Heat transfer investigation between wellbore and formation in U-shaped geothermal wells with long horizontal section

Changjiang Wei, Liangjie Mao, Changshun Yao and Guijian Yu

Renewable Energy, 2022, vol. 195, issue C, 972-989

Abstract: As an alternative energy for fossil fuels, geothermal reserve is abundant. In recent years, scholars have investigated geothermal wells through numerical simulations. To the best of our knowledge, many studies have explored the influence factors of thermal power over time, and few studies have investigated the heat transfer mechanism between wellbore and formation in different circumstances. This paper aims to established a transient numerical heat transfer model of U-shaped closed-loop geothermal system with long horizontal section, which can simulate the temperature distribution and heat transfer mechanism during the whole wellbore formation. In the model, the convection term is discretized by using the second-order upwind scheme, and the finite volume method is used to solve it. The numerical results are proven to be correct by comparing with the field data of a well in China. Subsequently, the influence mechanism of fluid type, insulation casing length, fluid injection temperature, flow rate, and horizontal section length on thermal power is explored. The optimal depth of insulation casing under different injection temperatures, flow rates, and horizontal section lengths is suggested so as to provide crucial guidance for engineering practice.

Keywords: Geothermal well; U-shaped well; Closed-loop geothermal system; Wellbore temperature; Numerical model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:195:y:2022:i:c:p:972-989

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.06.053

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