Description
The presence of a moving fluid can significantly enhance heat transfer between a geothermal well and the hosting rocks. Although several studies have been carried out to examine the behavior of closed loop systems in hot dry rock geological environment, the knowledge on the effects of directional hot fluid flow involving the surrounding of the wellbore is still affected by the assumption of uniform permeability across the computational domain, which is unlikely to reflect the real conditions of rock deformation that is not homogeneous. The borehole is insisting in a regional shear zone, of which permeability varies depending on fracture density and fracture connectivity, evaluated considering analogue outcrops.
To make the simulation closer to observations, this study aims to investigate the impact of nonuniform permeability distribution around the well, assessing the associated uncertainty in overall heat transfer. This influences flow rate and consequently heat transfer from the natural system to the borehole.
