Low-Temperature Geothermal Geospatial Datasets: An Example from Alaska

Description

This project is a component of a broader effort focused on geothermal heating and cooling (GHC) with the aim of illustrating the numerous benefits of incorporating GHC and geothermal heat exchange (GHX) into community energy planning and national decarbonization strategies. To better assist private sector investment, it is currently necessary to define and assess the potential of low-temperature geothermal resources. For shallow GHC/GHX fields, there is no formal compilation of subsurface characteristics shared among industry practitioners that can improve system design and operations. Alaska is specifically noted in this work, because heretofore, it has not received a similar focus in geothermal potential evaluations as the contiguous United States. The methodology consists of leveraging relevant data to generate a baseline geospatial dataset of low-temperature resources (less than 150 degrees C) to compare and analyze information accessible to anyone trying to understand the potential of GHC/GHX and small-scale low-temperature geothermal power in Alaska (e.g., energy modelers, communities, planners, and policymakers). Importantly, this project identifies data related to (1) the evaluation of GHC/GHX in the shallow subsurface, and (2) the evaluation of low-temperature geothermal resource availability. Additionally, data is being compiled to assess repurposing of oil and gas wells to contribute co-produced fluids toward the geothermal direct use and heating and cooling resource potential. In this work we identified new data from three different datasets of isolated geothermal systems in Alaska and bottom-hole temperature data from oil and gas wells that can be leveraged for evaluation of low-temperature geothermal resource potential. The goal of this project is to facilitate future deployment of GHC/GHX analysis and community-led programs and update the low-temperature geothermal resources assessment of Alaska. A better understanding of shallow potential for GHX will improve design and operations of highly efficient GHC systems. The deployment and impact that can be achieved for low-temperature geothermal resources will contribute to decarbonization goals and facilitate widespread electrification by shaving and shifting grid loads.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
57 Heat flow measurements calculated from BHT (bottom-hole temperature) data in wells, and using the Curie point depth (CPD) method to estimate heat flow when BHT data is scarce. https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Heat%20Flow%20and%20Curie-Point%20Depth%20%28CPD%29%20Datasets.zip
33 Conference paper from March 2023 https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Low-Temperature%20Geothermal%20Geospatial%20Datasets.pdf
57 This study identified baseline datasets that includes some of the most important information for GHC/GHX systems, including undisturbed ground temperature, ambient mean annual temperature, surficial materials and permafrost, soil type and bulk density properties, and ground thermal conductivity. https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Geothermal%20Heating%20and%20Cooling%20Datasets.zip
57 A variety of datasets were selected to help advance the understanding of structurally controlled geothermal systems in Alaska: (1) Quaternary faults; (2) stress field; (3) seismic data; and (4) geophysical data and models. https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Structural%20Geology%20Stress%20Field%20and%20Geophysics%20Datasets.zip
57 The selected low-temperature geothermal datasets correspond to (1) an updated list of all identified isolated hydrothermal systems with surficial and reservoir temperatures (estimated by geothermometers) less than 150°C (e.g., Berry et al., 1980; Motyka et al., 1983); (2) identification of magmatic geothermal systems using volcanic vents and active volcanism datasets that can host low- to high-temperature geothermal systems; and (3) geochemistry data of hydrothermal systems. https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Low-Temperature%20Geothermal%20Datasets.zip
57 In this study we identified different useful oil and gas well datasets to update the low-temperature geothermal resources assessment of Alaska and heat flow estimations. These includes: (1) bottom-hole temperatures; (2) thermal conductivity; and (3) water production from oil and gas wells. https://gdr.openei.org/files/1518/Oil%20and%20Gas%20Well%20Datasets.zip

Tags

  • geothermal-heating-and-cooling
  • georeport
  • ghc
  • alaska
  • geophysics
  • geospatial-data
  • thermal-conductivity
  • geothermal-heat-exchange
  • low-temp
  • rsat
  • ghx
  • geology
  • dataset
  • well
  • ghp
  • heat-pump
  • oil-and-gas
  • research-size-assessment-tool
  • geothermal-resources
  • bottom-hole-temperature
  • low-temperature
  • geothermal
  • energy
  • heat-flow

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