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Elsevier

Renewable Energy

Volume 177, November 2021, Pages 976-991
Renewable Energy

Closed-loop geothermal energy recovery from deep high enthalpy
systems

Author links open overlay panelWanjuYuanZhuohengChenStephen E.Grasby
EdwardLittle
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.06.028Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
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Highlights

*

    Analytical modeling of closed-loop geothermal energy recovery
    technology.

*

    A deep closed-loop system can produce acceptable level of energy
    over long time.

*

    Thermal conductivity controls the outlet temperature and
    interference between wells.

*

    The residence time of the working fluid dictates heat transport
    efficiency.

*

    Heat loss in vertical parts can be reduced by applying multiple
    laterals wellbore.

Abstract

Closed-loop geothermal energy recovery technology has advantages of
being independent of reservoir fluid and permeability, experiencing
less parasitic load from pumps, and being technologically ready and
widely used for heat exchange in shallow geothermal systems.
Commercial application of closed-loop geothermal technology to deep
high-enthalpy systems is now feasible given advances in drilling
technology. However, the technology it uses has been questioned due
to differences in heat transport capacities of convective flow within
the wellbores and conductive flux in the surrounding rock. Here we
demonstrate that closed-loop geothermal systems can provide
reasonable temperature and heat duty for over 30 years using multiple
laterals when installed in a suitable geological setting. Through use
of two analytical methods, our results indicate that the closed-loop
geothermal system is sensitive to reservoir thermal conductivity that
controls the level of outlet temperature and interference between
wells over time. The residence time of the fluid in the horizontal
section, calculated as a ratio of the lateral length to flow rate,
dictates heat transport efficiency. A long vertical production
section could cause large drops in fluid temperature in a single
lateral production system, but such heat loss can be reduced
significantly in a closed-loop system with multiple laterals.

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Keywords

Closed-loop geothermal technology
Thermodynamics
Technology evaluation
Analytical modeling
Sensitive analysis
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