Speaker
Description
Continued reliance on fossil fuels as the primary energy source poses severe environmental risks. Geothermal energy, characterized by its low carbon footprint, has been utilized for electricity generation since the early 20th century [1]. These systems exploit the elevated temperatures of subsurface formations as the principal energy source. Nevertheless, the substantial costs associated with drilling to economically viable depths remain a major constraint to large-scale deployment. Recently, the repurposing of abandoned oil and gas wells has been proposed as a more cost-effective alternative [2]. The efficiency of geothermal heat extraction—and the viability of a given well—depends critically on the thermal properties of the wellbore and surrounding formation, as well as on operational parameters. This study builds upon a comprehensive sensitivity analysis examining the influence of well-screening factors, fluid thermal and hydraulic properties, installation configurations, and operational parameters [3]. A proxy model was developed to establish correlations between key input features and evaluation metrics. Particular attention was given to assessing the role of insulation in system efficiency. In this study, a coefficient of performance (COP) equal to 1 was adopted as the threshold for defining marginal efficiency in geothermal energy harvesting. Statistical analysis of screening factors indicates that without effective insulation of the inner pipe, the viability of the energy harvesting system can only be justified within a narrow range of conditions. Wells with depths below 3500 m have only a 22% probability of achieving this COP threshold, whereas wells between 3500 and 5000 m exhibit a 42% probability. When effective insulation is applied, the likelihood of marginal efficiency increases substantially, reaching approximately 70% for wells within the 3500 and 5000 m depth range. A comparable methodology was employed to identify favorable geothermal gradients and reservoir rock thermal conductivity values. The findings of this study are helpful for performance appraisal and optimization of geothermal energy harvesting projects.
| References | [1] Volkan Ediger, Sertaç Akar (2023) Historical Pattern Analysis of Global Geothermal Power Capacity Development, Geothermal Rising Conference Reno, Nevada October 1-4. [2] S. Pan, Y. Kong, C. Chen, Z. Pang, J. Wang (2020) Optimization of the utilization of deep borehole heat exchangers, Geotherm. Energy 8 (6). [3] Y. Ahmadpour, M. Sajjadi, M. Emami Niri (2025) Repurposing of abandoned oil and gas wells as geothermal power plants: A comprehensive sensitivity analysis and AI based performance prediction, Renewable Energy 253, 123510. |
|---|---|
| Country | Iran |
| Acceptance of the Terms & Conditions | Click here to agree |
