Abstract
A series of studies was conducted to determine a suitable site for enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) in mainland China. First, the Xujiaweizi (XJWZ) area in the Songliao Basin in northeastern China was identified to possess several features indicating a huge potential for hot dry rock (HDR) resource development from the aspects of tectonics, geology, geophysics, and geothermics. Then, a hydraulic fracturing model based on the real geological and logging data of well YS-2 and field fracturing experience in this region was established, and the geometric dimension and flow conductivity of the induced fracture were imported into a 3D hydrothermal coupled model established using TOUGH2-EOS1. The electricity generation potential of the fractured reservoir using three horizontal well production patterns is evaluated. Finally, three enhanced methods are proposed and discussed based on the simulation results. Results indicate that HDR resources in the XJWZ area demonstrate a significant potential for development from the aspect of geology. The Yingcheng Formation is selected as the potential target formation. The gel-proppant fracturing method is adopted in consideration of the undeveloped natural fractures in the target formation. The generalized EGS reservoir region possessed a considerable length of 600 m. The maximum production flow rate is determined to be 1 kg/s. The water flow impedance is relatively high during the heat production process for economic exploitation. Such an EGS reservoir has poor electricity generation capacity. A naturally fractured reservoir with a higher temperature should be targeted for electricity generation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albert Genter, Daniel Fritsch, Nicolas Cuenot et al (2009) Overview of the current activities of the European EGS soultz project: from exploration to electricity production. PROCEEDINGS, Thirty-Fourth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Stanford University, Stanford, California, February 9-11, SGP-TR-187
Barbier E (2002) Geothermal energy technology and current status: an overview. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 6:3–65
Baria R, Baumgärtner J, Rummel F, Pine RJ, Sato Y (1999) HDR/HWR reservoir: concepts, understanding and creation. Geothermics 28:533–552
Davies S, Kelkar S (2007) Carbonate stimulation. Middle East Asia Reservoir Rev 8:52–63
Deng CL, He HY, Pan YX, Zhu RX (2013) Chronology of the terrestrial Upper Cretaceous in the Songliao Basin, northeast Asia. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 385:44–54
Economides MJ, Nolte KG (2000) Reservoir stimulation. 3rd edn. Wiley. p 856
Evans K (2010) Enhanced/engineered geothermal system: an introduction with overviews of deep systems built and circulated to date. In: China geothermal development forum. Beijing pp 395–418
Garg SK, Combs J (2015) A reformulation of USGS volumetric “heat in place” resource estimation method. Geothermics 55:150–158
Grant MA. Resource Assessment, a Review, with Reference to the Australian Code. In: Proceedings of world geothermal congress 2015, Melbourne, Australia
Grant MA, Clearwater J, Quinao J, Bixley PF, Le Brun M (2013) Thermal stimulation of geothermal wells: a review of field data. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eight Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford, California, February 11–13
Haraden J (1992) The status of hot dry rock as an energy source. Energy 17(8):777–786
Hayashi K, Willis-Richards J, Hopkirk RJ, Niibori Y (1999) Numerical models of HDR geothermal reservoirs: a review of current thinking and progress. Geothermics 28:507–518
Hofmann H, Babadagli T, Zimmermann G (2014) Hot water generation for oil sands processing from enhanced geothermal systems: process simulation for different hydraulic fracturing scenarios. Appl Energy 113:524–547
Huang X, Zhu J, Niu C et al (2014) Heat extraction and power production forecast of a prospective Enhanced Geothermal System site in Songliao Basin, China. Energy 75:360–370
Liu T (1993) The analysis of gravitational and magnetic field features in tectonic evolution of Songliao basin. Earth Sci J China Univ Geosci 18:489–496
