Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-5lx2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T12:56:16.671Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reservoir characterisation of aquifers for direct heat production: Methodology and screening of the potential reservoirs for the Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2014

M.P.D. Pluymaekers ,
L. Kramers ,
J.-D. van Wees ,
A. Kronimus ,
S. Nelskamp ,
T. Boxem  and
D. Bonté
M.P.D. Pluymaekers*
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
L. Kramers
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
J.-D. van Wees
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands Utrecht University, Faculty of Geosciences, P.O. Box 80021, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
A. Kronimus
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
S. Nelskamp
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
T. Boxem
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
D. Bonté
Affiliation:
TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands
*
Email: maarten.pluymaekers@tno.nl.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Geothermal low enthalpy heat in non-magmatic areas can be produced by pumping hot water from aquifers at large depth (>1 km). Key parameters for aquifer performance are temperature, depth, thickness and permeability. Geothermal exploration in the Netherlands can benefit considerably from the wealth of oil and gas data; in many cases hydrocarbon reservoirs form the lateral equivalent of geothermal aquifers. In the past decades subsurface oil and gas data have been used to develop 3D models of the subsurface structure. These models have been used as a starting point for the mapping of geothermal reservoir geometries and its properties. A workflow was developed to map aquifer properties on a regional scale. Transmissivity maps and underlying uncertainty have been obtained for 20 geothermal aquifers. Of particular importance is to take into account corrections for maximum burial depth and the assessment of uncertainties. The mapping of transmissivity and temperature shows favorable aquifer conditions in the northern part of the Netherlands (Rotliegend aquifers), while in the western and southern parts of the Netherlands aquifers of the Triassic and Upper Cretaceous / Jurassic have high prospectivity. Despite the high transmissivity of the Cenozoic aquifers, the limited depth and temperature reduce the prospective geothermal area significantly.

The results show a considerable remaining uncertainty of transmissivity values, due to lack of data and heterogeneous spatial data distribution. In part these uncertainties may be significantly reduced by adding well test results and facies parameters for the map interpolation in future work. For underexplored areas this bears a significant risk, but it can also result in much higher flowrates than originally expected, representing an upside in project performance.

Keywords

Geothermal energyregional transmissivity mappingaquifer.
Type
Research Article
Information
Netherlands Journal of Geosciences , Volume 91 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 621 - 636
Copyright
Copyright © Stichting Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 2012

