Geothermal

Overview

GaffneyCline™ energy advisory applies our comprehensive, integrated methodology to improve recovery and reduce uncertainty in the exploitation of geothermal reservoirs.  

Our unique geothermal proposition is unlike anything else on the market. Expert, multidisciplinary geothermal teams are here to guide you with their extensive knowledge of geological evaluation, analytical reservoir simulation, well heat-flow modeling, and economic forecasting.  

Optimizing geothermal execution from subsurface to surface

To maximize your project’s geothermal production potential, we integrate all phases using a subsurface-to-surface (S2S) workflow. This workflow focuses on the following key outcomes. 

• Initial Screening: early-stage site exploration to best fit client goals using Play Fairway Analysis (PFA)
• Economic Viability: preliminary assessment of thermal energy and site feasibility
• Exploration Planning: assessments of data gaps and recommendations for site exploration
• Heat Flow Potential: reservoir characterization and heat-flow productivity delivered from a conceptual well field
• Enhanced Permeability Design: assessment of existing fracture networks in the reservoir and optimized design of enhanced permeability through hydraulic stimulation
• Well Planning: exploration or production planning to enable recovery of heat from the geothermal resource
• Heat and Power Technologies: suitability and design of geothermal heat or power generation technologies. 

Our subsurface work draws on a highly skilled and experienced multidisciplinary team with expertise in geology, petrophysics, geophysics, geomechanics, reservoir engineering, geomodelling, and reservoir services.  

We start with building a three-dimensional (3D) subsurface model to map characterized reservoir properties. The integrated methodology uses a flexible, modular software suite incorporating 3D fractures and matrix flow in our analyses. The software includes: 

• The Baker Hughes JewelSuite™ subsurface modeling platform connected to a set of simulators
• A 3D-implicit, finite-element simulator to analyze static, transient, and thermal behavior
• A geomechanics-coupled Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) Simulator
• A thermo-hydro-mechanically coupled Dynamic Fracture Modeling (DFM) lattice code
• Reservoir modeling and production forecasting. 

By coupling 3D and 4D geomechanics, fracture mechanics, and fluid behavior with engineering models, you better understand how the local geological structure, rock properties, in-situ stresses, and conceptual completion designs affect the architecture of your produced reservoir volumes. 

As your geothermal developments extend to Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) projects, our DFM capabilities provide for optimized permeability designs through stimulated and natural fractures, assessments of the long-term production effects on your fracture network, and simulations of microseismic clouds and induced seismicity for risk assessment and monitoring design. 

Our focus then shifts to the surface, where we integrate our subsurface analyses with surface system selection and design. Through close collaboration with the greater Baker Hughes technology portfolio, we help optimize surface equipment like steam turbines and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generators while reducing the development time, costs, and risks of your entire project.  

Contact your Baker Hughes representative to learn how GaffneyCline energy advisory can help you assess, develop, and execute your geothermal projects for optimal thermal production and heat/power generation.