HOT ROCK (HR) GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
School of Petroleum Engineering
Exploration and Development
in Australia and elsewhere
Sheik S Rahman,
Professor and Director National Drilling and Well Control
Program
School of Petroleum Engineering,
University of New South Wales
1
CONCEPT – HOT ROCK (HR) ENERGY
School of Petroleum Engineering
(HR Energy Extraction:
z Water
injection into high temp.
granites
z Circulation through ‘permeable
reservoirs’
z Water heated through contact with
‘hot rocks’
z Returned to surface via adjacent
production wells
z Produced superheated water used to
generate electricity, utilising steam
turbine technology
2
HHP Granite
School of Petroleum Engineering
(Basic Requirements
z
Temperatures of interest:
Î
z
Temp. Range (165OC to 225OC)
Heat sources:
Î
Î
Conduction from layers below
Radioactive decay (HHP granite)
Î
z
Radioactive elements: U, K, Na, Th, St,
etc.
Favourable stress regimes:
Î
Î
Reverse faulting: SH>Sh>SV
Strike-Slip faulting: SH>SV>Sh
3
High Heat-Producing (HHP) Granite
School of Petroleum Engineering
(Basic Requirements
z
z
z
z
High heat producers
Large in size
Uniform properties
Suitably cracked &
jointed
4
HR Prospects in Australia
School of Petroleum Engineering
(HR resources: occurrence by
locality and temperature:
z
z
z
Average temp. at 5 km
225oC
Concentrated in the
Cooper/Eromanga Basin
Combined HR resource:
23 MM PJ (Source:
ERDC)
Note: Resource defined based
on over 3000 boreholes with an
average temp. 200oC at depth
between 3.5-5 km
( 1 PJ = 170,000 bbls Oil)
Locality
Eromanga Basin
Sub-Locality
Cooper Basin
Galilee Basin
Other sub-basin in
Eromanga
Estimated Heat Energy
(million petajoules)
7.82
6.24
4.89
Confirmed
18.95
McArthur Basin
Sydney Basin
Others
Hunter Valley
2.87
0.015
0.67
Total
3.56
22.51
5
HR RESERVOIR DEVELOPMENT BY
HYDRAULIC STIMULATION
School of Petroleum Engineering
(Low/No Proppant Fracturing
z
z
z
z
z
Natural fractures must be present
Shear slippage of existing natural
fractures
Fracture opening by Mode II
/mixed modes
High deviatoric stress required
Low injection rate, moderate
injection pressure & low fracture
volume:
Mated Sufaces
Sheared Surfaces
Î Enhances rock/fluid contact
Mode I - Opening
Mode II - Sliding
6
25 MWe HDR Power Plant
School of Petroleum Engineering
Condenser
(Power generation requirements
Generator
Flash
Separator
Turbine
Vapouriser
Condensed
Motive Fluid
z 167 MWth at 15% efficiency at
200 oC.
Motive Fluid
Pump
Preheater
Hot
Geothermal
Fluid
Injection
Pump
z Reservoir vol. = 13Km
z Injection rate required = 265 l/s
400
600
0
500
1000
0
1500
2000
2500
500
800
1000
1200
1000
z Number of wells = 2 injection
and 3 production wells
Reservoir Depth (m)
z Production rate = 230 l/s
Top of the basement
1500
1750
We st-E ast Dir
ection (m)
So
ut
h
-N
or
th
Di
re
c
n
tio
(m
)
7
10 MWe HR Power Plant
School of Petroleum Engineering
(2 Wells Model
Well #1
Well #2
Î Field
scale reservoir development
study using 2 well
Î drilling and completion of 2nd well
and circulation test
Î Installation of 12c/Mwe power
plant
Geothermal
Reservoir
0.8 km
1 km
8
25 MWe HR Power Plant
School of Petroleum Engineering
(5 Well Model
Well #5
Well #4
Î Drilling
wells
Well #3
and completion of 3 new
development and
circulation
Î 25 MWe plant & associated
facilities
Î The cost of electricity could be
around 10c /KWh
Î 25 MWe HDR plant has potential to
reduce CO2 emission by 145,000
tonnes a year compared to a coal
fired power station operating at
the same output level
Well #1
Well #2
Î Reservoir
Geothermal
Reservoir
Geothermal
Reservoir
0.8 km
2 km
9
550 MWe HR Geothermal Full-Scale Plant
School of Petroleum Engineering
(48 Wells Model
Î
10x55 MWe plant & associated
facilities could cost about A$1.6
billion
Î The
cost of electricity for
electricity would be 8 c/KWh)
Î With carbon trading in-place this
cost could be reduced
significantly
Î 550 MWe HDR plant has potential
to reduce CO2 emission by 770,000
tonnes a year compared to a coal
fired power station operating at
the same output level
10 km
5 km
10
COAL, CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY AND NEW
ENTRANTS VRS EMISSIONS
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
11
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
12
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
13
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
14
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
15
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
School of Petroleum Engineering
zRenewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI)
zEnergy Research and Development (ERDC)
zAustralian Greenhouse Office (AGO)
zPlan for accelerated exploration (PACE)
zR&D Start
zLow emission technology demonstration fund (LETDF)
zRenewable equity fund (REEF)
zRenewable energy support fund (RESF)
Grant
Recipient
Projects
Grant sum
ERDC
UNSW
HDR reservoir development Tech.
$1,000,000
AGO
UNSW
HDR reservoir development Tech.
$1,000,000
REDI
Geodynamics
Habanero Project in the Cooper Basin
$5,000,000
REDI
Scopenergy
Limestone cost Geothermal Project
$4,000,000
PACE
Petratherm
Paralana Geothermal project
$140,000
PACE
Scopeneregy
Limestone Geothermal Project
$130,000
PACE
Geothermal Resource
Curnamona Geothermal Project
$100,000
PACE
Green Rock Energy
Olympic Dam Geothermal Project
$68,000
PACE
Eden Energy
Witchellina Project
$21,000
GIA Report 06
16
OVERSEAS HDR PROJECTS
School of Petroleum Engineering
Location
Fenton Hill
(US) - Phase 1
Fenton Hill
(US) - Phase 2
Rosemanow es
(UK)
Hijiori
(Japan)
Ogachi
(Japan)
Soultz
(France)
Injection Pressure
Injection
Flow
Max Sustained
N ormal
Surface Recovery (%
Reservoir
of injected flow )
Temperature (oC)
(Litre/s)
90% = 5.4
170 - 190
(MPa)
8
(Litre/s)
6
27
6
93% = 5.6
240
10
20 - 25
80% = 16 - 20
80 - 100
3-5
13
79% = 10.3
240
7
7-8
25% = 1.8 - 2
200
2 - 4.5
20 - 25
-
170
Source: 1998 HDR International Forum
17
HDR Project Site - Soultz , France
School of Petroleum Engineering
Source: Socomine Publication
18
HDR Flow Testing - Soultz,
France
School of Petroleum Engineering
Source: Socomine Publication
19
School of Petroleum Engineering
GIA Report 06
20