Cooling-induced reactivation of distant faults during long-term geothermal energy production in hot sedimentary aquifers.

ABSTRACT: Deep geothermal energy (DGE) represents an opportunity for a sustainable and carbon-free energy supply. One of the main concerns of DGE is induced seismicity that may produce damaging earthquakes, challenging its widespread exploitation. It is widely believed that the seismicity risk can be controlled by using doublet systems circulating water to minimize the injection-induced pressure changes. However, cold water reinjection may also give rise to thermal stresses within and beyond the cooled region, whose potential impacts on fault reactivation are less well understood. Here, we investigate by coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling the processes that may lead to fault reactivation in a hot sedimentary aquifer (HSA) in which water is circulated through a doublet. We show that thermal str

SUBMITTER: Kivi IR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8826403 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature