Slates: a potential rock type to extract geothermal energy from the underground?

Main Authors: Herrmann, Johannes, Rybacki, Erik, Wang, Wenxia, Milsch, Harald, Wagner, Bianca, Leiss, Bernd
Format: Proceeding eJournal
Bahasa: eng
Terbitan: , 2020
Subjects:
Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/3898715
ctrlnum 3898715
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?> <dc schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"><creator>Herrmann, Johannes</creator><creator>Rybacki, Erik</creator><creator>Wang, Wenxia</creator><creator>Milsch, Harald</creator><creator>Wagner, Bianca</creator><creator>Leiss, Bernd</creator><date>2020-05-08</date><description>Commonly used host rock reservoirs for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are composed of granite, as they display highly conductive and sustainable fracture networks after stimulation. However, considering the large amount of metamorphic rocks in Europe&#x2019;s underground, these rock types may also show a large potential to extract geothermal energy from the subsurface. Within the framework of the European Union&#x2019;s Horizon 2020 initiative &#x2018;MEET (Multi-Sites EGS Demonstration)&#x2019;, we are conducting fracture permeability experiments at elevated confining pressures, pc, temperatures, T, and differential stresses, &#x1D70E;, representing in situ conditions, to investigate the suitability of shale-type reservoir rocks for (unconventional) EGS. The investigated samples are prepared with a saw-cut of given roughness allowing to observe the evolution of fracture permeability with time under pre-defined pc-T conditions. The studied Wissenbach slates are of Variscan age and recovered from the &#x2018;Hahnenklee&#x2019; drill site, which is located in the Harz mountains (GER). Microstructural observations using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on polished thin sections in addition to Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) reveal a fine grained, anisotropic slate matrix with a typical grain size of d &#x2264; 50 &#xB5;m, mainly composed of mechanically weak phyllosilicates, intermediate strong carbonates and strong quartz minerals. He-pycnometry yielded average porosity values of &#x1D719;He = 1-2 %. Results of constant strain rate deformation experiments conducted at pc = 50 MPa, T = 100&#xB0;C prior to fracture conductivity test displayed mainly brittle deformation behavior of the slate matrix with substantially higher strength if samples were loaded perpendicular to the visible bedding orientation rather than parallel to it. With increasing pc and &#x1D70E; (acting perpendicular to the fracture surfaces), fracture permeability, k, of saw-cut bearing sample assemblies is decreasing. The data suggest that k approaches a minimum value at high pc (&gt; 45 MPa) and &#x1D70E; (&gt; 20 MPa), potentially induced by a change from fluid flow over the whole fracture surface towards flow through localized channels at high pc-&#x1D70E; conditions. Comparing the initial and final roughness of the fracture surfaces after deformation reveals that the amount of surface asperities is reduced. The influence of increasing temperatures is relatively low as k remains nearly constant up to 100&#xB0;C after an initial drop from 20 to 40&#xB0;C. Our results suggest that slates may be considered as a potential host rocks for (unconventional) EGS as the influence of mechanical in situ boundary conditions is relatively low. Additional test will be performed, focusing on the influence of fracture roughness, proppant embedment behavior, shear deformation and fluid composition on fracture permeability evolution.</description><identifier>https://zenodo.org/record/3898715</identifier><identifier>10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8091</identifier><identifier>oai:zenodo.org:3898715</identifier><language>eng</language><relation>info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/792037/</relation><relation>info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/ads/2020EGUGA..22.8091H</relation><relation>url:https://zenodo.org/communities/eu_project_meet</relation><rights>info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess</rights><rights>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode</rights><subject>slate</subject><subject>geothermal energy</subject><subject>fracture permeability</subject><title>Slates: a potential rock type to extract geothermal energy from the underground?</title><type>Journal:Proceeding</type><type>Journal:Proceeding</type><recordID>3898715</recordID></dc>
language eng
format Journal:Proceeding
Journal
Journal:eJournal
author Herrmann, Johannes
Rybacki, Erik
Wang, Wenxia
Milsch, Harald
Wagner, Bianca
Leiss, Bernd
title Slates: a potential rock type to extract geothermal energy from the underground?
publishDate 2020
topic slate
geothermal energy
fracture permeability
url https://zenodo.org/record/3898715
contents Commonly used host rock reservoirs for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are composed of granite, as they display highly conductive and sustainable fracture networks after stimulation. However, considering the large amount of metamorphic rocks in Europe’s underground, these rock types may also show a large potential to extract geothermal energy from the subsurface. Within the framework of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 initiative ‘MEET (Multi-Sites EGS Demonstration)’, we are conducting fracture permeability experiments at elevated confining pressures, pc, temperatures, T, and differential stresses, σ, representing in situ conditions, to investigate the suitability of shale-type reservoir rocks for (unconventional) EGS. The investigated samples are prepared with a saw-cut of given roughness allowing to observe the evolution of fracture permeability with time under pre-defined pc-T conditions. The studied Wissenbach slates are of Variscan age and recovered from the ‘Hahnenklee’ drill site, which is located in the Harz mountains (GER). Microstructural observations using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on polished thin sections in addition to Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) reveal a fine grained, anisotropic slate matrix with a typical grain size of d ≤ 50 μm, mainly composed of mechanically weak phyllosilicates, intermediate strong carbonates and strong quartz minerals. He-pycnometry yielded average porosity values of φHe = 1-2 %. Results of constant strain rate deformation experiments conducted at pc = 50 MPa, T = 100°C prior to fracture conductivity test displayed mainly brittle deformation behavior of the slate matrix with substantially higher strength if samples were loaded perpendicular to the visible bedding orientation rather than parallel to it. With increasing pc and σ (acting perpendicular to the fracture surfaces), fracture permeability, k, of saw-cut bearing sample assemblies is decreasing. The data suggest that k approaches a minimum value at high pc (> 45 MPa) and σ (> 20 MPa), potentially induced by a change from fluid flow over the whole fracture surface towards flow through localized channels at high pc-σ conditions. Comparing the initial and final roughness of the fracture surfaces after deformation reveals that the amount of surface asperities is reduced. The influence of increasing temperatures is relatively low as k remains nearly constant up to 100°C after an initial drop from 20 to 40°C. Our results suggest that slates may be considered as a potential host rocks for (unconventional) EGS as the influence of mechanical in situ boundary conditions is relatively low. Additional test will be performed, focusing on the influence of fracture roughness, proppant embedment behavior, shear deformation and fluid composition on fracture permeability evolution.
id IOS17403.3898715
institution Universitas PGRI Palembang
institution_id 189
institution_type library:university
library
library Perpustakaan Universitas PGRI Palembang
library_id 587
collection Marga Life in South Sumatra in the Past: Puyang Concept Sacrificed and Demythosized
repository_id 17403
city KOTA PALEMBANG
province SUMATERA SELATAN
repoId IOS17403
first_indexed 2022-07-26T01:40:37Z
last_indexed 2022-07-26T01:40:37Z
recordtype dc
_version_ 1739406931225739264
score 17.608969