Thermal Prospection of Geothermal Reservoirs

by Using Thermoluminescence of Quartz

著者 AMAYA AREVALO ALVARO JOSUE

学位授与機関 Tohoku University
学位授与番号 11301甲第18801号
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10097/00127549
 TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

Graduate School of Environmental Studies

Thermal Prospection of Geothermal Reservoirs by Using

Thermoluminescence of Quartz

Ph. D. Dissertation Summary

Geomaterials and Energy Laboratory

by

ALVARO JOSUE AMAYA AREVALO

March, 2019
 Thesis Dissertation Summary Contents

Contents .................................................................................................................................. 2
Chapter 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 2. Thermoluminescence techniques and kinetic behavior. ....................................... 5
Chapter 3. Coupling of TL numeric model of the Kakkonda geothermal reservoir. ............. 9
Chapter 4. Inversion model of geothermal temperature and potential ................................. 11
Chapter 5. Evolution of sustainable development of geothermal systems ........................... 13
Chapter 6. Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 14
Bibliographical references .................................................................................................... 14

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 Chapter 1. Introduction

Geothermal energy is a form of natural energy that uses the heat of the interior of
the earth to produce electrical energy. In the world, there are some zones, mostly
volcanic, that give some indications on the surface of the existence of deep geothermal
resources that are very interesting for the countries and industries that possess and they
want to find them to exploit them, through a systematic exploration plan or projects that
should optimize financial resources for an optimal feasible exploration. Finding
geothermal resources is a difficult task that requires certain years of exploration and
survey research to estimate its possible existence, its probable provenance, its
distribution, its limits, its capacity, among other aspects that through of specific
techniques try to support the important economic investment that involves the drilling
of geothermal wells that finally allows to extract the resource to the surface; but all the
effort and the investment made at exploration stages, returns and produces much more
benefits in the medium and long term, because the resources found can produce clean
and renewable energy for many years.

There are three most common geothermal exploration techniques used in the pre-
feasibility stage of a project; they are the geological exploration of the system, which
mainly classifies rocks and geologic features; the geochemical exploration that analyses
liquid and gaseous fluids in the area of interest; and the geophysical exploration that
measures various physical properties on the surface and relates them to prospective
reservoir properties. After exploration studies, the subsequent classic process is the
conceptual model creation by analyzing separately the elements of each study and
intersects them by GIS tools and takes a consensual decision on the best drilling zone
chosen.

This research proposes to use also a new exploration technique named

thermoluminescence of quartz for geothermal exploration that localizes the natural heat
source position, as it was first proposed by Tsuchiya, Suzuki, and Nakatsuka (2000).
Thermoluminescence is defined as the property of certain materials to glow when they
are heated according to Chen and McKeever (1997), the two operating conditions that
define this process are the temperature level and exposure time to the source of heat;

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that is why this technique has been used in natural sciences investigations for dating
materials containing thermoluminescent minerals such as quartz (McKeever, 1985); and
also it has been used to determine natural heat conditions areas in geothermal systems,
such as it was recently presented by Saito, Hirano, Yamada, and Tsuchiya (2017).

In this study the main challenge is to obtain a new methodology that uses the
thermoluminescence of quartz technique in conjunction with a new numerical
simulation algorithm to obtain a three-dimensional temperature model to validate this
methodology in a strategic geothermal field, which sufficient information available as
well as having an already proven natural distribution of quartz, considering those
requirements, this research was carried out in the Kakkonda geothermal field in the
prefecture of Iwate, Japan.

The proposed methodology was accomplished in its hypothetical exploration

phase, assuming that only the basic information of that epoch was available, with the
exception of the validation methodology process that was tested with deep samples that
necessarily required the use of information and rock samples from production
geothermal wells; and also in Chapter 5 of this article it was required the uses of basic
production information because, besides the exploration methodology, another new
methodology was proposed for a sustainable operation analysis of geothermal fields
forecasting, through HYDROTHERM software simulation scenarios (Hayba D., 1994).
The whole methodology allows to geoscientist to understand the behavior of a
geothermal reservoir in exploration and upgrade its analysis for its optimal operation.
The structure of this study consists of six chapters, which are mentioned below:

 Chapter 1: Introduction; it describes the importance of geothermal exploration

studies and numeric reservoir models at exploration.
 Chapter 2: Thermoluminescence techniques and kinetic behavior; it explains the
procedures of the TL kinetic methodologies for the reservoir equations coupling
methodology preparation.
 Chapter 3: Coupling of TL numeric model of the Kakkonda geothermal reservoir; it
uses TL inputs with reservoir equations system for a new thermal prospection
behavior understanding.

