| Title | Optimization of Integrated Reservoir, Wellbore, and Power Plant Models for Enhanced Geothermal Systems |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jason PELUCHETTE and Brian ANDERSON |
| Year | 2013 |
| Conference | Stanford Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | Optimization, reservoir, wellbore, power plant model |
| Abstract | This paper presents the economic optimization of a water-based enhanced geothermal system. The optimization consists of two components: subsurface and the surface plant design. The subsurface system is modeled using the reservoir simulator TOUGH2 with the graphical interface PetraSim. Additionally, an in-house wellbore model is used to accurately reflect the temperature and pressure changes that occur during injection and production. Several design parameters are considered in the subsurface optimization such as fluid mass flow rate, injection timespan, well spacing, and the design of the fracture system. The surface system optimization is focused on the surface plant for the production of electricity, where a topological and a parametric optimization are presented. Also, it is necessary to determine the optimum type of power plant that will be best suited for a given geothermal system. The conditions present at the Newberry, Oregon EGS project site are the basis for this optimization. The subsurface conditions are favorable for the production of electricity from geothermal energy with rock temperatures exceeding 300°C at a well depth of 3 km. This research was completed in collaboration with AltaRock Energy, which has provided our research group with well data from the Newberry well. The ultimate goal of this paper is to determine the optimal conditions for operating an enhanced geothermal system for the production of electricity at Newberry. |