Mathematical models of thermal and chemical transport in geologic media

Abstract

Semi-analytical and numerical methods are used to investigate thermal and chemical transport processes in geologic media. The work is divided into two parts: (1) development of semi-analytical models for the analysis of uncoupled isothermal and nonisothermal fluid flow in naturally fractured media, and (2) development of a high resolution numerical code to address coupled nonisothermal chemical transport in geologic media. A semi-analytical model is developed for well test data analysis in naturally fractured reservoirs. A simple approximate analytical solution for pressure buildup and drawdown tests is developed. Methods based on the approximate solution are developed for the evaluation of important reservoir properties. Type curves for nonisothermal fluid flow in naturally fractured media are developed to design injection systems for maximum energy in hydrothermal systems. An accurate finite difference method for the solution of a convection-diffusion type equation is developed. The method is incorporated in a two-dimensional code to investigate free convection in a porous slab and kinetic silica-water reactions in geothermal systems. A multicomponent model considering the variations of pressure, temperature and silica concentration is developed to interpret the evolution of geothermal systems during exploitation.