Analysis of water injection heat recovery potential of abandoned oil wells to geothermal wells in northern Shaanxi

TL;DR

This study uses numerical simulation to evaluate the heat recovery potential of abandoned oil wells in northern Shaanxi, revealing significant potential for geothermal energy extraction through water injection methods.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation-based analysis of water injection and heat recovery in the Chang 2 reservoir, highlighting the feasibility of geothermal energy extraction from abandoned oil wells.

Findings

Water injection can significantly enhance heat recovery.

Heat recovery potential is between 190-420 tons of standard coal per well annually.

Direct water extraction from bottom water reservoirs is challenging.

Abstract

The Chang 2 bottom water reservoir area in the western part of northern Shaanxi is one of the core oil-producing areas in the Ordos Basin.One of the main reservoirs is the Chang 2 reservoir of the Triassic Yanchang Formation, which has good physical conditions, active edge and bottom water, and high geothermal gradient. In this paper, the reservoir numerical simulation software CMG is used to simulate the water intake and heat recovery in the target study area, and the heat recovery rate and heat recovery of the three water production methods of direct water production, four injection and one production and one injection and four production under different injection pressures are analyzed. The results show that it is difficult to realize the direct water extraction from the bottom water reservoir. The annual heat recovery of single well of four injection and one production and one injection and four production is converted to the standard coal production between 190 ~ 420 t, so the Chang 2 reservoir in the western part of northern Shaanxi has the potential of water injection and heat recovery.