Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
3.2
Journals
Energies
Special Issues
Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs
energies-logo
Submit to Energies Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H2: Geothermal".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (12 January 2022) | Viewed by 13293

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Procesi Monia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), 00143 Roma RM, Italy
Interests: fluid geochemistry; hydrocarbons; geothermics; georesources
Dr. Luca Guglielmetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: geothermal exploration of deep geothermal systems for heat storage and production and power generation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geothermal energy represents a forceful low-carbon technology in the perspective of a complete energy transition towards green energy solutions. In this framework, a solid and detailed exploration and evaluation of the geothermal reservoirs represents a crucial issue of geothermal exploitation and its development process in terms of both energy production and heat employment. Without effective exploration studies, from the first stages to the more refined final phases, an evaluation of the geothermal potential is difficult to achieve. Geological, geophysical, geochemical, and multidisciplinary studies constitute driving forces for reservoir characterization and allow approaching geothermal exploration in the right way.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research or review articles on both geothermal exploration techniques and characterization and evaluation of conventional and unconventional geothermal reservoirs, including hydrocarbon–geothermal cross-over, from small to large scale and also in densely populated areas. Papers covering geothermal applications for power generation, heat production and storage, mineral extraction, and hydrogen production will also be included.

Dr. Procesi Monia
Dr. Luca Guglielmetti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Geothermal energy
  • Renewable energy
  • Sustainability
  • Exploration
  • Geothermal potential
  • Energy production
  • Heat storage
  • Multicriteria analysis
  • Raw materials

