Determination of Geothermal Energy Sources in Masu Area Northeastern Nigeria Using Spectral Analysis of Aeromagnetic Data

Moses Akiishi

doi:10.11648/j.ijees.20180305.11

Abstract

The incessant power outage and power rationing in Nigeria has affected the economic development, hence the need to seek for other sources of electricity generation such as geothermal energy which is environmentally friendly and renewable. The wide range of geologic formations in the north-eastern Nigeria provides an avenue for exploration of geothermal energy. Hence, this work carries out an investigation of Curie point depth, geothermal gradient as well as heat flow in Masu, which is located within Nigerian sector of Chad Basin (lat. 12°00' to 13°00' N and long. 12°30' to 14°00' E) using spectral analysis. Application of minimum curvature in gridding the total magnetic field intensity data was done using the Oasis Montaj 6.4.2 software. First order polynomial fitting was applied in Regional-residual separation. The Curie point depth obtained ranges from 12.233 to 16.184 km with an average of 13.993 km, the geothermal gradient of the area varies from 35.838 to 47.413°C /km, with an average of 41.821°C /km, while the heat flow ranges from 89 to 117.80 mWm<sup>-2</sup>, with an average of 104.551 mWm<sup>-2</sup>. The 2D contour maps reveal that the Curie point depth is lowest in the southeast and increases towards the northwest, while the geothermal gradient and heat flow on the other hand are highest in the southeast and decrease towards northwest. The high geothermal gradient and heat flow values in the area are indications that the area might be suitable for geothermal energy generation as an alternative power supply in the area and in the country at large.

Highlights

The issue of power generation has become a necessity, since technology and science applications, which are the major determinants of economic development depend largely on power supply
High magnetic intensity are noticed in the central and eastern parts of the study area, while, the northern and southwestern parts of the area are marked by low magnetic intensity
Area with highest geothermal gradient is observed in the southern part of Masu and decreases towards the central region, while the lowest geothermal gradient is located in the north and western parts of the area (Figure 6b)

Summary

Introduction

The issue of power generation has become a necessity, since technology and science applications, which are the major determinants of economic development depend largely on power supply. This is because most of the machines and electrical appliances used in the industries, offices and at homes need power supply for their operation. Water is normally inadequate in the dam; electricity generation via hydro is usually low. This situation could lead to incessant power outage or power rationing and, could affect the economic development of the country

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion