A Structural-Thermal Model of the Karkonosze Pluton (Sudetes Mountains, SW Poland) for Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Geothermal Use

Abstract

Abstract The main objective of this study was to develop a spatial temperature distribution of the Karkonosze Pluton to indicate optimum locations for HDR systems at drillable depth. HDR geothermal technology makes it possible to extract heat from the Earth in areas where no hydro-geothermal resources are present. To produce electricity in a binary cycle, system temperatures of > 100°C are usually required. In this paper, the authors have analysed the potential opportunities for applying HDR technology in the area of the Karkonosze Pluton, which is regarded as an optimum location for the application of the HDR concept (due to the potential for stimulation offered by the mechanical properties of the granites, radiogenic heat production, modern tectonic activity, and the thickness of the pluton). The model used in the analysis, which takes into account a hypothetical assessment of the manner and paths of fluid migration within the pluton, provides an insight into the spatial distribution of subsurface temperatures. It thus allows the location of relatively shallow high-temperature zones, which are optimal for the efficient application of HDR technology, to be identified. With respect to this technology, the Szklarska Poręba area and the NE part of the pluton seem to be better targets than the Cieplice central area, where the model indicated much lower temperatures (e.g. at a depth of 5,000 m, estimated temperatures in the vicinity of Szklarska Poręba were about 185°C and in the vicinity of Cieplice they were about 140°C).