Development status and research recommendations for thermal extraction technology in deep hot dry rock reservoirs

Based on a comprehensive review of domestic and foreign literature, this article discusses the technical difficulties and development status of enhanced geothermal system(EGS) concerning the thermal energy extraction of deep hot dry rock(HDR) reservoirs and proposes suggestions for the research focus of numerical simulation of HDR reservoir stimulation. Additionally, it summarizes the existing methods and mainstream working fluids for HDR reservoir stimulation. The article emphasizes the significance of factors such as well location, production well depth, artificial fracture orientation, and complexity in optimizing the thermal production efficiency of the EGS. Furthermore, this article delves into a detailed discussion on the influence of fracture spacing, fracture permeability,fracture length, fluid injection rate, and injected fluid temperature on the performance of the EGS. In light of the thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling challenges associated with high-temperature reservoirs, it is suggested that future research efforts should focus on investigating the impact of thermo-induced stresses on the stability of the artificial fracture network within the EGS during long-term(>30 years) circulation of hot and cold fluids.

Two stages power generation test of the hot dry rock exploration and production demonstration project in the Gonghe Basin,northeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau,China

The Hot Dry Rock(HDR)is considered as a clean and renewable energy,poised to significantly contribute to the global energy decarbonization agenda.Many HDR projects worldwide have accumulated valuable experience in efficient drilling and completion,reservoir construction,and fracture simulation.In 2019,China Geological Survey(CGS)initiated a demonstration project of HDR exploration and production in the Gonghe Basin,aiming to overcome the setbacks faced by HDR projects.Over the ensuing four years,the Gonghe HDR project achieved the first power generation in 2021,followed by the second power generation test in 2022.After establishing the primary well group in the initial phase,two directional wells and one branch well were drilled.Noteworthy progress was made in successfully constructing the targeted reservoir,realizing inter-well connectivity,power generation and grid connection,implementing of the real-time micro-seismic monitoring.A closed-loop technical validation of the HDR exploration and production was completed.However,many technical challenges remain in the process of HDR industrialization,such as reservoir fracture network characterization,efficient drilling and completion,multiple fracturing treatment,continuous injection and production,as well as mitigation of induced seismicity and numerical simulation technology.

A thermal stress loading technique for large-sized hot dry rock mechanical tests

Testing of large-sized specimens is becoming increasingly important in deep underground rock mechanics and engineering.In traditional mechanical loading,stresses on large-sized specimens are achieved by large host frames and hydraulic pumps,which could lead to great investment.Low-cost testing machines clearly always have great appeal.In this study,a new approach is proposed using thermal expansion stress to load rock specimens,which may be particularly suitable for tests of deep hot dry rock with high temperatures.This is a different technical route from traditional mechanical loading through hydraulic pressure.For the rock mechanics test system of hot dry rock that already has an investment in heating systems,this technology may reduce the cost of the loading subsystem by fully utilizing the temperature changes.This paper presents the basic principle and a typical design of this technical solution.Preliminary feasibility analysis is then conducted based on numerical simulations.Although some technical details still need to be resolved,the feasibility of this loading approach has been preliminarily confirmed.

Lessons learned from hydrothermal to hot dry rock exploration and production

In this paper,we investigate geothermal exploration and production in 189 hydrothermal projects and 42 hot dry rock projects around the world.The hydrothermal fields for a working hydrothermal system to generate electricity should have the elements of heat source,water-saturated porous or fractured reservoir,caprock,heat transfer pathway,and good heat preservation condition and geothermal power energy intensity of 10-20 MW per km^(2)within at least 5 km^(2)area in tectonically active region.The hot water or steam flow rate in this hydrothermal system is normally larger than 40 L/s with temperature of 150℃or above.The power generated from enhanced geothermal system(EGS)in hot dry rock projects are generally less than 2 MW because the flow rate in most cases is much less than 40 L/s even with the hydraulic fractures using the modern stimulation technology learned from the oil and gas industry.The natural fracture in the subsurface is generally beneficial to the hydraulic fracturing and heat recovery in the hot dry rock.Moreover,the hydraulic fracture parameters,injection rate and well spacing,drilling strategy should be properly designed to avoid the short-circuit between injector and producer and low heat productivity.In the future,CO^(2)enhanced geothermal recovery associated with CO^(2)sequestration in the high temperature oil,gas,and geothermal fields maybe a good choice.On the other hand,both nearreal-time seismic monitoring to limit the pumping rate and the closed-loop of the Eavor-Loop style system without hydraulic fracture can contribute greatly to heat recovery of hot dry rocks and mitigate the risks of the hydraulic fracturing induced earthquake.Furthermore,the hybrid solar and geothermal system performs better than the stand-alone geothermal system.