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 Chapter 4. Inversion model of geothermal temperature and potential; it proposes two
reduced and simpler mathematical and empirical correlations in function of TL and
basic data for temperature and geothermal potential approximations.
 Chapter 5: Evolution of sustainable development of geothermal systems; it proposes
a new procedure to use the HYDROTHERM scenarios results for time-life of power
plant production estimation at geothermal exploitation behavior through upgrading
the analysis of the natural state heating evolution.
 Chapter 6: Conclusions; it summarizes the results of this study.

Chapter 2. Thermoluminescence techniques and kinetic behavior.

This chapter is focused on the territory description, explanation of the

thermoluminescence technique procedures and TL results in samples assessments
regarding their location in the system:

 The surface TL distribution, collecting samples from 65 surface sites.

 The depth TL distribution in 4 geothermal wells area.
 The reference sample analyses for some decaying signal experiments at different
controlled temperature conditions monitored at a different time.

In this research, a novel kinetic equation that explains the thermoluminescence of

quartz behavior has been developed.

In general, the sample treatment methodology protocols and the equipment

characteristics and conditions are the same as suggested by Tsuchiya, Ishikawa, Saito,
and Hirano (2016). Figure 1 summarizes by pictures five of the procedures followed for
rock sampling and TL measurements.

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 Figure 1. General TL sampling and measurement protocol

Figure 2 shows the natural standard of quartz sample result from Arasawa site in
the Tamagawa formation of the Kakkonda geothermal field.

Figure 2. Natural standard of quartz sample result: Experimental TL emission, and the
corresponding glow curve result obtained by background extraction.

Figure 2A shows the experimental TL emission and Figure 2B the corresponding

glow curve result gotten by background extraction.

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 A total of sixty-five samples distributed in the whole terrain in the system were
analyzed by TL standardized procedure, and also depth quartz samples were analyzed
from geothermal wells samples. Moreover, a kinetic equation based on TL experimental
data was developed in this research, this equation also follows the physics model of TL
(Randall and Wilkins, 1945) by keeping constant the physical parameters of the kinetic
behavior: Peak temperature (Tm), Activation Energy (E), and variating the TL intensity
level regarding its natural or experimental conditions (temperature and time), this
process was validated by isothermal decay experiments.

The kinetic equation constituted by a TL concentration in function temperature

and time is strategically inputted into a geothermal reservoir equation system as a
surface condition. This new concept allows to get a paired model that uses a simple
numerical prospective simulation method of heat transmission from the bottom of the
reservoir to the surface; it is based on the unsteady heat conduction of heat and it has
been calibrated by using the energetic balance of the geothermal system, finally getting
a useful model of the geothermal reservoir and other new geothermal tools applied for
the Kakkonda field.

The shift data of the kinetic model development has entailed three important
transformations:

1. Reference sample measurements protocol and background subtraction

pretreatment.

2. Development of the fundamental TL equation to get a solution to the multipeak

process analysis that conserves the measurement parameters (Tm, E, and h) for an easy
sample simulations deconvolution process.

3. The isothermal experiment that is the main input of the kinetic model. TL
signal decay is monitored at different temperature and time; and finally, a generalization
of the parametric kinetic equation as a function of these two process variables:
temperature and time were obtained.

The experimental procedure designed to monitor the level of TL decay at

controlled temperature and time conditions needs first, the selection of a reference

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quartz sample, due to this sample came from the same origin and geological formation
of all the samples but it was located at the maximum distance from the natural heat
source center of the geothermal field and therefore, it owned the maximum level of
thermoluminescence intensity. In this research, the reference sample of the Kakkonda
system was located at around 7 Km of the heat center.

The experimental procedure consisted in preparing a battery of reference samples,

introduce them at different muffles at constant temperature and monitor TL level at
several sample extraction time, to understand the TL behavior in local quartz in function
of temperature and time. Then, sample results were simulated through a deconvolution
process, due to the existence of multi-traps center or crystal lattices in all the natural
quartz samples. Deconvolution is a usual mathematical procedure always considered in
TL data analysis but in this research, the strategy used was fix as constant all the kinetic
position of traps (because all quartz samples were taken from the same origin). The
multi-trap center simulation replicate the fundamental equation of the physical model of
thermoluminescence like the proposed by Kitis, Gomez-Ros, and Tuyn (1998) but in
this approaching it was also defined an initial reference point of temperature and time at
room temperature measurements conditions., which allowed getting an explicitly
determined equation of concentration of holes decaying in function of temperature and
time.

After TL kinetic equation was obtained by multiple isothermal decay experiment

analysis, all the samples collected from the TL quartz survey in the geothermal field of
study were simulated. Figure 3 shows the Kakkonda geothermal field TL evaluation
results expressed in integral intensity units (au).

