Numerical simulations of density viscosity-dependent hot fluids in a geothermal field: the Seferihisar- Balçova Area example (Turkey)

In the last years, the Seferihisar-Balçova Geothermal system (SBG), Western Anatolia, Turkey has been thoroughly investigated for its geothermal resources. As a result, an extensive database has been gathered. Owing to a pre-established collaboration between the FU Berlin, Germany and the Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey, the database is now available for scientific research. In the SBG, the driving mechanisms of fluid flow and their interrelationships with faults are poorly understood. Furthermore, the fluid transport processes are characterized by complex temperature and hydrochemical anomalies which causes remain still unclear. Not at least, there are evidences that groundwater extraction in the coastal aquifers of the SBG is inducing seawater intrusion which pollutes freshwater resources. A numerical model exploring the role of faults and fractures on the different forces driving hot fluid flows in the SBG is presented here. The first results of coupled fluid flow and heat transport processes based on give insights into the links between the migration of subsurface energy, active transport processes and tectonic structures.