Impact of Reservoir Heterogeneity on Diluted Geothermal Brine Reinjection

Abstract

Many geothermal plants have been shut down due to reinjection problems with the heat-depleted brine. In Denmark, only one out of three plants that extract heat from a geothermal fluid distributed to the district heating system is still working. In general, the large salinity of heat-depleted geothermal brines can be used to produce electricity with the help of turbines and generators through an osmotic power unit known as a SaltPower plant. Harnessing more energy out of the reinjection of geothermal brines is feasible without compromising the overall reservoir assurance when the iron is kept under control. This study is an attempt to determine the feasibility of the reinjection of a diluted geothermal brine with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) into homogeneous and heterogeneous sandstone rocks. The results from the coreflooding experiments show an improvement in the rock properties both in porosity and permeability for homogeneous and heterogeneous rocks. EDTA not only avoids the precipitation of Fe(III) oxides inside the porous media but can also be used for scale removal and matrix acidizing in geothermal reservoirs.