Stating that geothermal heat and energy can be extracted from the earth sometimes comes without significant risks and associated cost, which often leads to projects with disappointing results.
The road to harvesting geothermal resources may be bumpy and perhaps complicated and, in some cases, may not live up to the expectations and heat demands.
The subsurface is not uniform, not even in nearby areas and therefore well design and completion requirements may be different to cater for this. A few projects may even be abandoned and seen as complete failures often due to not finding suitable aquifers, unexpected temperatures, or water chemistry.
A geothermal business is a dynamic system, and it needs to be managed right from the beginning and through its lifetime. Having the required knowledge available in the early project stage enables the design of wells with high performance and long-term integrity thus increasing the overall project success.
In our view the overlooked element for reducing most project uncertainties is a holistic and structured stepwise approach in evaluating the various building blocks of a geothermal development project. Integration of relevant technical competencies along with knowledge transfer is critical to avoid any information or data gaps.
This paper illustrates how our geothermal play analysis combined with a thorough well delivery process can help small as well as large deep geothermal projects build a solid foundation for development.
Using this stepwise process will ultimately increase the chance of success to get the expected geothermal output, ensure well integrity and reduce economic risk.
Information: Detlef Klaus, Lead Well Engineer, Drilling fluids and cement specialist, WellPerform
Contact: dkl@wellperform.com, mobile: +49 172 5327281