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Geothermal energy potential of Tulsishyam thermal springs of Gujarat, India

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Abstract

Tulsishyam thermal springs are located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India with discharge temperatures varying from 39 to 42 °C. The pH of these thermal springs varies from 7.1 to 7.4, indicating neutral character. Though these thermal springs propagate through the near surface layer of Deccan basalt, detailed geochemical analysis of the thermal waters using Piper diagram suggests that the water is interacting with the granitic basement rock. Silica and cation geothermometry estimates have reservoir temperature in the range of 138 to 207 °C categorizing it into a low to moderate enthalpy geothermal system. Furthermore, the area has high heat flow values of 53–90 mW/m2 because of shallow Moho depth. The prevailing conditions suggest that the geothermal energy can potentially be exploited through an enhanced geothermal system (EGS). The study also indicates different mineral phases that may precipitate out of water during exploitation of geothermal energy and it should be taken into account while designing an EGS for the area.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Hemant K. Singh thanks the Director, RGIPT for providing logistics in the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

The authors are thankful to SERB for funding this research work through PDF/2016/000027.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Jais, Amethi, 229304, India

    Hemant Kumar Singh & Satish Kumar Sinha

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India

    Aswathi Thankappan, Poonam Mohite & Trupti Chandrasekhar

  3. Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Telangana, 500089, India

    Dornadula Chandrasekharam

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Correspondence to Hemant Kumar Singh.

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Singh, H.K., Thankappan, A., Mohite, P. et al. Geothermal energy potential of Tulsishyam thermal springs of Gujarat, India. Arab J Geosci 11, 137 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-3501-y

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