Techno-Economic Evaluation of Geothermal Energy Utilization of Co-Produced Water from Natural Gas Production

Lianzhong Sun, Hongyu Xiao, Zheng Chu, Lin Qiao, Yingqiang Yang, Lei Wang, Wenzhong Tian, Yinhui Zuo, Ting Li, Haijun Tang, Liping Chen and Dong Xiao ()
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Lianzhong Sun: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China
Hongyu Xiao: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China
Zheng Chu: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China
Lin Qiao: The First Natural Gas Production Plant, Sinopec Southwest Oil/Gas Company, Deyang 618000, China
Yingqiang Yang: No. 1 Gas Production Plant, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, CNPC, Karamay 834011, China
Lei Wang: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China
Wenzhong Tian: The First Natural Gas Production Plant, Sinopec Southwest Oil/Gas Company, Deyang 618000, China
Yinhui Zuo: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Ting Li: School of Ecomomics and Management, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Haijun Tang: School of Ecomomics and Management, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Liping Chen: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China
Dong Xiao: State Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Resources, Beijing 102206, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-31

Abstract: The utilization of thermal energy from co-produced water during natural gas production offers a promising pathway to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This study proposes a techno-economic evaluation model to assess the feasibility and profitability of geothermal energy recovery from co-produced water in marginal gas wells. A wellbore fluid flow and heat transfer model is developed and validated against field data, with deviations in calculated wellhead temperature and pressure within 10%, demonstrating the model’s reliability. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to investigate the influence of key technical and economic parameters on project performance. The results show that electricity price, heat price, and especially government one-off subsidies have a significant impact on the net present value (NPV), whereas the effects of insulation length and annular fluid thermal conductivity are comparatively limited. Under optimal conditions—including 2048 m of insulated tubing, annular protection fluid with a thermal conductivity of 0.4 W/(m·°C), a 30% increase in heat and electricity prices, and a 30% government capital subsidy—the project breaks even in the 14th year, with the 50-year NPV reaching 0.896 M$. This study provides a practical framework for evaluating and optimizing geothermal energy recovery from co-produced water, offering guidance for future sustainable energy development.

Keywords: co-produced water; geothermal energy utilization; techno-economic coupling model; net present value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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