The potential for convection and implications for geothermal energy in the Perth Basin, Western Australia

Sheldon, Heather A.; Florio, Brendan J.; Trefry, M. G.; Reid, Lynn B.; Ricard, Ludovic; Ghori, K. A. R.

doi:10.1007/s10040-012-0886-7

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…1), resulting especially in a very high value for thermal conductivity of the Yarragadee formation. As this formation consists partly of highly permeable clastic sediments [5], this effect could be due to advective heat transport, an interpretation that is in agreement with previous studies [15,16], which suggested the presence of convection in the Perth Basin. An additional indication for this effect is visible in the map of relative residuals between measured and simulated temperatures in the North Perth Basin (Fig.…”

Section: Discussion and Outlooksupporting

confidence: 77%

Basin-scale Geothermal Model Calibration: Experience from the Perth Basin, Australia

Wellmann

Reid

2014

Energy Procedia

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The calibration of large-scale geothermal models for entire sedimentary basins is challenging as direct measurements of rock properties and subsurface temperatures are commonly scarce and the basal boundary conditions poorly constrained. Instead of the often-applied trial-and-error manual model calibration, we examine here the use of an automatic model calibration method, implemented in iTOUGH2, for a large-scale conductive geothermal simulation of the Perth Basin, Australia. The application shows that we obtain valuable insights into parameter sensitivities and correlations. In addition, outlier analysis, parameter bounds and the spatial variation of temperature residuals provide indication for convective heat transport in the basin. These interesting results will be addressed with future work.

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Section: Discussion and Outlooksupporting

confidence: 77%

Basin-scale Geothermal Model Calibration: Experience from the Perth Basin, Australia

Wellmann

Reid

2014

Energy Procedia

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“…Despite the considerable amount of insights gained from these studies little is known about the full three-dimensional dynamics of DDC processes. At present, only few publications exist in the scientific literature addressing this issue [de Hoyos et al, 2012;Sheldon et al, 2012;Schilling et al, 2013].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary channels within the Northeast German Basin and their relevance on double diffusive convective transport processes: Constraints from 3‐D thermohaline numerical simulations

Cacace

Scheck‐Wenderoth

2013

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…Contrarily, downwelling zones result in a temperature of 185°C at the same depth. Hence, locating convective upwellings is a potentially good strategy for geothermal exploration (Sheldon et al, 2012). The economic viability of exploiting an upwelling is dependent on its size as well as several other factors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Modelling of Thermal Convection Related to Fracture Permeability - Implications for Geothermal Exploration and Basin Modelling

Lipsey¹,

Wees²,

Pluymaekers³

2015

Proceedings

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The presence of convective fluid flow can create areas of anomalously high temperatures at shallow depths, which can be exploited for geothermal energy. Previous thermal investigations of the Dutch subsurface revealed a thermal anomaly located at the Luttelgeest 01 Well (LTG--01) in Noordoostpolder, The Netherlands. At depths greater than 4000 m, there is a shift to higher temperatures. Subsequent studies by van Oversteeg (2013) show that the Dinantian carbonates encountered at Luttelgeest contain intervals of relatively high fracture permeability showing potential as a geothermal reservoir for electricity production. Van Oversteeg (2013) The temperature measurements at LTG--01 indicate variations in subsurface temperature that could be indicative of convection. Horner corrected temperatures determined by van Oversteeg (2013) reveals a 12°C temperature change (191 -203°C) between the top and bottom of the 600 m interval (4550 - 5150 m) and a temperature gradient of 20°C/km across the permeable carbonate layer. This study aims to reproduce the thermal gradient at LTG--01 through three--dimensional numerical models in order to better understand the interplay between natural fracture permeability and temperature patterns. Numerical models of thermal convection are used to illustrate the role of permeability on the timing of convection onset, convection cell structure development and resulting temperature patterns.Numerical simulations of convection in the Dinantian carbonate platform show that: (1) spacing of convective upwellings can be predicted from aquifer thickness, geothermal gradient, and permeability; (2) convective upwellings can create significant temperature enhancements relative to the conductive profile; (3) the best fit modelled temperature profile occur under the following conditions: a geothermal gradient of 39°C/km, aquifer thickness of 600 m and permeability of 80 mD (7.89x10 --14 m --2 ); (4) a pseudo--conductivity, determined for the 600 m convecting interval, is 2.61 W/m/K. 4CONTENTS Abstract

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The potential for convection and implications for geothermal energy in the Perth Basin, Western Australia

Cited by 25 publications

References 37 publications

Basin-scale Geothermal Model Calibration: Experience from the Perth Basin, Australia

Basin-scale Geothermal Model Calibration: Experience from the Perth Basin, Australia

Quaternary channels within the Northeast German Basin and their relevance on double diffusive convective transport processes: Constraints from 3‐D thermohaline numerical simulations

Numerical Modelling of Thermal Convection Related to Fracture Permeability - Implications for Geothermal Exploration and Basin Modelling

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