The complete paper presents results from evaluation of the rate of thermal energy that can be extracted under various completion scenarios using a transient flow simulator. This evaluation was conducted on closed-loop systems wherein the fluids are contained within the wellbore and surface facilities and do not involve any formation fluids. The use of a multiphase flow simulator for this study provides a road map for understanding thermal energy potential and important variables when considering extraction of geothermal energy from existing oil and gas wells.
Introduction
In Western Canada, there are, at the time of writing, more than 130,000 inactive and suspended wells. This includes more than 3,000 orphan wells but excludes an additional 115,000 abandoned wells.
For some of these wells, end-of-life liability can be turned into an asset.
