| Title | Geothermal power generation in the Upper Rhine Valley թ՞ The Project Offenbach/Pfalz |
|---|---|
| Authors | Horst Kreuter, Norman Harthill, Michael Judt and Bodo Lehmann |
| Year | 2003 |
| Conference | Iceland Geothermal Conference |
| Keywords | geothermal power production, reflection seismic, modelling |
| Abstract | HotRock GmbH plans the construction of a geothermal power plant with an electrical performance of 4.8 MW in Offenbach/Pfalz in the Upper Rhine Valley of Germany. This part of the valley has particularly favourable geological conditions for geothermal heat development. The location was selected for the first project, because of the high geothermal temperatures (150?Celsius in a depth of 2500 m). The geothermal power plant will consist of a geothermal primary cycle and a secondary power cycle (Kalina Cycle). The geothermal primary cycle is a doublet with a vertical re-injection well and a deviated production well. Hot water production of 100l/s will come from a 110 m thick carbonate aquifer (Upper Muschelkalk). This project will demonstrate the quality of the aquifer for geothermal use. This layer is fractured and faulted due to the tectonic history of the Middle Upper Rhine Valley. High production rates will be realized using technologies from the oil industry. Horizontal drilling will be used for the first time in Germany for geothermal production and guarantees, in combination with the tectonic setting, an economically successful project. A geological model has been designed from existing geological information and the performance of the aquifer over time has been modelled using standard oil industry software. To identify faults and structures in the formation, to verify the model and to orient the horizontal wells, two east-west seismic lines will be shot north and south of the project location in June 2003. The results were presented at the conference. |