Effects of Asperity Distribution on Fluid Flow and Induced Seismicity During Deep Geothermal Exploitation. (November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rinaldi, Antonio P.; Urpi, Luca; Karvounis, Dimitrios
• Is Part Of: Energy procedia. Volume 97(2016)
• Page Start: 470
• Page End: 477
• Publication Date: 2016-11
• Subjects: induced seismicity -- permeability changes -- asperities -- deep geothermal system; Power resources -- Congresses; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power resources; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 333.7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2016.10.053
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1876-6102

Abstract

Abstract: This work investigates the injection-induced seismic response of a heterogeneous fault plane, featuring low-permeability asperities embedded into a high-permeability damage zone. We simulate the pressure evolution with a hydrogeological simulator, accounting for the heterogeneous fault plane. Seismicity occurs then on the asperities, represented as unstable patches reactivating by means of the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The hydrological and seismic modules are implicitly coupled to account for effects of asperity reactivation on the permeability. Results show that permeability changes may cause at a later time a change in seismicity propagation. We also investigated such effects by varying the density of asperities.