| Title | Renewability of the Wairakei-Tauhara Geothermal Resource |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael J. O'Sullivan and Warren I. Mannington |
| Year | 2005 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | renewability, modelling, Wairakei |
| Abstract | The current production of geothermal fluid from the Wairakei-Tauhara system exceeds the natural recharge of heat by a factor of 4.75. Even with this rate of heat abstraction Wairakei-Tauhara is expected to be able continue supplying the present amount of separated steam for at least another 50 years. The present paper considers the recovery of Wairakei-Tauhara after it is shut down, say in 2053. In particular it investigates how long will it take for Wairakei-Tauhara to fully recover to its original state and what changes will occur during the recovery process. |