| Title | Flow and Heat Modelling of a Hot Sedimentary Aquifer (HSA) for Direct-Use Geothermal Heat Production in the Perth Urban Area, Western Australia (WA) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Martin Pujol, Grant Bolton and Fabrice Golfier |
| Year | 2010 |
| Conference | Australian Geothermal Energy Conference |
| Keywords | Western Australia, Perth, Hot Sedimentary Aquifer, HSA, geothermal, injection, direct-use, heat transport modelling, SEAWAT |
| Abstract | The deep confined aquifers of the Perth basin have been explored for water supply and heat production since the beginning of the 20th century. The availability of warm water was an additional asset and was very popular with laundries and bathing services. Currently, six geothermal bores use warm water from the Yarragadee confined aquifer for heating swimming pools and buildings and several new bores are proposed to be drilled. The cooled formation groundwater is injected into the same aquifer for environmental reasons. Following the recent success of the release of geothermal acreage for geothermal exploration in WA, HSA direct-use is getting more recognition and support, and the number of projects is likely to increase because the technology is now more advanced, low-risk, and has relatively low C02 emissions and at low cost. Typical savings after 20 years of production can be as high as $6,000,000, with payback in about 5 years and C02 savings of up to 800 tonnes/annum. A key concern for HSA future development in Perth is sustainability and management. This will be achieved through a more comprehensive assessment of HSA geothermal resources. The latter will also require a good estimation of the longevity of existing and future direct-use HSA systems. |