The potential of depleted oil reservoirs for high-temperature storage systems

Kai Stricker; Jens C. Grimmer; Robert Egert; Judith Bremer; Maziar Gholami Korzani; Eva Schill; Thomas Kohl

doi:10.3390/en13246510

The potential of depleted oil reservoirs for high-temperature storage systems

Kai Stricker
, Jens C. Grimmer
, Robert Egert
, Judith Bremer
, Maziar Gholami Korzani
, Eva Schill
, Thomas Kohl

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a^-1, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area.

Original language	English
Article number	6510
Journal	Energies
Volume	13
Issue number	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/en13246510
State	Published - Dec 2 2020
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Depleted oil reservoirs
HT-ATES
Numerical modeling
Potential analysis
Seasonal energy storage
Upper rhine graben

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10.3390/en13246510

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title = "The potential of depleted oil reservoirs for high-temperature storage systems",

abstract = "HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82\% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90\% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a-1, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area.",

keywords = "Depleted oil reservoirs, HT-ATES, Numerical modeling, Potential analysis, Seasonal energy storage, Upper rhine graben",

author = "Kai Stricker and Grimmer, \{Jens C.\} and Robert Egert and Judith Bremer and Korzani, \{Maziar Gholami\} and Eva Schill and Thomas Kohl",

note = "Funding Information: Funding: Eva Schill acknowledges funding through the Helmholtz Climate Initiative (HI-CAM) which is funded by the Helmholtz Association{\textquoteright}s Initiative and Networking Fund. The authors are responsible for the content of this publication. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: We thank Ali Dashti (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and J{\"o}rg Meixner (Baden-W{\"u}rttemberg State Authority for Geology, Mineral Resources, and Mining) for their contributions in the early stages of this study as well as Katharina Sch{\"a}tzler (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) for her assistance in the DeepStor project. The support from the Helmholtz program “Renewable Energies” under the topic “Geothermal Energy Systems” is thankfully acknowledged. The Helmholtz Climate Initiative (HI-CAM) is funded by the Helmholtz Association{\textquoteright}s Initiative and Networking Fund. The authors are responsible for the content of this publication. We further thank the EnBW Energie Baden-W{\"u}rttemberg AG for supporting geothermal research at KIT. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

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doi = "10.3390/en13246510",

language = "English",

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AU - Stricker, Kai

AU - Grimmer, Jens C.

AU - Egert, Robert

AU - Bremer, Judith

AU - Korzani, Maziar Gholami

AU - Schill, Eva

AU - Kohl, Thomas

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: Eva Schill acknowledges funding through the Helmholtz Climate Initiative (HI-CAM) which is funded by the Helmholtz Association’s Initiative and Networking Fund. The authors are responsible for the content of this publication. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: We thank Ali Dashti (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and Jörg Meixner (Baden-Württemberg State Authority for Geology, Mineral Resources, and Mining) for their contributions in the early stages of this study as well as Katharina Schätzler (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) for her assistance in the DeepStor project. The support from the Helmholtz program “Renewable Energies” under the topic “Geothermal Energy Systems” is thankfully acknowledged. The Helmholtz Climate Initiative (HI-CAM) is funded by the Helmholtz Association’s Initiative and Networking Fund. The authors are responsible for the content of this publication. We further thank the EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG for supporting geothermal research at KIT. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2020/12/2

Y1 - 2020/12/2

N2 - HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a-1, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area.

AB - HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a-1, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area.

KW - Depleted oil reservoirs

KW - HT-ATES

KW - Numerical modeling

KW - Potential analysis

KW - Seasonal energy storage

KW - Upper rhine graben

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DO - 10.3390/en13246510

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85107145834

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VL - 13

JO - Energies

JF - Energies

IS - 24

M1 - 6510

ER -

The potential of depleted oil reservoirs for high-temperature storage systems

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Keywords

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