Abstract
Geological and geophysical exploration campaigns have ascertained the coexistence of low to medium-temperature geothermal energy resources in the deepest regions of Italian sedimentary basins. As such, energy production based on the exploitation of available geothermal resources associated with disused deep oil and gas wells in Italian oilfields could represent a considerable source of renewable energy. This study used information available on Italian hydrocarbon wells and on-field temperatures to apply a simplified closed-loop coaxial Wellbore Heat Exchanger (WBHE) model to three different hydrocarbon wells located in different Italian oilfields (Villafortuna-Trecate, Val d’Agri field, Gela fields). From this study, the authors have highlighted the differences in the quantity of potentially extracted thermal energy from different analysed wells. Considering the maximum extracted working fluid temperature of 100 °C and imagining a cascading exploitation mode of the heat accumulated, for Villafortuna 1 WBHE was it possible to hypothesise a multi-variant and comprehensive use of the resource. This could be done using existing infrastructure, available technologies, and current knowledge.
Highlights
The policy visions of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change were both approved by the member states of the UN in 2015 and represent two fundamental contributions that guide the transition towards an economic model that aims for profitability and for social progress and environmental protection
Energy production based on the exploitation of available geothermal resources associated with disused deep oil and gas wells in Italian oilfields could represent a considerable source of renewable energy
This study focuses on the analysis of geothermal energy potential associated with disused hydrocarbon wells of the different petroleum systems of the Mesozoic carbonate succession
Summary
The policy visions of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change were both approved by the member states of the UN in 2015 and represent two fundamental contributions that guide the transition towards an economic model that aims for profitability and for social progress and environmental protection. Geoscience offers solutions to this issue through the development of various options that could encourage decarbonisation and the transition to renewable energy sources at local and regional scales: electricity production from renewable sources, domestic heating/cooling using low-enthalpy geothermal energy resources and larger-scale technologies that target harmful emissions, such as bioenergy production and carbon capture and storage [1]. Geothermal energy is a weather-independent, environmentally friendly and currently available renewable resource; it represents an effective solution for power generation, heating and cooling, and direct-use applications. According to [2], the variety of possible direct applications of geothermal resources in production districts, together with the corresponding temperature demand, is wide. It includes space heating, industrial uses, swimming pools, horticulture (especially greenhouses) and aquaculture
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