Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems provide near real-time data collection that captures borehole spatiotemporal temperature dynamics. Temperature data were collected in an observation well at an active geothermal site for a period of eight days under geothermal production conditions. Collected temperature data showcase the ability of DTS systems to detect changes to the location of the steam-water interface, visualize borehole temperature recovery-following injection of a cold-water "slug"-and identify anomalously warm and/or cool zones. The high sampling rate and spatial resolution of DTS data also shows borehole temperature dynamics that are not captured by traditional pressure-temperature survey tools. Inversion of thermal recovery data using a finitedifference heat-transfer model produces a thermal-diffusivity profile that is consistent with laboratory-measured values and correlates with identified lithologic changes within the borehole. Used alone or in conjunction with complementary data sets, DTS systems are useful tools for developing a better understanding of both reservoir rock thermal properties as well as within and near borehole fluid movement. The work presented herein has been funded in part by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-EE0006760.
Brady Hot Springs geothermal field has exhibited subsidence, as measured by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). Previous studies have examined both the temporal evolution of the deformation from 2004 through 2016 and the spatial extent of the deformation, directly relating the observed subsidence to volumetric changes below the surface. We extend the modeling at Brady to analyze a data set of interferometric pairs spanning from the end of 2003 through 2018. We examine spatial and temporal trends in the observed deformation by time-series analysis of each of the 1,656 cubic voxels in a parameterized elastic dislocation model to identify areas where the subsurface volume changes as a function of time. Joint time-series analysis of Global Positioning System and InSAR pairs confirm significant changes in rates of volume change during time intervals when well operations were varied. The rate of subsidence increases with increased injection, consistent with the identification of thermal contraction of the rock matrix as the dominant driving mechanism. Conversely, the modeled volume increases when pumping ceases, suggesting thermal expansion of the rock matrix.
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