World-class training for the modern energy industry

Subject Discipline: Geothermal Resource

Enhanced Geothermal Systems: Design Optimization and Project Examples (G581)

Tutor(s)

Mark McClure and Koenraad Beckers: ResFRac Corporation.

Overview

In Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), hydraulic stimulation is applied to improve the productivity of wells drilled in hot, low-permeability formations. This training course provides an introduction to EGS fundamentals including history, stimulation designs, and challenges and opportunities. We will present FORGE and Fervo case studies, briefly cover market trends and thermodynamics, and work through exercises calculating power output and thermal decline for an idealized EGS reservoir and understanding the stress field and implications on EGS design at FORGE from wellbore and test data obtained.

Duration and Logistics

Virtual version: Two 3.5 hour online sessions presented over two days comprising a mix of lectures and exercises. The course manual will be provided in digital format.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is largely aimed at geologists and engineers working EGS projects.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Outline key geothermal technical themes with a focus on EGS (history, current case studies, market trends, thermodynamics).
  2. Evaluate modern stimulation designs for EGS as applied at FORGE and Fervo.
  3. Assess EGS challenges (induced seismicity, poor connectivity, rapid thermal decline) and potential mitigation strategies.

Geothermal Sedimentary Systems: Exploration, Development and Production Principles (G574)

Tutor(s)

Mark Ireland: Senior Lecturer in Energy Geoscience, Newcastle University.

Overview

This course covers all aspects of various sedimentary geothermal systems, from exploration through to production. It is intended as an introduction to the entire lifecycle of sedimentary geothermal resources, covering aspects of geoscience and engineering.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A two-day classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures and exercises. The course manual will be provided in digital format.

Virtual version: Four 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 4 days. A digital manual and exercise materials will be distributed to participants before the course.

Level and Audience

Fundamental. The course is intended for all career stage industry professionals and early career researchers with a geoscience or geo-engineering background, including those with a familiarity in oil and gas production.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Understand the basic principles of heat generation within the upper crust.
  2. Describe the key characteristics of sedimentary geothermal resources and reservoirs.
  3. Examine the geothermal play concept.
  4. Establish exploration methods using oil and gas data to assess geothermal resources in sedimentary basins.
  5. Illustrate the development and production options for these geothermal resources.
  6. Appreciate the principle geological hazards, in relation to geothermal projects, including induced seismicity.
  7. Appreciate the range of environmental impacts associated with geothermal developments.
  8. Appreciate project risks and uncertainties in developing geothermal resources.

Induced Seismicity in Geothermal Fields (G568)

Tutor(s)

Emmanuel Gaucher: Senior Research Geophysicist, Geothermal Energy and Reservoir Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Overview

This course covers fundamental and practical aspects associated with induced seismicity in deep geothermal fields. A refresher of the most relevant rock mechanics and seismological aspects will be followed by a review of the main observations and modelling approaches. Monitoring concepts for risk mitigation or reservoir imaging will also be presented.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 2-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Four 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 4 days. A digital manual will be distributed to participants before the course. This course will also contain practical exercises to reinforce key learnings. (In the virtual sessions, individual simplified questions will be asked; for a classroom version of the course, attendees will work in small groups.)

Level and Audience

Intermediate. The course is intended for geoscientists wishing to learn what seismicity in geothermal fields is, how it is induced and how we could mitigate it while using it for imaging purposes. Geoscientists from the oil and gas industry sensitive to hydrofrac operations can also join to understand differences.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Assess induced seismicity characteristics to gain critical information, such as location, magnitude and fault plane solutions.
  2. Evaluate the pros and cons of the methods used to determine seismic information.
  3. Design the main features of a seismic monitoring network for specific monitoring objectives within a given geological context.
  4. Propose appropriate sensor deployment type(s), data management procedures and processing sequence.
  5. Identify the main drivers for induced seismicity in a geothermal field.
  6. Predict likely operations that could induce seismicity according to subsurface properties and structures, and identify the most critical ones.
  7. Propose appropriate mitigation approaches taking account of the subsurface characteristics and operations proposed.

The Fundamentals of Geothermal Energy (G904)

Tutor(s)

Mark Ireland: Lecturer in Energy Geoscience, Newcastle University.

