Abstract
Information on geothermal gradient and heat flow within the subsurface is critical in the quest for geothermal energy exploration. In a bid to ascertain the thermal potential of Nigeria sector of the Chad Basin for energy generation, subsurface temperature information from 19 oil wells, 24 water boreholes drilled to depths beyond 100 metres and atmospheric temperature from the Chad basin were utilized in calculating geothermal gradient of the area. Selected ditch cuttings from the wells were subjected to thermal conductivity test using Thermal Conductivity Scanner (TCS) at the Polish Geological Institute Laboratory in Warsaw. The terrestrial heat flow was calculated according to the Fourier’s law as a simple product of the geothermal gradient and the mean thermal conductivity. Results obtained indicated geothermal gradient range of 2.81 °C/100 m to 5.88 °C/100 m with an average of 3.71 °C/100 m. The thermal conductivity values from the different representative samples range from 0.58 W/m*K to 4.207 W/m*K with an average of 1.626 W/m*K. The work presented a heat flow value ranging from 45 mW/m2 to about 90 mW/m2 in the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin.
Highlights
The origin of the Chad Basin is generally attributed to the Rift system that was developed in the early cretaceous when the African and South American lithospheric plates separated and the Atlantic opened
Assessment of the present and previous values reported on the geothermal gradient shows that the geothermal background of the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin remains more than 3 ̊C/100 m
This is adequate for attainment of profitable geothermal energy resource in a deep sedimentary basin like the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin, especially in the areas of positive thermal anomalies where the geothermal gradient is about 5 ̊C/ 100 m
Summary
The origin of the Chad Basin is generally attributed to the Rift system that was developed in the early cretaceous when the African and South American lithospheric plates separated and the Atlantic opened. This work involves the utilization of corrected borehole temperature from oil wells, temperature from water wells and thermal analysis of rock samples for evaluation of geothermal potentials of the Chad basin. The analysis of these data helps the deduction of shallow crustal structure and geothermal heat distribution within structure of the area. All this is aimed at ascertaining the existence of useful geothermal gradient and heat distribution in the Nigerian sectors of the Chad Basin which may be favourable for geothermal energy exploration in the region
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