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New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H2: Geothermal".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 25451

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Renato Somma

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Guest Editor

1. Osservatorio Vesuviano-Sez, Napoli Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via Diocleziano, 328-80124 Napoli, Italy
2. IRISS-Istituto di Ricerca su Innovazione e Servizi per lo Sviluppo, Via Guglielmo Sanfelice, 8-80134 Napoli, Italy
3. ISMAR—Istituto di Scienze Marine Calata Porta Di Massa—Porto Di Napoli, 80-80133 Napoli, Italy
Interests: geochemistry; medical geology; geothermal energy; isotopes; environmental geochemistry; volcanology; natural disasters; public health; sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Daniela Blessent

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Guest Editor

Environmental Engineering, Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
Interests: geothermal energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

During the past decade, strong efforts have been made to unravel the links between volcanic and non volcanic areas throughout the world and their geothermal energy resources. This effort, in volcanic areas, has provided the basis for converting volcanic risk into a potential clean energy resource, especially in densely inhabited areas. Due to the increasing need for energy in emerging countries, it becomes necessary to characterize geothermal reservoirs as either low/intermediate-temperature resources (for heating and cooling of buildings, district heating, and greenhouses) or high-temperature resources (for electricity generation or co-generation). On the other hand, high-temperature geothermal resources are exploited through deep wells (1–5 km) drilled to reach reservoirs, which can be located in highly heterogeneous volcanic complexes, sedimentary basins, or old basement rocks. Reservoir permeability can be enhanced through different engineering techniques to improve productivity, although such techniques may raise hard problems of social acceptability. Low or intermediate temperature resources are exploited within shallow (few meters) or intermediate boreholes (up to 1 km) and mostly provide heating and cooling capacity. In recognition of these conditions, development of a robust interdisciplinary methodology to characterize such geothermal systems from a volcanological, geophysical, geochemical, and geo(hydro)thermal point of view is fundamental. We welcome contributions pertaining to all these disciplines in order to quickly locate areas within volcanic complexes, sedimentary basins, or old basement rock that are most likely to contain exploitable hydrothermal systems. Well calibrated, multidisciplinary geophysical and geochemical investigation can greatly reduce uncertainties involved in the determination of the geothermal potential, thus stimulating the use of resources able to reduce environmental pollution in emerging countries and in densely populated areas worldwide.

Dr. Renato Somma
Prof. Daniela Blessent
Guest Editors

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Keywords

geothermal energy
volcanic districts
geothermal productivity
hydrology of geothermal systems
induced seismicity
low enthalpy
high enthalpy
hydrogeology
modeling of fractured geological media
numerical modeling of groundwater flow
heat transfer
transport of contaminants
characterization of geothermal resources

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 8758 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3DHIP-Calculator—A New Tool to Stochastically Assess Deep Geothermal Potential Using the Heat-In-Place Method from Voxel-Based 3D Geological Models

by Guillem Piris, Ignasi Herms, Albert Griera, Montse Colomer, Georgina Arnó and Enrique Gomez-Rivas

Energies 2021, 14(21), 7338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14217338 - 04 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2927

Abstract

The assessment of the deep geothermal potential is an essential task during the early phases of any geothermal project. The well-known “Heat-In-Place” volumetric method is the most widely used technique to estimate the available stored heat and the recoverable heat fraction of deep geothermal reservoirs at the regional scale. Different commercial and open-source software packages have been used to date to estimate these parameters. However, these tools are either not freely available, can only consider the entire reservoir volume or a specific part as a single-voxel model, or are restricted to certain geographical areas. The 3DHIP-Calculator tool presented in this contribution is an open-source software designed for the assessment of the deep geothermal potential at the regional scale using the volumetric method based on a stochastic approach. The tool estimates the Heat-In-Place and recoverable thermal energy using 3D geological and 3D thermal voxel models as input data. The 3DHIP-Calculator includes an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for visualizing and exporting the results to files for further postprocessing, including GIS-based map generation. The use and functionalities of the 3DHIP-Calculator are demonstrated through a case study of the Reus-Valls sedimentary basin (NE, Spain). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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20 pages, 4877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exergoeconomic Optimization of Polymeric Heat Exchangers for Geothermal Direct Applications

by Alberto Carotenuto, Francesca Ceglia, Elisa Marrasso, Maurizio Sasso and Laura Vanoli