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

30 pages, 7169 KiB  
Article
Two-Dimensional Gravity Inversion of Basement Relief for Geothermal Energy Potentials at the Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field, Saudi Arabia, Using Particle Swarm Optimization
by Faisal Alqahtani, Ema Michael Abraham, Essam Aboud and Murad Rajab
Energies 2022, 15(8), 2887; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15082887 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2324
Abstract
We invert gravity and magnetic anomalies for basement relief at the Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field (HRVF) for the purpose of evaluating its geothermal energy prospects. HRVF is dominated by basaltic scoria cones and other volcanic rocks overlying the Proterozoic basement. The area considered [...] Read more.
We invert gravity and magnetic anomalies for basement relief at the Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field (HRVF) for the purpose of evaluating its geothermal energy prospects. HRVF is dominated by basaltic scoria cones and other volcanic rocks overlying the Proterozoic basement. The area considered for this study is located within the northern HRVF and consists mainly of alkali basalts with lesser amounts of benmoreite, mugearite, hawaiite, and trachyte. Our approach adopts a global optimization technique using Particle Swarm Optimization with automated parameter selection, and a two-dimensional gravity-magnetic (GM) forward modeling procedure. The results of the PSO-based approach indicate a depth to the basement at 0.10–624 m, with greater depths within the central region of a solitary anomalous density body in the HRVF. The obtained basement geometry is corroborated by the depth estimates obtained from other potential field inversion methods. The regions with higher prospects are mapped for a targeted future geothermal energy exploration at the HRVF, based on our inversion results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 73885 KiB  
Article
Geothermal Resources and ATES Potential of Mesozoic Reservoirs in the North German Basin
by Maximilian Frick, Stefan Kranz, Ben Norden, David Bruhn and Sven Fuchs
Energies 2022, 15(6), 1980; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15061980 - 08 Mar 2022
Viewed by 2273
Abstract
Mesozoic sandstone aquifers in the North German Basin offer significant potential to provide green and sustainable geothermal heat as well as large-scale storage of heat or chill. The determination of geothermal and subsurface heat storage potentials is still afflicted with obstacles due to [...] Read more.
Mesozoic sandstone aquifers in the North German Basin offer significant potential to provide green and sustainable geothermal heat as well as large-scale storage of heat or chill. The determination of geothermal and subsurface heat storage potentials is still afflicted with obstacles due to sparse and partly uncertain subsurface data. Relevant data include the structural and depositional architecture of the underground and the detailed petrophysical properties of the constituting rocks; both are required for a detailed physics-based integrated modeling and a potential assessment of the subsurface. For the present study, we combine recently published basin-wide structural interpretations of depth horizons of the main stratigraphic formations, with temperature data from geological and geostatistical 3D models (i.e., CEBS, GeotIS). Based on available reservoir sandstone facies data, additional well-log-based reservoir lithology identification, and by providing technical boundary conditions, we calculated the geothermal heat in place and the heat storage potential for virtual well doublet systems in Mesozoic reservoirs. This analysis reveals a large potential for both geothermal heating and aquifer thermal energy storage in geologically favorable regions, and in many areas with a high population density or a high heat demand. Given the uncertainties in the input data, the applied methods and the combination of data from different sources are most powerful in identifying promising regions for economically feasible subsurface utilization, and will help decrease exploration risks when combined with detailed geological site analysis beforehand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2014 KiB  
Article
The Marsili Seamount Offshore Geothermal Reservoir: A Big Challenge for an Energy Transition Model
by Diego Paltrinieri, Paolo Favali, Francesco Italiano, Patrizio Signanini, Carlo Caso and Fabrizio B. Armani
Energies 2022, 15(5), 1900; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15051900 - 04 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2958
Abstract
Renewable energies have been the only sources recording a clear increase in total installed capacity, setting a record in new power capacity in 2020, despite the pandemic. The European Union Green Deal represents a strategy towards a sustainable economic model. In this framework, [...] Read more.
Renewable energies have been the only sources recording a clear increase in total installed capacity, setting a record in new power capacity in 2020, despite the pandemic. The European Union Green Deal represents a strategy towards a sustainable economic model. In this framework, land-based geothermics has seen very limited development; however, offshore geothermics is almost completely absent in the discussion on energy source alternatives, even though it represents a real challenge for energy transition, including the production of green hydrogen. This article discusses an excursus on the activities carried out on offshore geothermal areas worldwide. We focused on the energy potential capacity of the Marsili volcanic seamount located over the bathial plain of the Tyrrhenian Basin, describing the detailed geological, geochemical, and geophysical investigations that have been carried out on that seamount since the 2000s. All the collected data have shown evidence supporting the existence of an exploitable geothermal system in the Marsili seamount consisting of a reservoir of supercritical geothermal fluids of about 100 km3. We discuss and evaluate the actual consistence of the impacts associated with the occurrence of potential risks. We also describe the necessary further steps towards the pilot well. An important breakthrough in the short-medium term that allows for an exit from the predominance of fossil sources may come from the development of energy production derived from offshore high-enthalpy geothermal fields, especially in areas such as the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea. There is a natural clear predisposition for its exploitation combined with a low ecological footprint, which is the target objective of international agreements in the context of a blue economy strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 4211 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Thermal Performance of Group of Energy Piles in Unsaturated Soils under Cyclic Thermal Loading
by Abubakar Kawuwa Sani and Rao Martand Singh
Energies 2021, 14(14), 4122; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14144122 - 08 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2408
Abstract
Geothermal energy piles (GEPs) are an environmentally friendly heat exchange technology that dualizes the role of the structural foundation pile for load support and in meeting the building heating/cooling need. Energy loops made from high-density polyethylene, which allow heat carrier fluid circulation, are [...] Read more.
Geothermal energy piles (GEPs) are an environmentally friendly heat exchange technology that dualizes the role of the structural foundation pile for load support and in meeting the building heating/cooling need. Energy loops made from high-density polyethylene, which allow heat carrier fluid circulation, are fitted into the pile foundation elements to extract or inject and store heat energy in the soil surrounding the pile. This paper reports the results of a numerical study investigating the long-term behaviour of a group of energy piles embedded in unsaturated soils (sand and clay) under continuous cyclic heating and cooling load. Additionally, two scenarios were investigated where: (1) the whole GEPs were heated and cooled collectively; (2) alternate piles were heated and cooled. It was found that the trend of temperature magnitude at all the observed locations decreases with time as a result of the continuous heating and cooling cycles. Furthermore, subjecting alternate GEPs to the heating and cooling cycles result in lower temperature development in comparison to thermally activating all the GEPs in the group. This is attributed to the applied thermal load, which is 0.5 times that considered in the first case. However, this might not be the case where equal thermal load is applied on the GEPs in the two cases investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 11476 KiB  
Article
Computing Localized Breakthrough Curves and Velocities of Saline Tracer from Ground Penetrating Radar Monitoring Experiments in Fractured Rock
by Peter-Lasse Giertzuch, Alexis Shakas, Joseph Doetsch, Bernard Brixel, Mohammadreza Jalali and Hansruedi Maurer
Energies 2021, 14(10), 2949; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14102949 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1948
Abstract
Solute tracer tests are an established method for the characterization of flow and transport processes in fractured rock. Such tests are often monitored with borehole sensors which offer high temporal sampling and signal to noise ratio, but only limited spatial deployment possibilities. Ground [...] Read more.
Solute tracer tests are an established method for the characterization of flow and transport processes in fractured rock. Such tests are often monitored with borehole sensors which offer high temporal sampling and signal to noise ratio, but only limited spatial deployment possibilities. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is sensitive to electromagnetic properties, and can thus be used to monitor the transport behavior of electrically conductive tracers. Since GPR waves can sample large volumes that are practically inaccessible by traditional borehole sensors, they are expected to increase the spatial resolution of tracer experiments. In this manuscript, we describe two approaches to infer quantitative hydrological data from time-lapse borehole reflection GPR experiments with saline tracers in fractured rock. An important prerequisite of our method includes the generation of GPR data difference images. We show how the calculation of difference radar breakthrough curves (DRBTC) allows to retrieve relative electrical conductivity breakthrough curves for theoretically arbitrary locations in the subsurface. For sufficiently small fracture apertures we found the relation between the DRBTC values and the electrical conductivity in the fracture to be quasi-linear. Additionally, we describe a flow path reconstruction procedure that allows computing approximate flow path distances using reflection GPR data from at least two boreholes. From the temporal information during the time-lapse GPR surveys, we are finally able to calculate flow-path averaged tracer velocities. Our new methods were applied to a field data set that was acquired at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland. DRBTCs were successfully calculated for previously inaccessible locations in the experimental rock volume and the flow path averaged velocity field was found to be in good accordance with previous studies at the Grimsel Test Site. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Evaluation of Geothermal Reservoirs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop