Role and management of geothermal reinjection

Geothermal reinjection, which involves injecting energy-depleted fluid back into geothermal systems, is an integral part of all modern, sustainable and environmentally friendly geothermal utilization projects. It is an efficient method of waste-water disposal as well as a means to provide additional recharge to geothermal systems. Thus it counteracts production induced pressure draw-down and extracts more thermal energy from reservoir rocks, and increases production capacity in most cases. Reinjection can also mitigate subsidence and be used to maintain important surface activity. Reinjection is also essential for sustainable utilization of geothermal systems, which are virtually closed and with limited recharge. Reinjection is either applied inside a production reservoir, on its periphery, above or below it or outside the main production field. Several good examples of successful long-term geothermal reinjection are available, both for low-temperature and high-temperature systems. Cooling of production wells is one of the problems/obstacles associated with reinjection, even though only a few examples of actual cold-front breakthrough have been recorded. This danger can be minimised through careful testing and research. Tracer testing, combined with comprehensive interpretation and cooling predictions (reinjection modelling), is probably the most important tool for this purpose. Tracer tests actually have a predictive power since tracer transport is orders of magnitude faster than cold-front advancement around reinjection wells. Numerous examples are available worldwide on the successful application of tracer tests in geothermal systems. The tracers most commonly used in geothermal systems are fluorescent dyes, chemical substances and radioactive isotopes while new temperature-resistant tracers have been introduced and high-tech tracers are being considered. Scaling and corrosion problems associated with reinjection can be controlled through different technical solutions, dependent on the particular situation. Finally, a solution is available for the rapid aquifer clogging, which often accompanies sandstone reinjection.

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