OPTIMIZING WELLBORE TRAJECTORIES FOR CLOSED LOOP GEOTHERMAL OPERATIONS

 


One emerging application in geothermal energy is that of closed-loop systems, where two laterals are intersected so that a working fluid can be pumped down one wellhead and up another. These solutions are attractive because they do not rely on the natural permeability of a formation or a reservoir of heated water already in place, they simply require a high enough downhole temperature. 
While a great deal of discussion exists on wellbore intersection, most applications are by their nature heavily constrained by tight geologic requirements (e.g. coal-bed methane) or have one wellbore trajectory rigidly defined (e.g. relief well drilling). 


A baseline scenario is described, with wells originating from differing pad locations, drilling with standard practices and active magnetic ranging. Using Monte Carlo techniques, the probability of successful intercept is evaluated for alternate trajectory combinations and compared to the baseline. These include well pairs originating from the same pad and pairs from differing pad locations. Major factors contributing to relative survey errors are identified and the impact of uncertainty reducing techniques are explored for each trajectory type. Techniques include survey corrections, variation of the trajectory profiles, incidence angle at intersection, and the use of alternative solutions to control relative vertical uncertainty. For each scenario, the probability of intercept was evaluated for cases without using ranging tools and for both passive and active ranging technologies. A cost-benefit comparison is conducted, and an optimal combination of factors is identified.

The application of sophisticated wellbore positioning techniques at scale to the closed-loop geothermal problem has not been previously explored. The relatively low number of constraints compared to traditional wellbore intersections enables strategies not otherwise available for successful project construction.


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