Evaluation of geothermal resource potential of hot sedimentary aquifers in the Horn River Basin, northeast British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

This study assesses the geothermal potential of Hot Sedimentary Aquifers underlying the Horn River Basin (HRB) based on analyses of borehole temperatures, geological and production data, core porosity and permeability measurements, and geophysical well logs. The proposed criteria are applied to evaluate the geothermal potential of the Horn River Group (HRG) and sub-HRG formations. Favourable spots are identified and ranked by applying temperature, thickness, porosity, permeability and flow rate mapping. The results show that the HRG and its underlying strata have a good potential of geothermal energy resource. Among the HRG formations with an average temperature of 110°C, the Otter Park Formation is the hottest and relatively thick with high water production rate. The Muskwa Formation is the second favourable for geothermal resource potential. Within the sub-HRGs, the Slave Point Formation is the most advantageous because of the high flow rate and high temperature, while the Keg River Formation is the hottest and thickest, and is considered as the second favorable stratigraphic unit. Combining the geological and geographical characteristics, four favourable hot zones have been identified, further indicating that the northwest Zone 1 and the southeast Zone 4 are the hottest areas with thicker reservoirs (>300m) and higher temperatures >130°C (at depth >3 km).