Impact of thermo-hydro-mechanical process coupling for CO2-water multiphase flow during geothermal energy extraction

Mrityunjay Singh, Saeed Mahmoodpour, Mainaki Singh, Sina Omrani, Michael Drews and Ingo Sass

Energy, 2025, vol. 334, issue C

Abstract: This study investigates the potential of multiphase water - carbon dioxide (CO2) systems for geothermal energy extraction, emphasizing their enhanced efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Through numerical simulations, it explores the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes that influence reservoir behavior. During operation, the pressure distribution evolves, reflecting CO2 plume maturation, while temperature and permeability changes highlight the importance of coupled THM processes in predicting mechanical response and fluid dynamics. The study also exemplifies the impact of reservoir heterogeneity, showing how THM driven variations in permeability, porosity, and capillary entry pressure affect heat extraction and CO2 distribution. Sensitivity analysis identifies key factors such as injection rate, wellbore perforation length, reservoir thickness, permeability and initial temperature as critical to CO2 trapping, energy extraction, surface deformation and pressure development. These findings emphasize the need for fully coupled THM models to ensure accurate reservoir behavior predictions and effective geothermal energy system design.

Keywords: CO2- geothermal; Two-phase flow; Geothermal system; Reservoir heterogeneity; THM simulations; Sensitivity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:334:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225034735

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.137831

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