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Heat mining from super-hot horizons of the Larderello geothermal field, Italy

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  • Feng, Guanhong
  • Xu, Tianfu
  • Zhao, Yue'an
  • Gherardi, Fabrizio

Abstract

Super-hot rock geothermal is an emerging source of renewable and carbon-free energy. This paper is the first attempt to explore fluid and heat flow dynamics in the reservoir-wellbore coupled system, to assess the power generation performance of a super-hot (>450 °C) enhanced geothermal system (EGS). We developed a high-performance code and built a 3-D wellbore-reservoir coupled model based on data from a recently completed deep-drilling project at Larderello, Italy. The general pattern of the super-hot EGS is characterized by a significant temperature plummet (>60 °C), after which the production fluid evolves from steam to a two-phase mixture till the end of the operation period. Reservoir pressure emerges as a key parameter to determine the temperature of the two-phase mixture. By realistically capturing phase transitions driven by coupled thermo-hydraulic processes during operations, our numerical model predicts a lower power generation efficiency compared to previous attempts based on ultra-simplified models. Although finalized at assessing the thermodynamic viability of a specific system, this modeling approach provides general information on fundamental thermo-hydraulic processes in the Earth crust that might be applied for the design of similar EGS projects elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng, Guanhong & Xu, Tianfu & Zhao, Yue'an & Gherardi, Fabrizio, 2022. "Heat mining from super-hot horizons of the Larderello geothermal field, Italy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 371-383.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:197:y:2022:i:c:p:371-383
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.07.078
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xu, Tianfu & Yuan, Yilong & Jia, Xiaofeng & Lei, Yude & Li, Shengtao & Feng, Bo & Hou, Zhaoyun & Jiang, Zhenjiao, 2018. "Prospects of power generation from an enhanced geothermal system by water circulation through two horizontal wells: A case study in the Gonghe Basin, Qinghai Province, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 196-207.
    2. Feng, Guanhong & Xu, Tianfu & Gherardi, Fabrizio & Jiang, Zhenjiao & Bellani, Stefano, 2017. "Geothermal assessment of the Pisa plain, Italy: Coupled thermal and hydraulic modeling," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 416-427.
    3. Feng, Guanhong & Wang, Yu & Xu, Tianfu & Wang, Fugang & Shi, Yan, 2021. "Multiphase flow modeling and energy extraction performance for supercritical geothermal systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 442-454.
    4. Xu, Tianfu & Liang, Xu & Xia, Yi & Jiang, Zhenjiao & Gherardi, Fabrizio, 2022. "Performance evaluation of the Habanero enhanced geothermal system, Australia: Optimization based on tracer and induced micro-seismicity data," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 1197-1208.
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    Cited by:

    1. Li Ma & Zhenpeng Cui & Bo Feng & Xiaofei Qi & Yuandong Zhao & Chaoyu Zhang, 2023. "Reactive Transport Modeling of Chemical Stimulation Processes for an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-17, August.

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