Numerical Simulation for Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Well Temperature Field

Study on temperature distribution simulation during cementing of hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal well is rare. It has important guiding significance to simulate the construction process of temperature distribution of hot dry rock on site construction. Based on numerical simulation of HDR considering heat-fluid-solid coupling, the influence of temperature distribution on well cementing is analyzed when the drilling fluid cycles and reaches stable state, respectively, and when the cement slurry is injected during the cementing process. It is found that the seepage at the well bottom accelerates the flow velocity of wellbore;the stable temperature change is less than the cyclic temperature change;and the upper and lower temperature variation of the stratum is greater when the cement slurry is injected. Therefore, as to cement retarder involved, the influence of temperature variation on concretion should be considered during cementing of the hot dry rock geothermal well.

Overview on hydrothermal and hot dry rock researches in China

Geothermal energy is a precious resource,which is widely distributed,varied,and abundant.China has entered a period of rapid development of geothermal energy since 2010.As shallow geothermal energy promoting,the depth of hydrothermal geothermal exploration is increasing.The quality of Hot Dry Rock (HDR)and related exploratory technologies are better developed and utilized.On the basis of geothermal development,this paper reviews the geothermal progress during the "12th Five-Year Plan",and summarizes the achievements of hydrothermal geothermal and hot dry rocks from geothermal survey and evaluation aspects.Finally,the authors predict the development trend of the future geothermal research to benefit geothermal and hot dry rock research.

The first power generation test of hot dry rock resources exploration and production demonstration project in the Gonghe Basin,Qinghai Province,China

Hot dry rock(HDR)is a kind of clean energy with significant potential.Since the 1970s,the United States,Japan,France,Australia,and other countries have attempted to conduct several HDR development research projects to extract thermal energy by breaking through key technologies.However,up to now,the development of HDR is still in the research,development,and demonstration stage.An HDR exploration borehole(with 236℃ at a depth of 3705 m)was drilled into Triassic granite in the Gonghe Basin in northwest China in 2017.Subsequently,China Geological Survey(CGS)launched the HDR resources exploration and production demonstration project in 2019.After three years of efforts,a sequence of significant technological breakthroughs have been made,including the genetic model of deep heat sources,directional drilling and well completion in high-temperature hard rock,large-scale reservoir stimulation,reservoir characterization,and productivity evaluation,reservoir connectivity and flow circulation,efficient thermoelectric conversion,monitoring,and geological risk assessment,etc.Then the whole-process technological system for HDR exploration and production has been preliminarily established accordingly.The first power generation test was completed in November 2021.The results of this project will provide scientific support for HDR development and utilization in the future.

Development and application of turbodrills in hot dry rock drilling

The strata of hot dry rock(HDR) are usually igneous rocks with high temperature which are challenging for drilling activities. This paper deals with the key technology and research of turbodrills, introduced the application of turbodrills in HDR drilling at home and broad, and analyzed the field application cases. With the advancement such as low speed high torque turbodrill, reduction turbodrills, independent spindlesection and PDC bearings and so on, the application of turbodrills has widely expanded. The application of high-temperature turbodrills in Fenton Hill, HDR geothermal wells, high-temperature formation in Tahe oilfield all proved that turbodrills are the best downhole motors in deep high-temperature HDR drilling, thus they deserve further research and generalization.

The geothermal formation mechanism in the Gonghe Basin: Discussion and analysis from the geological background

The Gonghe Basin,a Cenozoic down-warped basin,is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau,and spread over important nodes of the transfer of multiple blocks in the central orogenic belt in the NWW direction.It is also called “Qin Kun Fork” and “Gonghe Gap”.The basin has a high heat flow value and obvious thermal anomaly.The geothermal resources are mainly hot dry rock and underground hot water.In recent years,the mechanism of geothermal formation within the basin has been controversial.On the basis of understanding the knowledge of predecessors,this paper proposes the geothermal formation mechanism of the “heat source–heat transfer–heat reservoir and caprock–thermal system”of the Gonghe Basin from the perspective of a geological background through data integrationintegrated research-expert,discussion-graph,compilation-field verification and other processes: (1) Heat source: geophysical exploration and radioisotope calculations show that the heat source of heat in the basin has both the contribution of mantle and the participation of the earth's crust,but mainly the contribution of the deep mantle.(2) Heat transfer: The petrological properties of the basin and the exposed structure position of the surface hot springs show that one transfer mode is the material of the mantle source upwells and invades from the bottom,directly injecting heat;the other is that the deep fault conducts the deep heat of the basin to the middle and lower parts of the earth's crust,then the secondary fracture transfers the heat to the shallow part.(3) Heat reservoir and caprock: First,the convective strip-shaped heat reservoir exposed by the hot springs on the peripheral fault zone of the basin;second,the underlying hot dry rock layered heat reservoir and the upper new generation heat reservoir and caprock in the basin revealed by drilling data.(4) Thermal system: Based on the characteristics of the “heat source-heat transfer-heat reservoir and caprock”,it is preliminarily believed that the Gonghe Basin belongs to the non-magmatic heat source hydrothermal geothermal system (type II21) and the dry heat geothermal system (type II22).Its favorable structural position and special geological evolutionary history have given birth to a unique environment for the formation of the geothermal system.There may be a cumulative effect of heat accumulation in the eastern part of the basin,which is expected to become a favorable exploration area for hot dry rocks.

Prospect of HDR geothermal energy exploitation in Yangbajing,Tibet,China,and experimental investigation of granite under high temperature and high pressure

Hot dry rock （HDR） geothermal energy, almost inexhaustible green energy, was first put forward in the 1970s. The development and testing of HDR geothermal energy are well reported in USA, Japan, UK, France and other countries or regions. In this paper, the geological characters of Yangbajing basin were first analyzed, including the continental dynamic environments to form HDR geothermal fields in Tibet, the tectonic characteristics of south slope of Nyainqentanglha and Dangxiong-Yangbajing basin, and the in-situ stresses based on the investigations conducted, and then the site-specific mining scheme of HDR geothermal resources was proposed. For the potential development of HDR geothermal energy, a series of experiments were conducted on large-scale granite samples, 200 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length, at high temperature and high triaxial pressure for cutting fragmentation and borehole stability. For the borehole stability test, a hole of 40 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length was aforehand drilled in the prepared intact granite sample. The results indicate that the cutting velocity obviously increases with temperature when bit pressure is over a certain value, while the unit rock-breaking energy consumption decreases and the rock-breaking efficiency increases with temperature at the triaxial pressure of 100 MPa. The critical temperature and pressure that can result in intensive damage to granite are 400-500℃ and 100-125 MPa, respectively.

Fracture propagation laws of staged hydraulic fracture in fractured geothermal reservoir based on phase field model

Hydraulic fracturing is widely used in geothermal resource exploitation, and many natural fractures exist in hot dry rock reservoirs due to in-situ stress and faults. However, the infuence of natural fractures on hydraulic fracture propagation is not considered in the current study. In this paper, based on the phase feld model, a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled hydraulic fracture propagation model was established to reveal the infuence of injection time, fracturing method, injection fow rate, and natural fracture distribution on the fracture propagation mechanism. The results show that fracture complexity increases with an increase in injection time. The stress disturbance causes the fracture initiation pressure of the second cluster signifcantly higher than that of the frst and third clusters. The zipper-type fracturing method can reduce the degree of stress disturbance and increase fracture complexity by 7.2% compared to simultaneous hydraulic fracturing. Both low and high injection fow rate lead to a decrease in fracture propagation time, which is not conducive to an increase in fracture complexity. An increase in the natural fracture angle leads to hydraulic fracture crossing natural fracture, but has a lesser efect on fracture complexity. In this paper, we analyzed the infuence of diferent factors on initiation pressure and fracture complexity, providing valuable guidance for the exploitation of geothermal resources.

The Coupled Effects of Dryness and Non-condensable Gas Content of Geothermal Fluid on the Power Generation Potential of an Enhanced Geothermal System

The Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS) is a recognized geothermal exploitation system for hot dry rock(HDR), which is a rich resource in China. In this study, a numerical simulation method is used to study the effects of geothermal fluid dryness and non-condensable gas content on the specific enthalpy of geothermal fluid. Combined with the organic Rankine cycle(ORC), a numerical model is established to ascertain the difference in power generation caused by geothermal fluid dryness and non-condensable gas content. The results show that the specific enthalpy of geothermal fluid increases with the increase of geothermal fluid temperature and geothermal fluid dryness. If the dryness of geothermal fluid is ignored, the estimation error will be large for geothermal fluid enthalpy. Ignoring non condensable gas will increase the estimation of geothermal fluid enthalpy, so the existence of the non-condensable gas tends to reduce the installed capacity of a geothermal power plant. Additionally, both mass flow of the working medium and net power output of the ORC power generation system are increased with increasing dryness of geothermal fluid, however there is some impact of geothermal fluid dryness on thermal efficiency.

美国FORGE计划犹他州干热岩开发示范项目进展综述

21世纪是全球能源获取方式发生重要变化的时代。现有以煤炭、石油、天然气等传统资源为基础的能源正在逐渐被风能、太阳能、生物质能、地热能等环境友好、低排放的绿色能源所取代。干热岩是一种不含原生水(或含少量水但不能流动)的高温地热资源,可通过水力刺激改造形成增强型地热系统储层,从而提取数量相当可观的地热能。本文以美国能源部正在组织实施的FORGE计划犹他州干热岩示范项目为研究对象,综述了项目在场地地质条件表征、基础设施建设等方面取得的主要进展与成果,总结了项目在高温硬岩钻井、储层建造、微震监测等方面取得的广泛且深入认识,从统筹部署、组织实施、场地表征和设施建设、关键技术装备突破、数据共享等方面提出了值得我国借鉴参考的具体实践。

深层地热能丛式多分支U型井采热技术及传热算法

深层地热能是一种分布广、资源量大具有发展前景的可再生新能源,当前的主要开采方法有增强型地热系统(EGS)、环绕式井筒换热系统(AGS)、断层带流体循环开采和同轴套管开采法,但存在采热功率不稳定、地震风险高和采热效率低等难题。针对当前深层地热开采技术面临的瓶颈问题,本文以开采过程只有能量交换而没有物质交换为原则,以深层干热岩地热规模化可持续稳定开发为目标,提出了深层地热能丛式多分支U型井采热方法(UMW-DGS)及关键技术,在此基础上建立了井筒轴对称热传导模型,以青海共和盆地恰卜恰深部干热岩储层为背景,提出了高温高压岩石热导率测试新方法,计算了在定井径条件下井周温度场和采热功率的时空演化规律,分析了温度差、热导率和井径等3个敏感因素对采热功率的影响。此外,针对UMW-DGS定解问题,研发了基于有限体积法(FVM)的三维热流固耦合数值算法,研究了UMW-DGS单水平井段换热效率和在不同泵注量条件下温度场时空演化。通过分析不同流量的有效换热量、换热时长和功率发现:泵注流量的增加会导致有效换热能量和有效换热时长的降低,并且使有效换热功率先增加后减少。研究结果表明,深层地热能开发需要在平衡换热温度和功率的条件下设计注入排量,从而得到最优的换热效果。

含干热岩区域综合能源系统日前优化调度

为了研究干热岩增强地热系统的发电性能和潜力,建立含干热岩综合能源系统的优化调度模型。首先,依据干热岩对流换热和有机朗肯循环发电机理,建立干热岩增强地热系统运行模型,为含干热岩区域综合能源系统的运行和规划提供模型基础;其次,针对系统调度中的风电、光伏不确定性波动,基于模糊信息间隙决策理论对不确定性半径和调度成本进行协同优化,从风险规避和机会寻取两方面量化系统不确定性波动变化范围,并评估相应的风险损失和机会收益;最后,通过算例仿真验证所提模型的有效性。