References

Allen, P.A. & Allen, J.R., 2005. Basin Analysis: Principles and Applications. Blackwell Publishing (Oxford), 549 pp.Google Scholar
Athy, L.F., 1930. Density, porosity and compaction of sedimentary rocks. American Association of Petroleum Geophysicists Bulletin 14: 1–24.Google Scholar
Bond, G.C. & Kominz, M.A., 1984. Construction of tectonic subsidence curves for the early Paleozoic miogeocline, southern Canadian Rocky Mountains: implications for subsidence mechanisms, age of breakup, and crustal thinning. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 95: 155–173.Google Scholar
Bonté, D., Van Wees, J.-D. & Verweij, J.M., 2012. Subsurface temperature of the onshore Netherlands: new temperature dataset and modelling. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 91–4: 491–515, this issue.Google Scholar
De Jager, J., 2007. Geological development. In: Wong, T.E., Batjes, D.A.J. & De Jager, J. (eds): Geology of the Netherlands. Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) (Amsterdam): 5–26.Google Scholar
Duin, E.J.T., Doornenbal, J.C., Rijkers, R.H.B., Verbeek, J.W. & Wong, T.E., 2006. Subsurface structure of the Netherlands; results of recent onshore and offshore mapping. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 85: 245–276.Google Scholar
Hantschel, T. & Kauerauf, A.I., 2009. Fundamentals of Basin and Petroleum Systems Modeling. Springer-Verlag (Berlin Heidelberg), 476 pp.Google Scholar
International Energy Agency (IEA), 2011. Technology Roadmap Geothermal Heat and Power. www.iea.org. Google Scholar
Kombrink, H., Doornenbal, J.C., Duin, E.J.T., Den Dulk, M., Van Gessel, S.F., Ten Veen, J.H. & Witmans, N., 2012. New insights into the geological structure of the Netherlands; results of a detailed mapping project. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 91–4: 419–446, this issue.Google Scholar
Kramers, L., Van Wees, J.-D., Pluymaekers, M.P.D., Kronimus, A. & Boxem, T., 2012. Direct heat resource assessment and subsurface information systems for geothermal aquifers; the Dutch perspective. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 91–4: 637–649, this issue.Google Scholar
Lokhorst, A. & Wong, T.E., 2007. Geothermal Energy. In: Wong, T.E., Batjes, D.A.J. & De Jager, J. (eds): Geology of the Netherlands. Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) (Amsterdam): 341–346.Google Scholar
Luijendijk, E., Van Balen, R., Ter Voorde, M. & Andriessen, P., 2011. Reconstructing the Late Cretaceous inversion of the Roer Valley Graben (southern Netherlands) using a new model that integrates burial and provenance history with ssion track thermochronology. Journal of Geophysical Research 116: 1–19.Google Scholar
Nelskamp, S. & Verweij, J.M., 2012. Using basin modeling for geothermal energy exploration in the Netherlands – an example from the West Netherlands Basin and Roer Valley Graben. TNO (Utrecht). Report number TNO-060-UT-2012-00245, 113 pp.Google Scholar
Pape, H., Clauser, C. & Iffland, J., 1999. Permeability prediction for reservoir sandstones based on fractal pore space geometry. Geophysics 64: 1447–1460.Google Scholar
Schlumberger, , 1991. Log Interpretation Principles/Applications. Schlumberger (Texas).Google Scholar
TNO-NITG, 2004. Geological Atlas of the Subsurface of the Netherlands – onshore. Netherlands Institute of Applied Geoscience TNO (Utrecht), 104 pp.Google Scholar
Ungemach, P., Antics, M. & Papachristou, M., 2005. Sustainable Reservoir Management. World Geothermal Congress (Antalya, Turkey).Google Scholar
Van Adrichem Boogaert, H.A. & Kouwe, W.F.P., 1993. Stratigraphic nomenclature of the Netherlands, revision and update by RGD and NOGEPA, Section A, General. Mededelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst 50: 1–40.Google Scholar
Van Balen, R.T., Bergen, G.v., Leeuw, C.d., Pagnier, H.J.M., Simmelink, H., Van Wees, J.-D. & Verweij, J.M., 2000. Modeling the hydrocarbon generation and migration in the West Netherlands Basin, the Netherlands. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 79: 29–44.Google Scholar
Van Dalfsen, W., Mijnlieff, H. & Simmelink, E., 2005. Interval velocities of a Triassic claystone: Key to burial history and velocity modelling. EAGE 2005, Poster presentation.Google Scholar
Van Doorn, T.H.M. & Rijkers, R.H.B., 2002. The Netherlands. In: Hurter, S. & Haenel, R. (eds): Atlas of Geothermal Resources in the European Community. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (Luxemburg). Publication EUR 17811.Google Scholar
Van Wees, J.-D., Boxem, T., Bonté, D., Pluymaekers, M., Nelskamp, S. & Kramers, L., 2011. Regional assessment of aquifer permeability: the importance of burial anomalies. EAGE-SES 2011, Conference Abstracts.Google Scholar
Van Wees, J.-D., Kronimus, A., Van Putten, M., Pluymaekers, M.P.D., Mijnlieff, H.F., Van Hooff, P., Obdam, A. & Kramers, L., 2012. Geothermal aquifer performance assessment for direct heat production – Methodology and application to Rotliegend aquifers. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 91–4: 651–665, this issue.Google Scholar
Van Wees, J.-D., Van Bergen, F., David, P., Nepveu, M., Beekman, F., Cloetingh, S.A.P.L. & Bonté, D., 2009. Probabilistic tectonic heat flow modeling for basin maturation: Assessment method and applications. Marine and Petroleum Geology 26: 536–551.Google Scholar
Vis, G.-J., Van Gessel, S., Mijnlieff, H., Pluymaekers, M., Hettelaar, J. & Stegers, D., 2010. Lower Cretaceous Rijnland Group aquifers in the West Netherlands Basin: suitability for geothermal energy. TNO (Utrecht). Report number TNO-034-UT-2009-02410, 55 pp.Google Scholar
Wiers, J., 2001. A hydrogeological characterization and 3D groundwaterflow model of the Roer Valley Graben. Master thesis, VU (Amsterdam).Google Scholar
Worum, G., 2004. Modelling of fault reactivation potential and quantification of inversion tectonics in the southern Netherlands. PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam), 152 pp.Google Scholar
Xu, W., Tran, T.T., Srivastava, R.M. & Journel, A.G., 1992. Integrating seismic data in reservoir modeling: The collocated cokriging alternative. SPE 24742.Google Scholar