Evaluation and optimization of a horizontal well-triplet for CO2 plume geothermal harvest: Comparison between open and close reservoirs

Abstract

Depleted oil/gas reservoirs can be used for CO2 sequestration and utilization; CO2 plume geothermal (CPG) production from a CO2 geological storage reservoir has emerged as a viable approach owing to its favorable thermodynamic properties. However, most oil/gas reservoirs are separated by faults into geological blocks, and the impact of these fault boundaries on CPG performance remains unclear. This study evaluated and compared the technical performances of a horizontal well-triplet placement and CPG operation in a thin geothermal reservoir between open and close boundaries. A meta-model simulation–optimization framework was also applied for the economic assessment of both systems. For each boundary system, 200 samples of the horizontal well-triplet design, including injection well overpressure, horizontal perforation length of injection and production wells, and distance between injection and production well, were derived from a 4D-parameter space constrained by particular ranges. These 200 samples of input parameters yielded 200 numerical models for the simulation of CPG operations. A suite of technical metrics, including lifespan, injected, produced, and stored CO2, recovered heat energy, and produced heat flux, were computed from the model simulations for technical performance evaluations. Meta models for economic objectives were developed based on the 200 input–output datasets and used in optimization. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) approach was utilized to obtain the appropriate optimal designs of the well-triplet for the two boundary systems. The results indicated that performance of both systems was controlled by the well space, which was positively correlated to CO2 storage and total heat recovery but negatively to power plant capacity. High horizontal well lengths and overpressure facilitated CO2 storage, heat recovery, and plant capacity. The open system could generate much more overall profit than the close system owing to CO2 storage income.