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Hydraulic stimulation and fluid circulation experiments in underground laboratories: Stepping up the scale towards engineered geothermal systems
Auteur(s)
Gischig, Valentin
Giardini, Domenico
Amann, Florian
Hertrich, Marian
Krietsch, Hannes
Loew, Simon
Maurer, Hansruedi
Villiger, Linus
Wiemer, Stefan
Bethmann, Falco
Brixel, Bernard
Doetsch, J.
Gholizadeh, Nima
Driesner, Thomas
Evans, Keith F.
Jalali, Mohammadreza
Jordan, D.
Kittilä, A.
Ma, Xiadong
Meier, Peter
Nejati, M.
Obermann, A.
Plenkers, K.
Saar, Martin O.
Shakas, A.
Date de parution
2020-1-2
In
Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment
No
2020
De la page
100175
A la page
100175
Revu par les pairs
1
Résumé
The history of reservoir stimulation to extract geothermal energy from low permeability rock (i.e. so-called petrothermal or engineered geothermal systems, EGS) highlights the difficulty of creating fluid pathways between boreholes, while keeping induced seismicity at an acceptable level. The worldwide research community sees great value in addressing many of the unresolved problems in down-scaled in-situ hydraulic stimulation experiments. Here, we present the rationale, concepts and initial results of stimulation experiments in two underground laboratories in the crystalline rocks of the Swiss Alps. A first experiment series at the 10 m scale was completed in 2017 at the Grimsel Test Site, GTS. Observations of permeability enhancement and induced seismicity show great variability between stimulation experiments in a small rock mass body. Monitoring data give detailed insights into the complexity of fault stimulation induced by highly heterogeneous pressure propagation, the formation of new fractures and stress redistribution. Future experiments at the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergies, BULG, are planned to be at the 100 m scale, closer to conditions of actual EGS projects, and a step closer towards combining fundamental process-oriented research with testing techniques proposed by industry partners. Thus, effective and safe hydraulic stimulation approaches can be developed and tested, which should ultimately lead to an improved acceptance of EGS
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Type de publication
journal article
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