| Title | Reservoir modelling to support the proposed geothermally heated indoor aquatic facility in the CIty of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martin Pujol |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Canada, modelling, reservoir, hot sedimentary aquifer, heating, Saskatchewan |
| Abstract | The City of Regina proposed indoor aquatic facility in Saskatchewan, Canada is designed to utilize a deep geothermal heating system. The system will comprise two geothermal wells, one producer and one injector. The geothermal water supply will be sourced from the Winnipeg and Deadwood aquifers from 2,030 m to 2,200 m depth with an anticipated reservoir temperature of about 59°C and a high salt-mass-fraction of 12.5%. The geothermally heated water will be circulated through a heat exchanger and the heat-depleted water will be injected with no net loss to the aquifer at 20°C. A local geological model was built using Leapfrog Energy to capture the geometry of the target reservoir as well as overlying low permeability rocks directly above it and the Precambrian basement underlying it. The model incorporates the legacy University of Regina well drilled in 1979 as well as nearby oil and gas exploration and disposal wells and some seismic data. The various units within the geological model were evaluated onto a reservoir model grid and model-calibration was completed against pressure and temperature data within the model domain with a P50 calibration error of +/-0.5 bar +/-0.5°C. This was achieved by adopting a Darcy velocity of 0.05-0.25 m/year and a heat flux of 50-52 mW/m2. The calibrated Waiwera geothermal reservoir model was used to simulate 100 years of operation and estimate temperature and pressure changes in the reservoir and to size the electrical submersible and injection pumps. The nearest operating wells targeting the reservoir are disposal wells to the north of Regina. |