Numerical investigation of temperature distribution in a confined heterogeneous geothermal reservoir due to injection-production

The present study deals with the modeling of transient temperature distribution in a heterogeneous geothermal reservoir in response to the injection-production process. The heterogeneous geothermal aquifer considered here is a confined aquifer with homogeneous layers of finite length and overlain and underlain by impermeable rock media. The heat transport modes considered are advection, conduction in the geothermal reservoir and heat transfer to the confining rock media. Results show that heterogeneity plays a very significant role in determining the transient temperature distribution and controlling the advancement of the thermal front in the reservoir. A one-dimensional (1D) analytical model for temperature distribution in the geothermal reservoir is also derived in this study. Results from a simpler version of the numerical model are compared with the results from the analytical solution which are in good agreement with each other. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.