The map of Figure 3 also shows that in the center of the geothermal field the
thermoluminescent property was totally reset; this was only possible due to its
proximity to the natural heat effect of the system since all the samples were collected
from the same geological formation, Tamagawa welded tuff (see Doi et al., 1998).

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 Figure 3: Quartz TL surface evaluation in Kakkonda Geothermal field.

Chapter 3. Coupling of TL numeric model of the Kakkonda geothermal reservoir.

The geothermal simulation methodology is based in two folded models: the TL

kinetics and the reservoir models. The most important elements of these paired models
are depicted in Figure 4. The elements are grouped in two dashed blocks that delimits
the two equations system. The green boxes show the TL inputs of each individual
solution algorithm. The blue boxes represent mathematical operations, procedures, or
processes where parameterization and estimation are involved. Moreover, in both
models, some parameters are maintained constant, for example in the TL model, the
kinetic parameters that describe the traps center or lattices defects on the crystal are kept
constant; and in the case of the reservoir model, some of the system parameters that are
implicit in the heat conduction equation system also are kept constant, for instance, the
dispersion of heat and the thermal conductivity of the system. Also, some other tools are
needed within the solution algorithm, for example, GIS tools and mathematical
estimation methods.

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 Figure 4: Schematic concept of the TL kinetics and geothermal reservoir coupling
modeling processes.

This simulation methodology is proposed to be useful for an exploration situation;

even Kakkonda GPP is already a developed geothermal system, this research uses it for
testing this methodology and validating results. Figure 5 shows the structure of the
conceptual reservoir model.

Figure 5. Geothermal reservoir structure governed by a conduction mechanism and TL

distribution as a sensor of the natural heat release process.

The schematic also depicts that the reservoir behavior and its structure is based on
governing equations: The TL kinetic equations systems and the unsteady state heat
conduction equation solution (Welty, Wicks, Wilson, and Rorrer, 2007). Figure 5 also
shows the heat transfer reservoir equations, where the main parameters used are:
transient of temperature (T), surface temperature (To), bottom temperature (Ts),

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reservoir depth (z), dispersivity of heat (α), time (t), and thermal conductivity (k). Some
results of this reservoir model are the profiles of depth vs temperature simulated for all
the rock samples measured in the surface of Kakkonda geothermal field and also the
possibility to simulate temperature at any place on the system. After temperature
estimation, it was found that the average of the geothermal rate actually measured by
borehole logging in the shallow reservoir after geothermal field development was
reasonably congruent with the average of this simulation profiles. The most generalized
product obtained was a shallow reservoir prospection of the Kakkonda GPP simulated
by this new methodology that consists in a 3D temperature reservoir model that was
developed by getting different numerical grid layers at different depths of the system by
using the governing equations solution and a volume renders data geoprocessing. A
HYDROTHERM simulation model was also parameterized by considering the results
of heat source bottom temperature, because this computer code software produces more
realistic geothermal gradients due to it considers the two heat transference mechanisms;
therefore, a natural steady state simulation scenario was gotten at different evolution
time, those results were also useful to contrast behavior with sustainable scenarios for
different levels of exploitation of the Kakkonda system, but those results are described
in Chapter 5.

Chapter 4. Inversion model of geothermal temperature and potential

An inverse modeling methodology process was used in this chapter to obtain

simpler mathematical expressions that solve directly the desired prospective variable
from the complex whole methodologies described in Chapter 3, which needed many
experiments, many parameterizations, and many steps of estimation for the direct
methodology way, but they are simplified instead. Therefore, the main objective in
Chapter 4 was to obtain two empirical correlations of temperature and geothermal
potential respectively, as a function of the thermoluminescence of quartz levels and
their relative position on the system with respect to the natural heat center and the
reference sample locations. To carry out this reverse modeling, the results of the
complete methodology estimations were contrasted and geoprocessed respect to the

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same position of the direct measurement values of thermoluminescence obtained from
the field of study. The main products of this chapter were a geothermometer of quartz
TL map at a depth of 1500 m but also possible to simulate at any depth. The volumetric
heat equations system implicit in the algorithm of this simulation methodology allows
getting a calibrated megawatts estimated map for Kakkonda system on the geothermal
area of interest as a novel early stage of geothermal potential exploration method.
Figure 6, shows the geothermal potential map estimated by using the double integral of
TL energy consumption equation, which was calibrated through the geothermal
potential equations. Figure 6 also shows that MW isocontours delimit in a good way the
best production zone of the geothermal field.

Figure 6: Geothermal potential (MW) estimated for Kakkonda GPP and current
drilling area location.

