Geothermal Energy Extraction–Induced Ground Movement Monitoring by InSAR and Its Implication for Reservoir Management
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 5
Abstract
Global climate change highlights the significance of renewable clean energy. Geothermal energy from oilfields is abundant and can be utilized for residential heating and oil transportation. However, unreasonable heat exchange methods lead to groundwater level decline. Differences and delays between water extraction and reinjection inevitably cause land subsidence, hindering the sustainable utilization of geothermal energy resources. It is crucial to effectively monitor large-scale ground surface deformation characteristics in geothermal fields. In the research, 55 Sentinel-1A images from October 2018 to May 2022 were collected, and the ground deformation of Caofeidian new district in Bohai Bay Basin, where Nanpu Oilfield is located, in North China, was inverted by short baseline subsets-interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SBAS-InSAR) technology. The maximum subsidence velocity in Caofeidian new district exceeded . Since April 2019, there has been concentrated ground subsidence in the Caofeidian new district, with a maximum cumulative subsidence exceeding 50 mm. The maximum cumulative subsidence exceeded 150 mm by May 2022. Combined with pumping and recharging tests near heating project in Caofeidian new district, the temporal subsidence mechanisms were revealed. The water extraction from the thermal reservoir caused drainage consolidation of the strata, triggering rapid subsidence in November. In April, discrepancy between water extraction and reinjection flow rate in thermal reservoir caused drainage consolidation of the strata, further exacerbating the subsidence trend. During rainy seasons, despite water reinjection and groundwater replenishment from precipitation, the strata in the Caofeidian new district underwent irreversible plastic deformation, with a slow rebound process, lagging behind urban areas without geothermal development by one month. InSAR is a reliable technology for understanding the ground deformation process in geothermal fields. Clarifying the subsidence mechanisms guides the selection of water-heat exchange methods, ensuring the sustainable development of geothermal resources.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The first author Zhaoxi Wang would like to thank the support from State Scholarship Fund of China Scholarship Council (CSC NO. 202306170185). We express our sincere gratitude to the editors and all reviewers for their valuable and selfless reviews, which have significantly contributed to the enhancement of the manuscript.
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Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 5 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 19, 2024
Accepted: May 9, 2024
Published online: Aug 1, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jan 1, 2025
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Continuum mechanics
- Deformation (mechanics)
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Geohazards
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Groundwater
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic structures
- Land subsidence
- Natural disasters
- Practice and Profession
- Renewable energy
- Reservoirs
- Soil deformation
- Soil dynamics
- Soil mechanics
- Solid mechanics
- Structural engineering
- Structural mechanics
- Structures (by type)
- Sustainable development
- Thermal power
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
- Water policy
- Water resources
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