48 Geophysics in Geothermal Exploration • Temperature Distribution: One of the primary goals of geothermal exploration is identifying areas with high heat flow. Mapping the temperature distribution underground and monitoring its variation over time allows engineers to target regions with sufficient heat for effective geothermal energy production. • Characterizing Rock Types and Reservoir Properties: It is important to have insights into rock types and properties away from the wellbore to estimate the size, depth, porosity, permeability and productive thickness of the geothermal reservoir. • Geothermal fluids: – Identifying Fluid Pathways: Locate pathways within the reservoir that allow geothermal fluids (hot water or steam) to circulate, – Assessing Fluid Properties: Estimate fluid properties such as salinity, temperature, and pressure, which are critical for predicting how fluids will behave during extraction and reinjection, – Tracking thermal and cold fronts in the reservoir. This monitoring allows engineers to observe changes in temperature and fluid pathways over time, providing critical feedback on how injected fluids interact with the reservoir. With this information, engineers can adapt injection strategies to optimize heat extraction while preserving the resource. • Others Monitoring: Fault activity Assessment: By identifying active fault zones, geophysics helps engineers assess potential hazards, which is crucial for designing safe drilling paths. Avoiding active faults minimizes the risk of induced seismicity and other drilling complications, enhancing operational safety. Real-Time Well Steering During Drilling: Geophysical data provides guidance for steering wells during drilling. This information enables engineers to keep the well trajectory in contact with the hottest, most permeable zones while avoiding undesirable features like low-permeability zones or faults, maximizing heat extraction efficiency. In geothermal exploration, geophysics provides a non-invasive and cost-effective way to gather critical information about the subsurface, reducing the risk associated with drilling. It helps in identifying potential geothermal sites, mapping underground structures, estimating heat flow, characterizing reservoirs, and monitoring the long-term sustainability of geothermal systems. By combining different geophysical methods, scientists can develop a more comprehensive understanding of the geothermal potential of an area. In geothermal exploration, a single method rarely provides all the information needed to understand the resource. Instead, multi-physics approaches combine several geophysical techniques, allowing experts to construct a more reliable picture of the subsurface. By integrating data from seismic, magnetotelluric, gravity, and
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