| Abstract |
Energy has become a basic necessity for humans and its demand is increasing with each passing day. In the coming future, it is believed that renewable energy will play an important role to fulfil the desired energy requirement. While geothermal energy is considered to be vital in the context of renewable energy as it is the only source of energy that is not affected by metrological changes. In many cases, the extraction of geothermal energy from the subsurface requires stimulation operations such as hydraulic fracturing. In that respect, packer plays an important role as they provide zonal isolation, sustain differential pressure, and bears the axial load. However, due to the HPHT condition and corrosive fluid presence, the conventional packer used in the oil and gas industry cannot be used in geothermal wells. The testing standard that is followed for packers grading at present might not be applicable for geothermal applications. As to those standards, V0 is considered the gas-tight seal packer with the highest rating. However, in the V0 test nitrogen gas is used while in the geothermal reservoirs the presence of gases is almost very rare. As part of FORGE research a new high temperature long term isolation device (packer) is currently under development and thus there is a need to develop new testing standards that is particular for geothermal condition. Till new standards are devised, packers that are applicable for HPHT or ultra HPHT can be used in geothermal applications. This paper gives an overview of the problem faced by the packer in the HPHT conditions, their design solutions, and the current testing standard of packers. |