Overview

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of what geothermal energy is and how it can be used in our modern world.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A half-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: One 3-hour interactive online session. A digital manual and exercise materials will be distributed to participants before the course.

Level and Audience

Awareness. The course is aimed at non-technical staff and those who do not have a scientific background but want a basic introduction to the topic. The subject matter will be covered from very basic principles and will be of interest to staff from a range of departments, including legal, graphics, administration and technical support.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Understand what geothermal energy is.
  2. Outline the applications and use of geothermal energy.
  3. Describe the key characteristics of geothermal resources.
  4. Discuss geothermal project risks and uncertainties.

Geothermal Drilling and Completion (G558)

Tutor(s)

Catalin Teodoriu: Mewbourne Chair in Petroleum Geology, The University of Oklahoma.

Overview

This course covers fundamental aspects of geothermal drilling and completion engineering, highlighting the differences between conventional oil and gas and geothermal activities. It encompasses the main geothermal drilling characteristics, focusing on deep geothermal well construction and completion concepts. The course also covers conventional and unconventional geothermal technologies, addressing the need of drilling and completion challenges. The last part of the course will concentrate on well integrity aspects, ranging from existing oil and gas wells to built-for-purpose geothermal wells.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 3-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Five 4-hour interactive online sessions presented over 5 days. A digital manual will be distributed to participants before the course. Some reading is to be completed by participants off-line.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is intended for geoscientists wishing to learn the engineering aspects of geothermal project implementation, and oil and gas professionals transitioning towards sustainable energy opportunities.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Identify key factors in streamlining geothermal project decision making processes.
  2. Understand different management styles and their impacts on geothermal planning and execution.
  3. Identify the uncertainties and risks associated with drilling geothermal wells.
  4. Assess the impact of different well construction and completion concepts on the life of the well integrity.
  5. Discuss and analyze case studies involving different geothermal well construction solutions.

Geothermal Energy: Resources, Projects and Business Aspects (G529)

Tutor(s)

David Townsend: CEO, TownRock Energy.

Overview

This course explores the key themes of geothermal energy from the fundamentals of what a geothermal resource is and what it can offer, through to project examples and the business case. The course will explore a variety of geothermal resource types and current EU-based project examples, in addition to environmental considerations, legislation and future innovations and emerging technologies.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 2-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Four 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 4 days. A paper by the course presenter will be distributed to participants before the course, and materials for an interactive cashflow modelling exercise will be distributed during the course.

Level and Audience

Fundamental. The course is aimed at those individuals looking to transition to geothermal projects and/or who are new to the geothermal industry

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Understand the basics of geothermal resources and their use and applications.
  2. Recall the fundamental characteristics of geothermal resources and reservoirs.
  3. Appreciate the European potential for geothermal projects and case studies representative of the current state of active projects, as well as some case studies of unsuccessful projects.
  4. Describe the fundamentals of a geothermal project business case, including identifying the relevant stakeholders, the project development timeline and the risks and mitigations.
  5. Assess the financial framework of a geothermal project and how to create a business model and de-risk these projects.
  6. Assess the potential environmental impacts of geothermal developments.
  7. Understand how emerging technologies can be included as part of a geothermal project and how these could rewrite the way geothermal business models are developed in the future.

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (G519)

Tutor(s)

Matthew Jackson: Chair in Geological Fluid Dynamics, Imperial College London.

Overview

This course covers all subsurface aspects of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) and includes a brief overview of surface engineering and infrastructure requirements. The course includes an introduction to ATES, aquifer characterization for ATES, including geological and petrophysical considerations, ATES performance prediction, including modelling and simulation, and engineering considerations, including ATES system management and optimization.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 3-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Five 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 5 days. A digital manual exercise will be distributed to participants before the course. Some reading and exercises are to be completed by participants off-line.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is relevant to geoscientists and engineers and is intended for recent graduates and professionals with experience of, or a background in, a related subsurface geoscience or engineering area.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Describe the underlying principles of ATES and the context of its deployment worldwide.
  2. Evaluate the properties of an aquifer for ATES deployment.
  3. Perform aquifer characterization for ATES.
  4. Appreciate the engineering considerations for efficient and sustainable ATES operation.
  5. Understand modelling and simulation of ATES.
  6. Optimize single and multiple ATES projects.
  7. Evaluate surface infrastructure requirements and operation.
  8. Review the regulatory considerations for deployment and operation.

