Innovation in assessment of the geothermal energy potential of abandoned hydrocarbon wells in the southern and southeastern foreground of the Bükk Mountains, northeast Hungary

• Published in: Hydrogeology journal 2022-12, Vol.30 (8), p.2267-2284
• Main Authors: Szűcs, Péter, Turai, Endre, Mádai, Viktor, Vass, Péter, Miklós, Rita, Zákányi, Balázs, Ilyés, Csaba, Fekete, Zsombor, Kilik, Roland, Móricz, Ferenc, Nyiri, Gábor, Szilvási, Marcell, Szabó, Norbert Péter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abandoned wells; Aquatic Pollution; Borings; Decision making; Drilling; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Energy; Energy utilization; Enthalpy; Evaluation; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geothermal energy; Geothermal energy utilization; Geothermal power; Heat; Hydrocarbons; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Information processing; Innovation; Innovations; Internal energy; Lithology; Modelling; Mountains; Oil and gas exploration; Oil exploration; Rock; Rocks; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Stratigraphy; Thermal utilization; Thermal water; Three dimensional models; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Wells
• ISSN: 1431-2174; 1435-0157
• DOI: 10.1007/s10040-022-02560-y

An innovative methodology is introduced to study abandoned oil exploration drillings for possible geothermal energy production at a test area in northeast Hungary. An evaluation method supported by robust statistical analysis was elaborated to provide the possible future investors with adequate technical and earth-science related information for their decision-making processes. All the available data of 161 abandoned hydrocarbon wells, with different physical conditions, were examined based on the proposed evaluation system to provide information about the geothermal energy potential for each well, as well as over a bigger area. The abandoned wells and their environments, the quantity of stored heat, and the fluid temperature and geothermal heat were the key parameters determined, which are critical when considering geothermal energy utilization or thermal water production. The maximum amount of stored energy was determined as the sum of the amount of energy extractable from the rock and the fluid. The heat stored in the rock was determined by basin modelling. The evaluation process, using one-dimensional (1D) basin modelling and 3D lithological-stratigraphic modelling, was successfully applied in the pilot area. The maximum amount of heat stored in the fluid can be determined by subtracting the heat stored in the rock from the total heat. Drilling and completing geothermal wells are rather expensive in Hungary, depending on the depth and the types of geological formations. The application of this research could greatly reduce the cost and risk of creating new geothermal energy systems based on production wells or abandoned wells in Hungary or elsewhere.