T338 Ground-Source Geothermal Energy Systems: A Significant Emerging Resource (Posters)

Wednesday, 30 October 2013
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Hall D

UTILIZING INTEGRATED GEOPHYSICAL DATA FOR GEOTHERMAL POWER PROSPECTING

Paper number: T338-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Oil and gas producing sedimentary basins in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, and North Dakota contain formation waters of a temperature that is adequate for geothermal power production (90°-150° C) using existing binary power plant technology. We have integrated a variety of data, including: geological maps for these five states as well as geothermal gradients, magnetics, gravity, and digital elevation models in a comprehensive analysis. These data were imported into an ArcGIS geodatabase, georeferenced and interpolated, and analyzed to find the location most suited for geothermal energy prospecting. The following sites were identified: for Colorado, the depocenter of the Denver-Julesberg basin near Denver; in Illinois, the region along the southwest border of the state; in Michigan, the area just south of where the thumb meets the mitt; in Nebraska, the area along the Chadron arch; and in North Dakota, the area in the northwest part of the state.