Thu, 29 September, 2022
Details of the EU-funded GEOPRO project, of which TWI is a partner, have been published on the European Commission’s CORDIS website.
The publication of ‘New Tools Accurately Predict Properties of Geological Fluids’ is part of the E.C.’s strategy for the effective dissemination and exploitation of research results and details how an understanding of geological fluid characteristics is key for the efficient operation of geothermal power plant systems.
The GEOPRO project brought together 12 project partners to collect data about the heat-transfer behaviour of super-hot fluids in order to help maximise the value of thermal energy and resolve operational problems in geothermal power plants.
The project developed a laboratory-based multi-phase flow loop to investigate fluid flow characteristics in pipes and generate new, accurate thermodynamic and kinetic data for geological fluids.
The data was used to create models for predicting complex solutions of CO2 and multicomponent mineral salts and prevent scale formation (such as silica and calcium carbonate scaling) in boreholes, surface pipes and equipment.
Scaling has serious economic consequences for geothermal operations, causing energy and production losses, increasing cleaning and maintenance costs, or even leading to the shutdown of entire production/reinjection wells.
The models and tools created by the GEOPRO project contribute to making geothermal energy generation more accessible and affordable. The work also helps achieve Europe's new 2030 climate targets through the optimisation of geothermal wells and enhancing the efficiency of geothermal power plants to establish geothermal energy as a secure and sustainable energy resource.
The GEOPRO project article is just one of a series of geothermal-related advances and developments that are covered in the European Commission’s full ‘Supporting the Development of Europe’s Geothermal Energy Sector’ Results Pack.
You can see the GEOPRO article on the CORDIS website here.
The GEOPRO project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 851816