Research
Advanced Geothermal Modelling
Advanced geothermal modelling is invaluable for accurately predicting the behaviour and performance of geothermal systems, which enhances the efficiency and sustainability of geothermal energy extraction. It allows for better management of resources by providing detailed insights into reservoir characteristics and potential issues. This leads to optimised production strategies, reduced operational risks, and increased economic viability of geothermal projects.
Integrated Modelling Framework
The Geothermal Institute uses an integrated framework for developing a digital conceptual model, and then the corresponding numerical reservoir model of a geothermal field. This Integrated Modelling Framework ensures consistency between the conceptual understanding of a geothermal system and its numerical model, allowing reservoir models to be updated with ease as new data become available.
Our Integrated Modelling Framework allows fast, consistent and repeatable model development and interpretation of model results. This framework is central to our modern reservoir simulation techniques that allow reservoir modelling projects to be completed in short times. The efficiency of the framework has enabled modelling innovations such as uncertainty quantification and early-stage resource assessment.
Waiwera
Waiwera, meaning hot water in te reo Māori, is a highly parallelised open-source geothermal reservoir simulator that offers the functionality and performance required for large, complex geothermal reservoir models. It is the first geothermal-specific simulator to be released under a free, open-source software license and the first to be compatible with cloud computing services. To develop Waiwera, the Geothermal Institute leveraged 20+ years of experience using and developing TOUGH2 and AUTOUGH2. Rigorous benchmarking against these codes ensures that Waiwera meets industry standards and leads the way in simulator performance.
Waiwera was developed at the Geothermal Institute in collaboration with GNS Science. Initial development was part of the “Geothermal Supermodels” research project, funded by the NZ Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), with additional support from Contact Energy Ltd. Full-time development continues at the Geothermal Institute.
Advanced Wellbore Modelling
The Geothermal Institute has developed a novel geothermal wellbore simulator capable of modelling complex transient processes, most of which could not be modelled using other geothermal wellbore simulators. Scenarios modelled included rapid transient processes (e.g., opening and closing geothermal wells), transient interzonal flow, discharge stimulation methods such as air compression and gas lifts, counter-flow processes, and wells with water levels below the wellhead.
The development of this simulator continues with research into coupled wellbore-reservoir simulation and supercritical wellbore flow.
Supercritical Modelling
The Geothermal Institute has developed robust, efficient supercritical geothermal simulator technology. We are using these supercritical geothermal simulators to investigate utilisation of supercritical resources. This includes models of very hot individual systems (e.g., Krafla – Iceland, Menengai – Kenya), multiple near-by systems (Reykjanes Peninsula – Iceland) and regional scale models (Taupo Volcanic Zone – New Zealand).
Uncertainty Quantification
Modelling the behaviour of a geothermal reservoir is a difficult and uncertain ptrocess. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) respects this fact and allows for probabilistic forecasts from reservoir models. Leveraging the fast, consistent model setup enabled by the Integrated Modelling Framework and the computational power of cloud computing, we can now run thousands of reservoir models in a day. This means that rather than reporting on a single forecast, we can derive a range of results from many models that equally well match the reservoir engineering data available for a geothermal field. From this suite of model results we can extract P10, P50 and P90 estimates of key results such as future steam production. This process can be implemented for existing fields with large amounts of data or green-field systems with sparse information.
The Geothermal Institute has been researching UQ methods and applying them to research and consulting projects since 2017.
Extraction of Critical Minerals from Geothermal Systems
The Geothermal Institute is actively researching the modelling the extraction of rare mineral from geothermal systems. These simulations can be used to design optimal extraction scenarios by controlling production and injection rates. This research is a collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office.
We have also carried out commercial projects modelling mineral extraction from geothermal fields in Italy and the Imperial Valley, USA.
Our Team
Dr John O’Sullivan
Co-Director
Professor Michael O’Sullivan
Professor
Dr Adrian Croucher
Senior Research Fellow
Dr Michael Gravatt
Senior Lecturer
Dr Ryan Tonkin
Research Fellow
Dr Ru Nicholson
Senior Lecturer
Dr Oliver Maclaren
Senior Lecturer
Dr Theo Renaud
Research Fellow
Ken Dekkers
Research Engineer
Angus Yeh
Research Engineer
Bei Nagoro
Research Assistant
Alexander Catalinac
Research Engineer
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Geothermal Institute
Level 3, 70 Symonds Street,
Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand
geothermal@auckland.ac.nz