Effectiveness of acidizing geothermal wells in the South German Molasse Basin

S Schumacher,R Schulz

doi:10.5194/gtes-1-1-2013

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In Germany, many hydro-geothermal plants have been constructed in recent years, primarily in the region of Munich. As the host formation here mainly consists of carbonates, nearly all recently drilled wells have been acidized in order to improve the well yield. In this study, the effectiveness of these acid treatments is analyzed with respect to the amount of acid used and the number of acid treatments carried out per well. The results show that the first acid treatment has the largest effect, while subsequent acidizing improves the well only marginally. Data also indicate that continued acidizing can lead to degradation of the well. These findings may not only be important for geothermal installations in Germany but also for projects, for example, in Austria, France or China where geothermal energy is produced from carbonate formations as well.</p>

Highlights

1.1 Geothermal energy in GermanyThe growing need for energy and the rising prices of conventional energy sources such as oil, gas and coal have led to increased interest and investment in environmentally friendly, renewable energy in Germany
The results show that the first acid treatment has the largest effect, while subsequent acidizing improves the well only marginally
In Germany, large geothermal plants require the use of deep geothermal energy, which so far has only been used in the form of hydro-geothermal energy (Schellschmidt et al, 2010)

Summary

Introduction

The growing need for energy and the rising prices of conventional energy sources such as oil, gas and coal have led to increased interest and investment in environmentally friendly, renewable energy in Germany. One such renewable resource is geothermal energy, which, compared to other more widespread resources such as wind or solar energy, has the tremendous advantage of being able to deliver heat and electrical energy independent of weather conditions and time of day. The Molasse Basin ( the region of Munich) has become the center of geothermal energy production in Germany within the last few years due to favorable geological conditions

Results

Discussion

Conclusion