| Abstract |
The useful lifetime of a geothermal resource is usually calculated by assuming fluid will be produced from and reinjected into a uniform porous medium. However, most geothermal systems are found in fractured rock. If the reinjection and production wells intersect connected fractures, then reinjected fluid may cool the production wells much sooner than would be predicted from calculations of flow in a porous medium. We have developed a "quick and dirty'' method for calculating (Kasameyer and Schoeder, how much sooner that cooling will occur 1975, 1976). In this paper, we discuss the basic assumptions of the method, and show how it can be applied to the Salton Geothermal Field, the Raft River System, and to reinjection of supersaturated fluids. |