The effect of salinity and gas saturation of a geothermal fluid on the reservoir permeability reduction

Abstract

Highly saline geothermal reservoirs show problems of salt precipitation on the rock formation reducing its permeability and the well’s productivity. In this study, theoretical curves of mass productivity of geothermal wells (inflow type curves) were obtained considering ternary mixtures of H2O-CO2-NaCl of up to 25% salinity in weight and under different initial conditions of gas saturation of the fluid. The sensitivity analysis to the initial concentration of salts and initial gas saturation was carried out using the simulator TOUGH2. The developed type curves are focused to reservoirs with critical characteristics such as, low permeability, ranges of high salt precipitation and high gas saturation. The obtained curves show three clearly defined zones as a function of the degree of exploitation of the well: no salt precipitation zones; transition zones; and salt precipitation zones. It was found that salt precipitation in the reservoir occurs in greater intensity at higher initial concentrations of dissolved salts and higher gas saturation. In some cases, scale obstructs the pores of the rock formation drastically reducing its permeability. It is proposed that type curves could be used as complementary tools for the analysis of wells and for the selection of pertinent strategies for the exploitation of geothermal fields.