Energies 2021, 14(21), 6994; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14216994 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1715

Abstract

The highest economic costs of a geothermal plant are basically related to well drilling and heat exchanger maintenance cost due to the chemical aggressiveness of geothermal fluid. The possibility to reduce these costs represents an opportunity to push toward geothermal plants development. Such challenges are even more important in the sites with a low-medium temperature geothermal fluids (90–120 °C) availability, where the use of these fluids for direct thermal uses can be very advantageous. For this reason, in this study, a direct geothermal heating system for a building will be investigated by considering a plastic plate heat exchanger. The choice of a polymeric heat exchanger for this application is upheld by its lower purchase cost and its higher fouling resistance than the common metal heat exchangers, overcoming the economic issues related to conventional geothermal plant. Thus, the plastic plate heat exchanger was, firstly, geometrical and thermodynamical modeled and, after, exergoeconomic optimized. In particular, an exergoeconomic analysis was assessed on the heat exchanger system by using a MATLAB and REFPROP environment, that allows for determination of the exergoeconomic costs of the geothermal fluid extraction, the heat exchanger, and the heating production. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of main design variable (number of plates/channels) and thermodynamic variable (inlet temperature of geothermal fluid) on yearly exergoeconomic product cost. Then, the proposed methodology was applied to a case study in South of Italy, where a low-medium enthalpy geothermal potential exists. The plate-heat exchanger was used to meet the space heating requests of a single building by the exploitation of low-medium temperature geothermal fluids availability in the selected area. The results show that the inlet temperature of geothermal fluid influences the exergoeconomic cost more than the geometrical parameter. The variation of the exergoeconomic cost of heat exchanger with the inlet geothermal fluid temperature is higher than the change of the exergoeconomic costs associated to wells drilling and pumping with respect to the same variable. This is due the fact that, in the selected zone of South of Italy, it is possible to find geothermal fluid in the temperature range of 90–120 °C, at shallow depth. The product exergoeconomic cost is the lowest when the temperature is higher than 105 °C; thus, the smallest heat exchange area is required. The exergoeconomic optimization determines an optimum solution with a total product cost of 922 €/y for a temperature of geothermal fluid equal to 117 °C and with a number of plates equal to 15. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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29 pages, 13974 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Multidisciplinary Approaches for Assessing a High Temperature Borehole Thermal Energy Storage Facility at Linköping, Sweden

by Max Hesselbrandt, Mikael Erlström, Daniel Sopher and Jose Acuna

Energies 2021, 14(14), 4379; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14144379 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2318

Abstract

Assessing the optimal placement and design of a large-scale high temperature energy storage system in crystalline bedrock is a challenging task. This study applies and evaluates various methods and strategies for pre-site investigation for a potential high temperature borehole thermal energy storage (HT-BTES) system at Linköping in Sweden. The storage is required to shift approximately 70 GWh of excess heat generated from a waste incineration plant during the summer to the winter season. Ideally, the site for the HT-BTES system should be able to accommodate up to 1400 wells to 300 m depth. The presence of major fracture zones, high groundwater flow, anisotropic thermal properties, and thick Quaternary overburden are all factors that play an important role in the performance of an HT-BTES system. Inadequate input data to the modeling and design increases the risk of unsatisfactory performance, unwanted thermal impact on the surroundings, and suboptimal placement of the HT-BTES system, especially in a complex crystalline bedrock setting. Hence, it is crucial that the subsurface geological conditions and associated thermal properties are suitably characterized as part of pre-investigation work. In this study, we utilize a range of methods for pre-site investigation in the greater Distorp area, in the vicinity of Linköping. Ground geophysical methods, including magnetic and Very Low-Frequency (VLF) measurements, are collected across the study area together with outcrop observations and lab analysis on rock samples. Borehole investigations are conducted, including Thermal Response Test (TRT) and Distributed Thermal Response Test (DTRT) measurements, as well as geophysical wireline logging. Drone-based photogrammetry is also applied to characterize the fracture distribution and orientation in outcrops. In the case of the Distorp site, these methods have proven to give useful information to optimize the placement of the HT-BTES system and to inform design and modeling work. Furthermore, many of the methods applied in the study have proven to require only a fraction of the resources required to drill a single well, and hence, can be considered relatively efficient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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16 pages, 13565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small Unconventional Hydrocarbon Gas Reservoirs as Challenging Energy Sources, Case Study from Northern Croatia

