The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems
HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6510 |
| _version_ | 1827700417673297920 |
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| author | Kai Stricker Jens C. Grimmer Robert Egert Judith Bremer Maziar Gholami Korzani Eva Schill Thomas Kohl |
| author_facet | Kai Stricker Jens C. Grimmer Robert Egert Judith Bremer Maziar Gholami Korzani Eva Schill Thomas Kohl |
| author_sort | Kai Stricker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | HT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a<sup>−1</sup>, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:11:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a895ee07ed1427f90529a794b4d058d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:11:55Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a895ee07ed1427f90529a794b4d058d2023-11-21T00:06:17ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732020-12-011324651010.3390/en13246510The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage SystemsKai Stricker0Jens C. Grimmer1Robert Egert2Judith Bremer3Maziar Gholami Korzani4Eva Schill5Thomas Kohl6Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute of Nuclear Waste Disposal, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, GermanyInstitute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Adenauerring 20b, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyHT-ATES (high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage) systems are a future option to shift large amounts of high-temperature excess heat from summer to winter using the deep underground. Among others, water-bearing reservoirs in former hydrocarbon formations show favorable storage conditions for HT-ATES locations. This study characterizes these reservoirs in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) and quantifies their heat storage potential numerically. Assuming a doublet system with seasonal injection and production cycles, injection at 140 °C in a typical 70 °C reservoir leads to an annual storage capacity of up to 12 GWh and significant recovery efficiencies increasing up to 82% after ten years of operation. Our numerical modeling-based sensitivity analysis of operational conditions identifies the specific underground conditions as well as drilling configuration (horizontal/vertical) as the most influencing parameters. With about 90% of the investigated reservoirs in the URG transferable into HT-ATES, our analyses reveal a large storage potential of these well-explored oil fields. In summary, it points to a total storage capacity in depleted oil reservoirs of approximately 10 TWh a<sup>−1</sup>, which is a considerable portion of the thermal energy needs in this area.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6510HT-ATESseasonal energy storagedepleted oil reservoirsupper rhine grabennumerical modelingpotential analysis |
| spellingShingle | Kai Stricker Jens C. Grimmer Robert Egert Judith Bremer Maziar Gholami Korzani Eva Schill Thomas Kohl The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems Energies HT-ATES seasonal energy storage depleted oil reservoirs upper rhine graben numerical modeling potential analysis |
| title | The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems |
| title_full | The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems |
| title_fullStr | The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems |
| title_short | The Potential of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for High-Temperature Storage Systems |
| title_sort | potential of depleted oil reservoirs for high temperature storage systems |
| topic | HT-ATES seasonal energy storage depleted oil reservoirs upper rhine graben numerical modeling potential analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6510 |
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