Figure 7 shows a histogram that represents the total energy available of the
Kakkonda system estimated by the classic volumetric geothermal potential method
using resampling probabilistic method through triangular parameterization of the
estimator variables. Monte Carlo simulation results indicate that 100 MW can be
extracted at 95% of probability at pessimistic conditions. The results also show that 107
MW on average can be obtained in all the system; this is a very similar result to the 108
MW that was estimated by using the new geothermal potential equation in function of
TL and area of extraction (see the results mapped on Figure 6).

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 Figure 7: Geothermal potential (MW), using Monte Carlo simulation.

Chapter 5. Evolution of sustainable development of geothermal systems

In this chapter, the analysis has been followed out by using the HYDROTHERM
software results, this software simulates geothermal and volcanic environments
considering heat conduction and convection mechanisms on the system.

In the case of the Kakkonda geothermal field simulation, the system has been
delimited from the surface up to 5,000 m on depth, and the area was delimited in
approximately 43 Km2 like the area observed in the map of Figure 6, the system was
segmented in 6,840 blocks and three kinds of rock layers were parameterized with basic
exploration information. The Kakkonda geothermal field behavior modeling was carried
out through the parameterization of multiple scenarios at different times of system
evolution. The simulation run scenarios were conducted in between 10,000 years to
100,000 years.

The results were mapped to understand and show the temperature distribution on
the system, then through a mass balance analysis, the whole energy in control volume
was calculated and compared with different productive scenarios that comes from 0
MW exploitation or natural evolution, up to 80 MW that is the installed capacity

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conditions in the Kakkonda geothermal field, which also coincides with the geothermal
potential estimated on the borehole wells areas in the Chapter 4. Finally, in this chapter,
it is concluded that at the current conditions of exploitation, the productive life of the
Kakkonda geothermal field should be about 343 years, being this estimation the
pessimistic perspective because in this analysis was not considered that magma
recharges on the source of heat at 5,000 m could occur.

Chapter 6. Conclusions

A new geothermal reservoir modeling methodology is proposed by using

thermoluminescence of quartz data and governing equations of the system; this is a new
effective method proposed to estimate a geothermal heat prospection model for
geothermal well site selection and system understanding. TL also is effective to estimate
geothermal potential map as a function of the TL data, and also useful for deciding the
best sustainable development strategy of exploitation since exploration system condition.
This methodology was validated in a hypothetical exploration phase in the Kakkonda
geothermal field in Japan.

Bibliographical references

Chen, R., & McKeever, S. W. S. (1997). Theory of Thermoluminescence and Related

Phenomena. Singapore: World Scientific. https://doi.org/10.1142/2781

Doi, N., Kato, O., Ikeuchi, K., Komatsu, R., Miyazaki, S., Akaku, K., & Uchida, T.
(1998). Genesis of the plutonic-hydrothermal system around quaternary granite in
the Kakkonda geothermal system, Japan. Geothermics, 27(5–6), 663–690.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-6505(98)00039-X

Hayba D., I. S. (1994). The computer model hydrotherm, a three-dimensional finite-

difference model to simulate ground-water flow and heat transportin the
temperature range of 0 to 1,200°C. Reston. Virginia: U.S. Geological survey.

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Kitis, G., Gomez-Ros, J. M., & Tuyn, J. W. N. (1998). Thermoluminescence glow-
curve deconvolution functions for first, second and general orders of kinetics.
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 31(19), 2636–2641.
https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/31/19/037

McKeever, S. W. S. (1985). Thermoluminescence of solids. Cambridge University

Press. Cambridge: Cambridge Solid State Science Series.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511564994

Randall, J. T., & Wilkins., M. H. F. (1945). Phosphorescence and electron traps I. The
study of trap distributions. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical,
Physical and Engineering Sciences, 184(999), 365–389.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1945.0024

Saito, R., Hirano, N., Yamada, R., & Tsuchiya, N. (2017). Thermoluminescence
behaviors of quartz in caldera fill deposit and geothermal exploration in Shirasawa
caldera, Sendai, Northeast Japan. J.Geotherm. Res. Soc. Japan, 39(2), 101–110.
https://doi.org/10.11367/grsj.39.101

Tsuchiya, N., Ishikawa, H., Saito, R., & Hirano, N. (2016). Development of Portable
Thermoluminescence Measurement Equipment for Geothermal Exploration.
J.Geotherm. Res. Soc. Japan, 38(4), 127–131. https://doi.org/10.11367/grsj.38.127

Tsuchiya, N., Suzuki, T., & Nakatsuka, K. (2000). Thermoluminescence as a new

research tool for the evaluation of geothermal activity of the Kakkonda geothermal
system, northeast Japan. Geothermics, 29(1), 27–50.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-6505(99)00049-8

Welty, J., Wicks, C., Wilson, R., & Rorrer, G. (2007). Fundamentals of Moment, Heat
and Mass Transfer.

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