Geothermal Resources Assessment: Quantification and Classification (G515)

Tutor(s)

Gioia Falcone: Rankine Chair of Energy and Engineering, University of Glasgow.

Overview

This course covers the principles of geothermal resources assessment, encompassing quantification and classification best practices. Leveraging lessons learnt from the oil and gas sector, the course highlights the need for transparency in the approach. It presents the challenges and opportunities of comparing the assessment of different energy resources within a mixed energy portfolio, towards the transition to a sustainable Net zero future.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 2-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Four 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 4 days. A digital manual will be distributed to participants before the course. Some reading is to be completed by participants off-line.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is intended for energy policy makers, energy stakeholders in charge of investment and funding decisions, and oil and gas professionals transitioning towards sustainable energy opportunities.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Understand the need for energy resource assessment.
  2. Describe different resource estimation methods.
  3. Interpret resource assessments according to different frameworks.
  4. Identify the uncertainties and risks associated with a geothermal resource assessment.
  5. Assess the impact of project definition on resource quantification and classification.
  6. Discuss the technical, economic, social and environmental nexus of energy resources assessment.

Geothermal Technologies and Well Design (G514)

Tutor(s)

Gioia Falcone: Rankine Chair of Energy and Engineering, University of Glasgow.

Overview

This course covers fundamental aspects of geothermal engineering, linking the subsurface to the point of sale (or point of use). It encompasses the main geothermal energy uses, focusing on deep geothermal resources exploitation methods, where wells are required. The course also covers conventional and unconventional geothermal technologies, including closed-loop solutions and hybrid energy development opportunities.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 2-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Four 3.5-hour interactive online sessions presented over 4 days. A digital manual will be distributed to participants before the course. Some reading is to be completed by participants off-line.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is intended for geoscientists wishing to learn the engineering aspects of geothermal project implementation, and oil and gas professionals transitioning towards sustainable energy opportunities.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Understand the different way in which a given geothermal energy resource can be exploited, and the associated uses.
  2. Describe how open-loop and closed-loop engineering solutions work.
  3. Interpret operational aspects of typical geothermal well designs.
  4. Identify the uncertainties and risks of different exploitation methods, vis-à-vis resource sustainability over project lifetime.
  5. Assess the impact of different well performance and well integrity aspects on ultimate recovery.
  6. Discuss and analyse case studies involving different geothermal technologies.

Geology and Fractures for High Enthalpy Geothermal (G507)

Tutor(s)

David McNamara: Lecturer in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool.

Overview

This course covers aspects of geoscience relevant to high enthalpy geothermal systems. It will introduce the geothermal system play concept and geothermal field classification. Teaching materials and exercises will provide skill development in how to characterize important aspects of the geology of these geothermal systems from structural networks, permeability, geomechanics and more.

Duration and Logistics

Classroom version: A 3-day course comprising a mix of lectures, case studies and exercises. The manual will be provided in digital format and participants will be required to bring a laptop or tablet computer to follow the lectures and exercises.

Virtual version: Five 3.5-hour interactive online sessions, comprising three lecture sessions and two practical sessions (one on working with borehole image logs in geothermal wells and interpreting these datasets, and the other on stress field characterization from well data). The sessions are presented over 5 days. A digital manual and exercise materials (including well logs) will be distributed before the course. Some reading and exercises are to be completed by participants off-line.

Level and Audience

Advanced. The course is intended for all career stage industry professionals and early career researchers with a geoscience or geo-engineering background, including those with a familiarity in oil and gas production.

Objectives

You will learn to:

  1. Recognize the geological components of a geothermal system play.
  2. Understand the range of data required to characterize a fractured geothermal reservoir.
  3. Characterize fracture and stress data from a geothermal reservoir that can be used in geomechanical models and flow models.
  4. Determine potential geological controls on well permeability.