by Tomislav Malvić, Uroš Barudžija, Borivoje Pašić and Josip Ivšinović

Energies 2021, 14(12), 3503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14123503 - 12 Jun 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2162

Abstract

Small possible hydrocarbon gas reservoirs were analysed in the Bjelovar Subdepression in Northern Croatia. This area includes the Neogene–Quaternary, mostly clastics, sequences, reaching 3000+ metres in the deepest part. The shallow south-eastern part of the Drava Depression contains a subdepression characterised with several, mostly small, discovered hydrocarbon fields, where the majority are located on the northern subdepression margin. The reason is the large distance from the main depressional migration pathways and main, deep, mature source rock depocenters. However, two promising unconventional targets were discovered inside the subdepression and both were proven by drilling. The first are source rocks of Badenian, of kerogen type III in early catagenesis, where partially inefficient expulsion probably kept significant gas volumes trapped in the source rock during primary migration. Such structures are the Western Bjelovar (or Rovišće) and the Eastern Bjelovar (or Velika Ciglena) Synclines. The second promising unconventional reservoir consists of “tight” clastic lithofacies of mostly Lower Pontian located on the north-eastern margin of the subdepression. These are fine-grained sandstones with frequent alternations in siltites, silty and clayey sandstones. They are located on secondary migration pathways, but were never evaluated as regional reservoirs, although numerous drilling tests showed gas “pockets”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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17 pages, 8241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Insights into Crust and upper Mantle Structure in Guangdong Province, China and Its Geothermal Implications

by Jian Kuang, Shihua Qi and Xiangyun Hu

Energies 2021, 14(8), 2236; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14082236 - 16 Apr 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2367

Abstract

Southeast Asia contains significant natural geothermal resources. However, the mechanism for generating geothermal anomalies by the crust–mantle structure still needs to define. In this study, we focused on Guangdong Province, China. We conducted three magnetotelluric profiles to interpret the crust and upper mantle structure beneath the Guangdong Province and its geothermal implications. Based on data analysis results, a two-dimension inversion was conducted on the dataset. The inversion model revealed that there is a presence of upwelling channels, and some channels are connected with shallow crustal fault zone; the thickness of crust and lithosphere in Guangdong Province is relatively thin. Such a special crust and upper mantle structure form high surface heat flow. Merged with previous research, our results imply that massive Late Mesozoic granites, which contain high radioactive heat generating elements, are distributed on the surface and underground of Guangdong Province. Based on the correlation between high radioactive Late Mesozoic granites, crust-upper mantle structure, surface heat flow, and locations of natural hot springs, we established a geothermal conceptual model to visualize the origin of a current geophysical and geothermal anomaly in Guangdong Province. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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24 pages, 10143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Insights into Hydrothermal Fluid Circulation Affected by Regional Groundwater Flow in the Asal Rift, Republic of Djibouti

by Abdek Hassan Aden, Jasmin Raymond, Bernard Giroux and Bernard Sanjuan

Energies 2021, 14(4), 1166; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14041166 - 22 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2330

