Abstract
This study aims at evaluating the spatial and temporal distribution of 26 micro-seismic events which were triggered by hydraulic stimulation at the geothermal site of Groß Schönebeck (Germany). For this purpose, the alteration of the in-situ stress state and the related change of slip tendency for existing fault zones due to stimulation treatments and reservoir operations is numerical simulated. Changes in slip tendency can potentially lead to reactivation of fault zones, the related movement can lead to the occurrence of seismic events. In the current numerical study, results obtained based on the thermal–hydraulic–mechanical coupled simulation are compared to field observations. In particular, the study focuses on describing the fault reactivation potential: (1) under in-situ stress conditions; (2) during a waterfrac stimulation treatment; and (3) during a projected 30 years production and injection period at the in-situ geothermal test-site Groß Schönebeck. The in-situ stress state indicates no potential for fault reactivation. During a waterfrac stimulation treatment, micro-seismic events were recorded. Our current evaluation shows an increase of slip tendency during the treatment above the failure level in the direct vicinity of the micro-seismic events. During the projected production and injection period, despite increased thermal stress, the values for slip tendency are below the threshold for fault reactivation. Based on these results, and to prove the applied method to evaluate the observed micro-seismic events, a final discussion is opened. This includes the in-situ stress state, the role of pre-existing fault zones, the adopted criterion for fault reactivation, and a 3D rock failure criterion based on true triaxial measurements.
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Abbreviations
- BHP:
-
Bottom Hole Pressure
- CCS:
-
Carbon Capture and Storage
- EGS:
-
Enhanced Geothermal System
- EU:
-
European Union
- GEISER:
-
Geothermal Engineering Integrating Mitigation of Induced Seismicity in Reservoirs
- KTB:
-
Kontinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- ST:
-
Slip Tendency
- TCDP:
-
Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project
- THM:
-
Thermal–Hydraulic–Mechanical
- TVDSS:
-
True Vertical Depth SubSea
- UTM:
-
Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system
- A :
-
Material constant
- B :
-
Material constant
- \(c_\text {f}\) :
-
Fluid heat capacity
- \(K_\text {f}\) :
-
Fluid modulus
- \(K_\text {s}\) :
-
Solid modulus
- \(M_\text {b}\) :
-
Biot modulus
- \(n_1, n_2, n_3\) :
-
Components of the normal unit vector
- \(p_\text {f}\) :
-
Reservoir fluid pressure
- \(S_0\) :
-
Cohesion
- \(S_{\text {Hmax}}\) :
-
Maximum horizontal stress
- \(S_{\text {hmin}}\) :
-
Minimum horizontal stress
- \(S_{\text {V}}\) :
-
Vertical stress
- T :
-
Temperature
- t :
-
Time
- \(\varvec{g}\) :
-
Gravitational acceleration vector
- \(\varvec{k}\) :
-
Permeability tensor
- \(\varvec{q_\text {D}}\) :
-
Darcy velocity vector
- \(\varvec{u}\) :
-
Displacement vector
- \(\alpha\) :
-
Biot’s poro-elastic coefficient
- \(\beta _\text {b}\) :
-
Bulk volumetric thermal expansion coefficient
- \(\varvec{\epsilon }\) :
-
Strain tensor
- \(\varvec{\sigma {}}^{\prime }\) :
-
Effective stress tensor
- \(\lambda _\text {b}\) :
-
Bulk thermal conductivity
- \(\mu _\text {f}\) :
-
Fluid viscosity
- \(\mu _\text {s}\) :
-
Coefficient of friction
- \(\phi\) :
-
Porosity
- \(\rho _\text {b}\) :
-
Bulk density
- \(\rho _\text {f}\) :
-
Fluid density
- \(\sigma ^{\prime }_{\text {m}}\) :
-
Mean effective stress acting on the plane of failure
- \(\sigma _1, \sigma _2, \sigma _3\) :
-
Principle stresses
- \(\sigma _\text {n}\) :
-
Normal stress
- \(\sigma {}'_\text {n}\) :
-
Effective normal stress
- \(\tau\) :
-
Shear stress
- \(\tau ^{\prime }_{\text {oct}}\) :
-
Octahedral shear stress
- \({\left( \rho {}c\right) }_{\text {b}}\) :
-
Bulk specific heat
- \(\nabla\) :
-
Nabla operator
- \(\varvec{\mathbb {C}}\) :
-
Rank-four elastic stiffness tensor
- \(\boldsymbol{\mathbb {1}}\) :
-
Rank-two identity tensor
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Blöcher, G., Cacace, M., Jacquey, A.B. et al. Evaluating Micro-Seismic Events Triggered by Reservoir Operations at the Geothermal Site of Groß Schönebeck (Germany). Rock Mech Rock Eng 51, 3265–3279 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1521-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1521-2