Permeability partitioning through the brittle-to-ductile transition and its implications for supercritical geothermal reservoirs.

ABSTRACT: Geothermal projects utilizing supercritical water (≥400 °C) could boost power output tenfold compared to conventional plants. However, these reservoirs commonly occur in crustal areas where rocks are semi-ductile or ductile, impeding large-scale fractures and cracking, and where hydraulic properties are largely unknown. Here, we explore the complex permeability of rocks under supercritical conditions using mechanical data from a gas-based triaxial apparatus, high-resolution synchrotron post-mortem 3D imagery, and finite element modeling. We report a first order control of strain partitioning on permeability. In the brittle regime, strain localizes on permeable faults without necessarily increasing sample apparent permeability. In the semi-ductile regime, distributed strain increases permea

SUBMITTER: Meyer GG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11377695 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature