Impact of well placement and flow rate on production efficiency and stress field in the fractured geothermal reservoirs

Geothermal energy has gained wide attention as a renewable alternative for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.The advancements in enhanced geothermal system technology have enabled the exploitation of previously inaccessible geothermal resources.However,the extraction of geothermal energy from deep reservoirs poses many challenges due to high‐temperature and high‐geostress conditions.These factors can significantly impact the surrounding rock and its fracture formation.A comprehensive understanding of the thermal–hydraulic–mechanical(THM)coupling effect is crucial to the safe and efficient exploitation of geothermal resources.This study presented a THM coupling numerical model for the geothermal reservoir of the Yangbajing geothermal system.This proposed model investigated the geothermal exploitation performance and the stress distribution within the reservoir under various combinations of geothermal wells and mass flow rates.The geothermal system performance was evaluated by the criteria of outlet temperature and geothermal productivity.The results indicate that the longer distance between wells can increase the outlet temperature of production wells and improve extraction efficiency in the short term.In contrast,the shorter distance between wells can reduce the heat exchange area and thus mitigate the impact on the reservoir stress.A larger mass flow rate is conducive to the production capacity enhancement of the geothermal system and,in turn causes a wider range of stress disturbance.These findings provide valuable insights into the optimization of geothermal energy extraction while considering reservoir safety and long‐term sustainability.This study deepens the understanding of the THM coupling effects in geothermal systems and provides an efficient and environmentally friendly strategy for a geothermal energy system.

Distribution of the Ordovician Fluid in the Tahe Oilfield and Dynamic Response of Cave System S48 to Exploitation

The Tahe Oilfield is a complex petroleum reservoir of Ordovician carbonate formation and made up of spatially overlapping fracture-cavity units. The oilfield is controlled by a cave system resulting from structure-karst cyclic sedimentation. Due to significant heterogeneity of the reservoir, the distribution of oil and water is complicated. Horizontally, a fresh water zone due to meteoric water can be found in the north part of the Akekule uplift. A marginal freshening zone caused by water released from mudstone compaction is found at the bottom of the southern slope. Located in a crossformational flow discharge zone caused by centripetal and the centrifugal flows, the main part of the Tahe Oilfield, featuring high salinity and concentrations of CI^- and K^＋＋Na^＋, is favorable for accumulation of hydrocarbon. Three types of formation water in the Tahe Ordovician reservoir are identified： （1） residual water at the bottom of the cave after oil and gas displacement, （2） residual water in fractures/pores around the cave after oil and gas displacement, and （3） interlayer water below reservoirs. The cave system is the main reservoir space, which consists of the main cave, branch caves and depressions between caves. Taking Cave System S48 in the Ordovician reservoir as an example, the paper analyzes the fluid distribution and exploitation performance in the cave system. Owing to evaporation of groundwater during cross-formational flow, the central part of the main cave, where oil layers are thick and there is a high degree of displacement, is characterized by high salinity and Br^- concentration. With high potential and a long stable production period, most wells in the central part of the main cave have a long water-free oil production period. Even after water breakthrough, the water content has a slow or stepwise increase and the hydrochemistral characteristics of the produced water in the central part of the main cave are uniform. From the center to the edge of the main cave, displacement and enrichment of oil/gas become weaker, residual water increases, and the salinity and concentration of Br^- decrease. At the edge of the main cave, although the wells have a high deliverability at the beginning with a short stable production period and water-free production period. After water breakthrough, the pressure and deliverability drop quickly, and the water content rises quickly. The hydrochemistral characteristics of the produced water are relatively uniform. Wells in the branch caves have a relatively low deliverability at the beginning, with a short stable production period. Water breakthrough appears quickly and then the pressure and deliverability drop quickly. The salinity and concentrations of CI^-and K^＋＋Na^＋ are usually fluctuant or descend slowly in the produced water. Wells in low areas of ancient karst have a low deliverability and a short stable production period. The yield drops quickly and the water content is high, while the characteristics of the produced water may vary significantly well to well. The salinity and concentrations of CI^-and K^＋＋Na^＋ in the produced water are usually fluctuant with a precipitous decline.