REgine

Geophysical-geological based reservoir engineering for deep-seated carbonates

The Munich City Utilities (Stadtwerke München - SWM) plan to supply the entire district heating system of the city of Munich with renewable energies until 2040; a major contribution will be from geothermal energy. As part of the joint project GEOmaRe, LIAG (with the subproject REgine) works together with SWM to improve reservoir characterization and sustainable reservoir exploitation. Other project partners are the Chair of Hydrogeology at the Technical University of Munich and the Institute of Automation Technology at the University of Bremen, which are responsible for hydrogeological issues and plant development.

The scientific research at LIAG is subdivided into three research packages:

  1. Petrophysical, hydraulic and geomechanical basic investigations
  2. Process understanding and reservoir engineering
  3. Calibration and enhancement of exploration models.
  1. Aim of this research package is to determine lithological, facial, petrophysical and geomechanical characteristics of the Malm aquifer in the Molasse Basin. Correlations between hydraulic and geomechanical parameters and parameter distributions shall be identified, and compared to the temperature and stress field to identify potential reservoir targets.
  2. Aim of this research package is to improve the understanding of processes for a sustainable reservoir exploitation. For this purpose, a numerical sensitivity study will be developed, that shall identify controlling factors that led to a thermal breakthrough at a neighbouring geothermal field. The results will be transferred to the new geothermal field Schäftlarnstraße in order to ensure a sustainable use of the geothermal reservoir and to provide recommendations for an optimized plant operation.
  3. Aim of this research package is to develop a calibrated and validated reservoir model. As data basis served a structural geological model, developed in the former project GeoParaMol, and the corresponding 3D-seismic data set. Based on seismic inversion techniques and a combined attribute analysis, quantitative rock properties, facies classes and karstified zones will be determined. Further, petrophysical and geomechanical properties determined in the first research package will be integrated. This parameterised reservoir model will also be used for the numerical models for sustainable reservoir exploitation in the second research package.

Project Management

Prof. Dr. Inga Moeck

 

Project Team

Dr. Sonja Wadas

Dr. Johanna Bauer

Mohamed Fadel

Funding

Duration: 01.10.2018 - 31.03.2022

 

(Project start: 15.02.2019)