Short Course 4
Short course 4 – 6 November
Resource-Assessment of Geothermal Systems with Emphasis on Low to Medium-Enthalpy
Level: Intermediate
The energy transition and the drive towards net-zero emissions has brought about a focus on renewable energy sources including geothermal. Especially in areas with favorable geology, geothermal energy is seen as a potentially significant baseload-contributor to future sustainable energy systems.
The value of geothermal assets and the commercial exploitation potential of projects is intrinsically linked to the quantities of Heat Resource that may be extractable from a successful development. However, assessment of the range in Heat Resource is not straightforward because of the variability in geological settings (e.g., magmatic or amagmatic, sedimentary or fractured basement), fluid systems (liquid dominated, vapor dominated or mixed) and recovery techniques (e.g., doublets in hot permeable aquifer, Enhance Geothermal Systems, closed-loop wells). Reservoir characterization and modeling techniques developed for oil and gas may have some applicability to geothermal settings but would have to be tailored to the specifics of the geothermal system at hand.
This course is specifically designed to help technical and managerial staff involved with a geothermal project, set direction and/or guide the assessment of geothermal resources. Specifically, this course will help them understand:
• How a geothermal Resource Assessment is done depending on the specifics of the asset, and how geothermal Resource Classification and reporting are done under UNFC (United Nations Framework Classification) guidelines;
• What data are required and what modeling or other characterization techniques can help underpin an assessment;
• What the major uncertainties that affect the Resource outcome of a project, again depending on the specifics of the asset.
• What the key focus areas should be for optimization of the appraisal strategy and the subsurface development-concept of a geothermal asset.
Date
6 November
Time
09:00 - 17:00
Location
Hannover Congress Centrum
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will understand the differences between various geothermal systems from a point of view of heat-resource potential and exploitation strategy.
They will be aware what methods are available to assess and quantify the ranges of in-place and extractable heat resource for a geothermal system depending on the specifics of geological setting, temperature, fluids system and phase. They will know how to select an assessment method applicable to their specific setting and project, and they will be able to pinpoint the types of subsurface characterization and modeling best suited to underpin the assessment of heat resources.
They will be aware of the concept of UNFC (United Nations Framework Classification) Resource-Classification and Reporting guidelines and how these can be applied to report the range in geothermal Resources for a project.
They will have awareness of the key subsurface parameters that drive the range in potential outcomes for a geothermal development, the data required to anchor those subsurface parameter ranges and the ways in which this data can be acquired (e.g., via appraisal and dedicated testing).
Course Outline
- Introduction and Heat-In-Place of geothermal systems
- Introduction to geothermal energy.
- Overview of geothermal settings.
- Fundamentals of geothermal Resource Assessment.
- Heat-In-Place assessment a) “Sedheat” systems (hot permeable aquifer) b) Volcanic geothermal systems.
2. Heat recovery from geothermal systems, Resource Classification
- Heat recoverable to surface a) Recovery mechanisms in Sedheat systems b) Recovery mechanisms in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (hot-dry-rock) c) Recovery mechanisms and thermal yield of volcanic geothermal wells.
- Closed-Loop wells and conductive heat recovery.
- Geothermal plants and energy-conversion efficiency.
- Geothermal Resource classification and reporting
Participant Profile
This course is targeted to all technical and managerial professionals involved in the screening, project maturation and techno-commercial valuation of geothermal assets.
Geoscientists, engineering professionals and technical managers working on geothermal projects.
Government staff or staff from public organizations/city councils involved in sustainable subsurface energy projects.
Finance professionals and investors involved in the funding of geothermal exploration and development projects.
Key Takeaways
Unlike existing geothermal courses, this course is specifically designed to help technical and managerial staff involved with a geothermal project, set direction and/or guide the assessment of geothermal resources.
Prerequisites
5 years of experience in energy sector Basic knowledge of subsurface fundamentals i.e., of geoscience, petrophysics and/or reservoir engineering principles
