Geothermal Energy Potential of Pakistan on the Basis of Abandoned Oil and Gas wells

Abstract

In Pakistan, round about 1000 oil and Gas exploratory wells have been drilled having depth ranging from 230 m to +6400 m. More than 60 percent wells have been abandoned or dry wells. In spite of all exploratory effort we are not able to overcome the energy need of the country. Present study looks forward to reutilizing these abandoned wells by using subsurface data related to thermal characteristics of rock sequence. Present study shows heartening geothermal gradient exception in lower Indus Basin coupled with buried fossil-fail-rift basement structure. Aeromagnetic survey has also disclosed significant prediction for the "hot dry rock" geothermal energy in KharanPanjgur tectonic depression in western part of the Pakistan. Literature review shows for electricity production hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal environment offers massive potential. These resources are mostly much deeper than the hydrothermal resources. Hot dry rock energy comes from moderately water-free hot rock found at a depth of 4,000 meters or more below the earth surface. In contrast to a geothermal field in one of the tectonic/volcanic anomalies, the HDR system depends on the artificial simulation of tight formations by hydraulic fracturing to create underground heat exchanger. Fluid circulated in closed circuit mode where as reservoir pressure is managed by balanced production and injection rates in multiple well arrays. Current study shows the matchless application of collection data of Oil and Gas exploratory wells to develop renewable and sustainable energy operation in Pakistan.

Multifracture response to supercritical CO 2 ‐EGS and water‐EGS based on thermo‐hydro‐mechanical coupling method

“…Efficient utilization of geothermal resources will reduce dependence on fossil fuels, leading to a cleaner global environment. The techniques and designs of geothermal energy extraction from the subsurface reservoirs have evolved in multiple ways such as geothermal closed‐loop systems including wellbore heat exchanger and the use of abandon oil and gas wells . High‐enthalpy geothermal resources are stored in deep formations of hot dry rocks (HDRs), having less formation permeability and porosity.…”

“…The techniques and designs of geothermal energy extraction from the subsurface reservoirs have evolved in multiple ways such as geothermal closed-loop systems including wellbore heat exchanger 1 and the use of abandon oil and gas wells. 2,3 High-enthalpy geothermal resources are stored in deep formations of hot dry rocks (HDRs), having less formation permeability and porosity. Enhanced geothermal system (EGS) was designed to exploit these HDRs by hydraulic-fracturing (HF) treatments to reactivate and induce fractures in the subsurface rock.…”

Potential for heat production by retrofitting abandoned gas wells into geothermal wells

“…About 450 of these wells are abandoned. Previous studies have shown that the focus of exploration activity shifted from the northern to the southern parts of Pakistan (Indus Basin) during the period from 1868 to 2016 [28, 29]. Moreover, aeromagnetic studies have been performed to locate geothermal sources of energy in the western parts of the Indus Basin [21] and have confirmed that the abandoned wells could be potential sources of electricity.…”

Resource evaluation of geothermal power plant under the conditions of carboniferous deposits usage in the Dnipro-Donetsk depression

“…In [8] the heat-flux density in wells of 75 -100 mW/m 2 for geological formations of California (Santa Clara, Monterey and Santa Barbara) were investigated. Work [10] shows the significant potential of depleted and abandoned oil wells in Pakistan from the point of view of geothermal energy of oil and gas reservoirs with significant water-flood operation in the end. This actualizes the research task of the fluid production thermobaric regimes from the horizons of the DDD сarboniferous deposits, the development of multilevel utilization complexes for geothermal heat.…”