深部能源开采中多场耦合模型研究现状——以干热岩为例

随着地球浅部能源资源的日益减少,人类逐步向深部能源开发转型,中国深部干热岩型地热资源具有巨大潜力,但开发研究尚处起步阶段,深部能源开采必然面临着高温、高应力、高渗透压力及水化学环境问题,因此岩石THMC(温度场+渗流场+力学场+化学场)多场耦合作用是当前研究的重点。本文介绍了多场耦合模型建立的方法及其发展过程,概述了多场耦合模型在深部能源开采中的应用,特别是增强型地热系统(Enhanced Geothermal System,EGS)中的多场耦合问题和相关试验研究,表明了EGS中的裂缝扩展、化学增产措施和力学参数研究是重点研究问题,强调了深部能源开发的紧迫性和必要性,为今后的研究和实践提供了重要的参考和指导。

江苏省与新加坡深层地热资源潜力分析

中国江苏省和新加坡均面临着能源紧张的问题,受地理位置限制迫切需要向深层地热资源转型,而深层干热岩开发利用是其中的重要方向之一。通过对中国江苏省苏北盆地和新加坡构造和沉积等基础地热地质进行对比分析,认为二者均位于环太平洋地热异常带周缘,且断裂体系和火成岩广泛发育,指示了优异的深部地热背景。通过对地温场的分析,揭示出二者的大地热流和地温梯度均高于大陆平均水平,其中新加坡更是具有世界级的高温背景。近年来,在苏北盆地成功探获的寒武系—奥陶系干热岩,为新加坡深部地热资源开发提供了重要的启示。干热岩的形成与板块俯冲作用密切相关,热流通过断裂向上传递,同时加热地表水和/或地下水,并最终在断裂交汇处出露温泉。研究成果不仅阐明了苏北盆地和新加坡的基础地热地质和地温场特征,还为实现区域能源自给自足提供理论支撑。

下辽河盆地干热岩资源勘探靶区研究

下辽河盆地特殊的构造位置使区内拥有高的大地热流值和较大的地温梯度,具有巨大的地热资源潜力.通过对下辽河盆地地温场、热流密度及潜山分布的研究,认为位于下辽河盆地西部凹陷斜坡带的高升-曙光-欢喜岭潜山带是寻找干热岩的有利靶区,并分析了下辽河盆地干热岩资源成因模式.

中深层地埋管地源热泵系统优化配置研究

中深层地埋管地源热泵系统作为建筑热源,具有能效高、污染小等特点。本文针对中深层地埋管地源热泵系统的优化配置进行研究,基于建筑实际用能需求,利用中深层地埋管换热模型仿真结果,与实测数据进行“反算”拟合,得到地下岩土体综合热物性参数。进一步采用理论计算、动态仿真手段,进行不同运行策略下的中深层地埋管换热动态仿真计算,开展中深层地埋管地下岩土体温度变化、地埋管进口和出口温度数据分析,实现中深层地埋管地源热泵系统配置方案优化。在本文计算条件下,当中深层地埋管地源热泵系统承担项目设计热负荷时,需要配置65个2500m深的地埋管换热器;当充分发挥中深层地埋管地源热泵系统供热能力,承担最大恒定热负荷时,24个地埋管换热器即可满足建筑累计热负荷需求。因此,为兼顾系统初投资及运行性能,本文建议热源采用中深层地埋管地源热泵+辅助热源的复合式系统形式,由中深层地埋管地源热泵系统承担基础负荷,充分发挥系统供热能力,提高系统经济性。

Catalog of Enhanced Geothermal Systems based on Heat Sources

It is common sense that a deeper well implies higher temperature in the exploration of deep geothermal resources, especially with hot dry rock(HDR) geothermal resources, which are generally exploited in terms of enhanced geothermal systems(EGS). However, temperature is always different even at the same depth in the upper crust due to different heat sources. This paper summarizes the heat sources and classifies them into two types and five sub-types: crustorigin(partial melting, non-magma-generated tectonic events and radiogenic heat production), and mantle-origin(magma and heat conducted from the mantle). A review of global EGS sites is presented related to the five sub-types of heat sources. According to our new catalog, 71% of EGS sites host mantle-origin heat sources. The temperature logging curves indicate that EGS sites which host mantle-origin magma heat sources have the highest temperature. Therefore, high heat flow(>100 m W/m^(2)) regions with mantle-origin magma heat sources should be highlighted for the future exploration of EGS. The principle to identify the heat source is elucidated by applying geophysical and geochemical methods including noble gas isotope geochemistry and lithospheric thermal structure analysis. This analytical work will be helpful for the future exploration and assessment of HDR geothermal resources.