On the impact of spatially heterogenous permeability on free convection in the Perth Basin, Australia

Abstract We study the impact of spatially heterogeneous permeability on the formation and shape of hydrothermal porous flow convection in the Yarragadee Aquifer by modelling three simulation scenarios, each with differing permeability distributions. In all scenarios, the southern part of the model is characterised by convection rolls, while the north is dominated by a stable region of decreased temperatures at depth due to hydraulic interaction with shallower aquifers. This suggests that reservoir structure is a first-order controlling factor for the formation of the free convective system. The convective system adjusts to the spatially heterogeneous permeability distribution, yielding locally different convection patterns.

[1]  C. Clauser.  Thermal Storage and Transport Properties of Rocks, II: Thermal Conductivity and Diffusivity , 2021, Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics.

[2]  A. Costa,et al.  Permeability‐porosity relationship: A reexamination of the Kozeny‐Carman equation based on a fractal pore‐space geometry assumption , 2006 .

[3]  H. M. Bücker,et al.  Joint three-dimensional inversion of coupled groundwater flow and heat transfer based on automatic differentiation: sensitivity calculation, verification, and synthetic examples , 2006 .

[4]  L. Reid,et al.  Basin-scale geothermal model calibration: Experience from the Perth Basin, Australia , 2014 .

[5]  P. Carman.  Fluid flow through granular beds , 1997 .

[6]  Christoph Clauser,et al.  Numerical simulation of reactive flow in hot aquifers : SHEMAT and processing SHEMAT , 2003 .

[7]  C. Lajaunie,et al.  Foliation fields and 3D cartography in geology: Principles of a method based on potential interpolation , 1997 .

[8]  L. Smith,et al.  On the thermal effects of groundwater flow: 1. Regional scale systems , 1983 .

[9]  M. Middleton.  Radiogenic heat generation in the Darling Range, Western Australia , 2013 .

[10]  S. Ehrenberg,et al.  Sandstone vs. carbonate petroleum reservoirs: A global perspective on porosity-depth and porosity-permeability relationships , 2005 .

[11]  L. Esteban,et al.  Physical properties of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks from the Perth Basin, Western Australia , 2013 .

[12]  Boming Yu,et al.  Developing a new form of permeability and Kozeny-Carman constant for homogeneous porous media by means of fractal geometry , 2008 .

[13]  C. Simmons,et al.  Investigating the influence of aquifer heterogeneity on the potential for thermal free convection in the Yarragadee Aquifer, Western Australia , 2015, Hydrogeology Journal.

[14]  Christoph Clauser,et al.  Permeability prediction based on fractal pore‐space geometry , 1999 .

[15]  Xin-She Yang,et al.  Fast and Slow Compaction in Sedimentary Basins , 1998, SIAM J. Appl. Math..

[16]  L. F. Athy.  Density, Porosity, and Compaction of Sedimentary Rocks , 1930 .

[17]  H. Pape,et al.  Theory of self‐similar network structures in sedimentary and igneous rocks and their investigation with microscopical and physical methods , 1987 .

[18]  L. Reid,et al.  Hydrothermal models of the Perth metropolitan area, Western Australia: implications for geothermal energy , 2013, Hydrogeology Journal.

[19]  D. Grauls,et al.  Mechanical compaction of sand/clay mixtures , 2002 .

[20]  O. Madelung,et al.  Landolt-Börnstein: Numerical Data and Functional Relationships in Science and Technology - New Series , 1965 .

[21]  Calibration of a Fractal Model Relating Porosity to Permeability and its Use for Modeling Hydrothermal Transport Processes in the Perth Basin, Australia , 2014 .

[22]  A. R. Gregory,et al.  ELASTIC WAVE VELOCITIES IN HETEROGENEOUS AND POROUS MEDIA , 1956 .

[23]  H. Pape,et al.  Variation of Permeability with Porosity in Sandstone Diagenesis Interpreted with a Fractal Pore Space Model , 2000 .

[24]  Heather A. Sheldon,et al.  The potential for convection and implications for geothermal energy in the Perth Basin, Western Australia , 2012, Hydrogeology Journal.

[25]  Bruce A. Robinson,et al.  Models and methods summary for the FEHMN application , 1996 .

[26]  G. Korvin,et al.  Shale compaction and statistical physics , 1984 .

[27]  J. Chilès,et al.  Geological modelling from field data and geological knowledge. Part I. Modelling method coupling 3D potential-field interpolation and geological rules , 2008 .

[28]  P. Carman,et al.  Flow of gases through porous media , 1956 .

[29]  Clayton V. Deutsch,et al.  GSLIB: Geostatistical Software Library and User's Guide , 1993 .

[30]  John McCloskey,et al.  Permeability porosity relationships from numerical simulations of fluid flow , 1998 .

[31]  Ludovic P. Ricard,et al.  20 years of exploitation of the Yarragadee aquifer in the Perth Basin of Western Australia for direct-use of geothermal heat , 2015 .