A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR EXTRACTION

OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FROM

ABANDONED OIL WELLS

A. Ghoreishi and F. Hassani,

McGill University

Mohammed J. Al-Khawaja

Qatar University

http://emerg.demo.modicacommunications.com/

EMERG

3

Ferri Hassani Webster Chair Professor, Mining Engineering, McGill University EMERG Director

Bantwal Rabindranath Baliga Professor, Mechanical Engineering, McGill University

Frank A Mucciardi Professor, Materials Engineering, McGill University

Peter Henry Radziszewski Professor, Mechanical Engineering, McGill University

Geza Joos CRC Chair Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University

Mory M. Ghomshei Energy consultant and adjunct professor at McGill University

René Therrien Professor, Hydrogeology, Laval University, Engineering Geology

Majid Mohammadian, Ottawa University, Civil Engineering Dept.

Partners

Sources: EIA 2001, 1998 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey; U.S.

DOE 2002, Energy and Environmental Profile of the U.S. Mining

Industry

Energy Consumption (Trillion Btu)

Petroleum

Chemicals

Paper Primary

Metals

Food Processing

Nonmetallic Minerals

Tobacco/Beverages

Furniture

Leather Machinery and Computers

Wood

Transportation

Fabricated Metals

Textiles/Apparel

Plastics/

Rubber

Electrical

Printing

Miscellaneous 1

10

100

1000

10 100 1000 10000

En

erg

y I

nte

ns

ity (

Th

ou

sa

nd

Btu

/$ G

DP

)

Energy-Intensive

Industries

Industrial Energy Intensity vs. Energy Consumption

Mining

Energy Intensive Industries

Geothermal Energy

Harness the heat

within the earth to

use as renewable

energy

World Production

USA: 3,000MW

Philippines: 2,000MW

Indonesia: 1,000MW

Geothermal Energy Resource

Classification

• High Temperature: >200C

– Dry steam and flash power plant electricity

production

• Medium Temperature: 100-200C

– Flash and binary power plant electricity production

• Low Temperature: <100C

– Binary power plant electricity production

– Direct heat supply or heat pump designs for

residences and industrial purposes

Advantages: • Reduce CO2 emissions

• Domestic energy

• Competitive cost when compared to renewable

energy options

• Lack of dependence on weather for production

• Eliminate risk of contamination and reduce

surface installations

• Multiple applications for end-use

• energy options

Disadvantages: • Drilling/Pumping/

• Re-injection/Water management

Geothermal Systems: Open Loop

Geothermal Systems: Closed Loop

Antifreeze

Geothermal return

Geothermal closed loops can be connected to increase

the heat capacity.

Loops can also be horizontally placed in trenches

and backfilled with soil.

Closed loops are more efficient in water saturated zones,

where water can bring the heat to the vicinity of the

loops.

Shallow wells (10 to 25 m)

Geothermal Energy from Oil Wells

Geothermal Energy from Oil Wells

Heat Load Modeling

Test Case

t (day)

Po

we

r(W

att

)

0 730 1460 2190 29200

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

t (day)

T(o

C)

0 730 1460 2190 2920 365025

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

Toutlet

(oC)

Tinlet

(oC)

U-tube length 700 m

Center to center distance of the U-tube 0.125 m

Tube diameter 0.055 m

Ground thermal conductivity 1.5 W/m°C

Ground density 2100 kg/m3

Ground specific heat capacity 1000 J/kg°C

Ground hydraulic conductivity 10-6 m/s

Ground porosity 0.378

Length of the insulated zone of the U-tube 300 m

Bottom-well temperature 50 °C

Ground temperature at the surface 7 °C

Fluid velocity in the U-tube 1 m/sec

Well diameter 0.254 m

Test Case H

eig

ht

(m)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 600

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

38.4941

36.9881

35.4821

33.9761

32.47

30.964

29.458

27.952

26.446

24.94

23.434

21.928

20.422

18.9159

17.4099

T (oC)

Width (m)

Resource Sustainability; Rate of Heat Extraction

Thermal Conductivity

Hydraulic Conductivity

Physical Model

Conclusion

• Oil wells can sustainably produce geothermal energy; both for heating/cooling purposes.

• Effect of natural convection should be considered; hydraulic conductivity of 10-5 m/s to 10-4 m/s, the role of natural convection grows from medium to considerably effective.

• Geo-gradient is the key factor that affects the geothermal capacity of an oil well.

• Thermal conductivity significantly affects the sustainable rate of heat extraction.

Thank you

&

Questions?