Liu H, Chi X, Li W (2011) Tectono-paleogeographic study of the Early Cretaceous in the Songliao Basin. Mining Sci Technol 21:93–98
Mortensen JJ (1978) Hot dry rock: a new geothermal energy source. Energy 3(5):639–644
NIST (2010) Thermophysical Properties of Fluid Systems, Available at http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/fluid/
Oeth CV, Hill AD, Zhu D, Sullivan RB (2013) Characterization of small scale heterogeneity to predict acid fracture performance. J Petrol Sci Eng 110:139–148
Pruess K (2006) Enhanced geothermal system (EGS) using CO2 as working fluid-A novel approach for generating renewable energy with simultaneous sequestration of carbon. Geothermics 35:351–367
Pruess K, Oldenburg C, Moridis G (1999) TOUGH2 user’s guide, version 2.0. Berkeley, CA, USA: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Rankin R, Thibodeau M, Vincent MC (2010) Improved production and profitability achieved with superior completions in horizontal wells: a bakken/three forks case history. In: Proceedings of the SPE annual technical conference and exhibition. Florence, Italy; September 19–22
Schulte T, Zimmermann G, Vuataz F, Portier S, Tischner T, Junker R, Jatho R, Huenges E (2010) Enhancing geothermal reservoirs. In: Huenges E (ed) Geothermal energy systems: exploration, development and utilization. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp 173–244
Scott RW, Wan X, Wang C, Huang Q (2012) Late Cretaceous chronostratigraphy (Turonian–Maastrichtian): SK1 core Songliao Basin. China. Geosci Front 3(4):357–367
Smith MB (2010) StimPlan™/InjecPlan™ Version 6.00 (Computer Software). NSI Technologies, Inc., Tulsa
Tester JW, Livesay B, Anderson BJ, Moore MC, Bathchelor AS, Nichols K et al (2006) The future of geothermal energy: impact of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) on the United States in the 21st century. An assessment by an MIT-led interdisciplinary panel
Van der Hoorn K, Heijnen LJ, Gankema ME, Nitters G (2012) Hydraulic frac-turing in limestone: a case study of two EGS projects in the Netherlands. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford, CA, January 30–February 1
Wang PJ, Xie X, Mattern F, Ren Y et al (2007) The Cretaceous Songliao Basin: Volcanogenic succession, sedimentary sequence and tectonic evolution, NE China. Acta Geologica Sinica 81:1002–1011
Wang J, Hu S, Pang Z, He L, Zhao P, Zhu C et al (2012) Estimate of geothermal re-sources potential for hot dry rock in the continental area of China. Sci Technol Rev 30(32):25e 31 [in Chinese]
Zeng YC, Su Z, Wu NY (2013a) Numerical simulation of heat production potential from hot dry rock by water circulating through two horizontal wells at Desert Peak geothermal field. Energy 56:92–107
Zeng YC, Wu NY, Su Z, Wang XX, Hu J (2013b) Numerical simulation of heat production potential from hot dry rock by water circulating through a novel single vertical fracture at Desert Peak geothermal field. Energy 63:268–282
Zeng Y, Nengyou W, Zheng S, Jian H (2014) Numerical simulation of electricity generation potential from fractured granite reservoir through a single horizontal well at Yangbajing geothermal field. Energy 65:472–487
Zhang YJ, Li ZW, Yu ZW, Guo LL, Jin XP, Xu TF (2015) Evaluation of developing an enhanced geothermal heating system in northeast China: field hydraulic stimulation and heat production forecast. Energy Build 88:1–14
Zhao X, Wan G (2014) Current situation and prospect of China’s geothermal resources. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 32:651–661
Zhou Q, Feng Z, Men G (2007) The relationships research between nowadays geothermal features and origin of natural gas in Xujiaweizi fault depression, north Songliao basin. Sci China Press 37:177–188
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2012AA052801), the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41372239), Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (No. 20110061110055).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guo, L., Zhang, Y., Yu, Z. et al. Hot dry rock geothermal potential of the Xujiaweizi area in Songliao Basin, northeastern China. Environ Earth Sci 75, 470 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5327-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5327-9