Abstract

The Asal Rift hosts a lake located in a depression at 150 m below sea level, where recharge is influenced by regional groundwater flow interacting with the Ghoubbet Sea along the coast of Djibouti. This regional groundwater flow is believed to influence hydrothermal fluid circulation, which we aim to better understand in this study, having the objective of developing concepts for geothermal exploration in the area. To this end, magnetotelluric data acquired in the Asal Rift were processed and analyzed. 1D inversion models of electrical conductivity were interpolated for interpretation. These data were then used to build a 2D hydrogeological model, allowing multiphase flow and heat transfer simulations to be performed, considering the regional groundwater flow near the surface and the site topography, in order to confirm the preferred path of fluid flow. Geophysical data analysis indicates the presence of normal faults, notably the H fault, which may act as a conduit for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids and where the hanging wall can be a hydrogeological barrier within the hydrothermal system of the Asal Rift. The results from the 2D numerical flow and heat transfer modelling show the importance of groundwater flow responsible for thermal springs located at the periphery of Asal Lake. Reservoir temperature inferred by means of geothermometry ranging from 200 to 270 °C was shown to correspond to simulated temperature at potential reservoir depth. Moreover, simulated temperature between 600 and 1700 m depth is close to the temperature profile measured in the geothermal well Asal 6 of the area, with less than 20 °C difference. Simulations indicate that hydrothermal fluid circulation is likely influenced by the regional groundwater flow controlled by the topography and the major water bodies, the Ghoubbet Sea and Asal Lake, feeding buoyant fluids interacting with a deep magmatic source and where tectonic activity created normal faults offering a preferred path for fluid circulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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35 pages, 4112 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uncertainty and Risk Evaluation of Deep Geothermal Energy Source for Heat Production and Electricity Generation in Remote Northern Regions

by Mafalda M. Miranda, Jasmin Raymond and Chrystel Dezayes

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4221; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164221 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5796

Abstract

The Canadian off-grid communities heavily rely on fossil fuels. This unsustainable energetic framework needs to change, and deep geothermal energy can play an important role. However, limited data availability is one of the challenges to face when evaluating such resources in remote areas. Thus, a first-order assessment of the geothermal energy source is, therefore, needed to trigger interest for further development in northern communities. This is the scope of the present work. Shallow subsurface data and outcrop samples treated as subsurface analogs were used to infer the deep geothermal potential beneath the community of Kuujjuaq (Nunavik, Canada). 2D heat conduction models with time-varying upper boundary condition reproducing climate events were used to simulate the subsurface temperature distribution. The available thermal energy was inferred with the volume method. Monte Carlo-based sensitivity analyses were carried out to determine the main geological and technical uncertainties on the deep geothermal potential and risk analysis to forecast future energy production. The results obtained, although speculative, suggest that the old Canadian Shield beneath Kuujjuaq host potential to fulfill the community’s annual average heating demand of 37 GWh. Hence, deep geothermal energy can be a promising solution to support the energy transition of remote northern communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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Review

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23 pages, 6871 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Recent Drilling Projects in Unconventional Geothermal Resources at Campi Flegrei Caldera, Cornubian Batholith, and Williston Sedimentary Basin

by Renato Somma, Daniela Blessent, Jasmin Raymond, Madeline Constance, Lucy Cotton, Giuseppe De Natale, Alessandro Fedele, Maria Jose Jurado, Kirsten Marcia, Mafalda Miranda, Claudia Troise and Thomas Wiersberg

Energies 2021, 14(11), 3306; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14113306 - 04 Jun 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3696

Abstract

Unconventional geothermal resource development can contribute to increase power generation from renewable energy sources in countries without conventional hydrothermal reservoirs, which are usually associated with magmatic activity and extensional faulting, as well as to expand the generation in those regions where conventional resources are already used. Three recent drilling experiences focused on the characterization of unconventional resources are described and compared: the Campi Flegrei Deep Drilling Project (CFDDP) in Italy, the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power (UDDGP) project in the United Kingdom, and the DEEP Earth Energy Production in Canada. The main aspects of each project are described (geology, drilling, data collection, communication strategies) and compared to discuss challenges encountered at the tree sites considered, including a scientific drilling project (CFDDP) and two industrial ones (UDDGP and DEEP). The first project, at the first stage of pilot hole, although not reaching deep supercritical targets, showed extremely high, very rare thermal gradients even at shallow depths. Although each project has its own history, as well as social and economic context, the lessons learned at each drilling site can be used to further facilitate geothermal energy development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Geothermal Energy Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Potential)

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