258 Engineering Geology

Wednesday, 7 November 2012
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
212AB

AN ASSESSMENT OF TEXAS' GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL, 2012

Paper number: 258-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

Deep sedimentary reservoirs in Texas are capable of being developed as geothermal systems with use of a binary cycle engine for hot wet sediments or double-pipe heat exchanger for hot dry sediments. Utilizing this power is attractive due to its sustainable, renewable, and non-intermittent nature. Four zones of Texas are analyzed including the geopressured gulf coastal sediments, East Texas, West Texas (Permian basin and Trans-pecos), and the Anadarko.. For each section, one or two specific sites are used as examples where the potential of the reservoir for geothermal usage is assessed in terms of temperature-depth-permeability-porosity, faulting, fluid properties, and reserviour geometry. In addition, a development strategy is outlined using a lumped parameter model developed by Uddenberg (2012). In this way, an economic analysis of geothermal energy is presented for the purpose of lowering risk for investors in this technology.