DuggalRohit Duggal, John Burnell, Jim Hinkley, Ramesh RayuduHydrocarbon fields host several unused wells with temperatures suitable for low to medium-temperature geothermal energy extraction. The number of these wells
increases every year with the depletion of petroleum reserves. Plug and
abandonment of a well is a cost-intensive process, and these wells will sit idle after
abandonment. However, an opportunity exists to use these drilled holes for
geothermal extraction and extend their operational lifetime. This way, the cost of
drilling new wells for geothermal exploration and development may be avoided.
Also, it is environmentally beneficial and avoids any potential hazards from
accidental spillage.
To realize this motivation, the energy output from unused wells found in the
Taranaki region, New Zealand will be evaluated in a Ph.D. programme. This is a
major oil and gas producing region in the country and has many unused wells in place. These wells reach up to 5064m depth and up to 172 °C bottomhole
temperatures are found in them. Due to fundamental differences between typical
geothermal fields and hydrocarbon fields, it is important to study the thermal and
hydraulic performance of these wells. Results obtained in the preliminary work
for Ph.D. proposal discussing the potential of geothermal energy extraction will be
presented. We will also describe the influence of the reservoir and fluid
parameters on the thermal and hydraulic performance. Finally, we address some
of the unique challenges and recommendations during energy extraction from
these fields.