Deep subpermafrost thermal regime in the Mackenzie Delta basin, northern Canada—Analysis from petroleum bottom‐hole temperature data

Geophysics ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Majorowicz ◽  
F. W. Jones ◽  
A. S. Judge
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Base Temperature ◽  
Mackenzie Delta ◽  
Northern Canada ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Percentage Difference ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Thermal Conductivities

In our studies of the thermal regime of sediments of the young Mackenzie Delta in the southeastern part of the Beaufort-Mackenzie basin of northern Canada, we used thermal data from the base of the permafrost layer, together with temperature data from petroleum wells. By analyzing bottom-hole temperature (BHT) data, we found that the percentage correction, i.e., the percentage difference between BHT and equilibrium temperature, is less than 10% ((with 67% probability) for times exceeding 10 hours after circulation ended, regardless of circulation time. No correlation exists between the percentage correction and depths for the BHT data. Theoretical temperature-depth profiles were constructed from the individual heat flow Q, Q [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] values (δQ is error of estimate of Q), the interval thermal conductivities, and a permafrost base temperature of 0°C. Estimates of Q were based on the maximum BHTs from depths >2.7 km. The measured and corrected BHT values for depths less than 1.5 km lie outside the range defined by the predicted temperature and temperature at the base of permafrost. Therefore, the temperature gradient based on interval‐temperature difference between deep and shallow BHTs or ground‐surface temperature and shallow BHTs may not represent the thermal field accurately within the sedimentary strata. The temperature data from the maximum depths, the permafrost base temperature of 0 °C from the 10 deep wells, and estimated thermal conductivities for the sedimentary column give an average heat flow [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] (error of estimate of the individual Q value, [Formula: see text]), which is comparable to the values found in the region of the Canada basin.

Geothermics of the Williston basin in Canada in relation to hydrodynamics and hydrocarbon occurrences

Geophysics ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 767-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Majorowicz ◽  
F. W. Jones ◽  
A.M. Jessop
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Temperature Anomaly ◽  
Williston Basin ◽  
The South ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Geothermal Gradients ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Upper Paleozoic ◽  
Heat Flow Variations ◽  
Thermal Conductivities

Over 8 400 bottom‐hole temperature (BHT) values from the Canadian part of the Williston Basin were analyzed and a temperature high was discovered in the Weyburn area of southeastern Saskatchewan. Geothermal gradients, thermal conductivities, and heat flow have been investigated for most of the Mesozoic‐Cenozoic clastic unit as well as the Upper Paleozoic carbonate‐evaporite unit. Regional heat flow variations with depth occur which are closely related to the hydrodynamics governed by the topography and geology. The blanketing effect of low‐conductivity shaly formations may cause a temperature anomaly in the south where the thickest Phanerozoic cover exists. However, the Weyburn high can be explained only partially in this way. Hydrodynamics has also contributed to formation of the temperature anomaly there. The process of forming the anomaly by the blanketing effect and hydrodynamics also contributed to oil deposition. There is a correlation between Mississippian oil occurrences in the southeastern part of the basin and the location of the Weyburn temperature high.

scholarly journals Conductive heat flow pattern of the central-northern Apennines, Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Massimo Verdoya ◽  
Paolo Chiozzi ◽  
Gianluca Gola ◽  
Elie El Jbeily
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Northern Apennines ◽  
Conductive Heat ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Radiogenic Heat ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Groundwater Circulation ◽  
Resistance Approach

We analyzed thermal data from deep oil exploration and geothermal boreholes in the 1000-7000 m depth range to unravel thermal regime beneath the central-northern Apennines chain and the surrounding sedimentary basins. We particularly selected deepest bottom hole temperatures, all recorded within the permeable carbonate Paleogene-Mesozoic formations, which represent the most widespread tectono-stratigraphic unit of the study area. The available temperatures were corrected for the drilling disturbanceand the thermal conductivity was estimated from detailed litho-stratigraphic information and by taking into account the pressure and temperature effect. The thermal resistance approach, including also the radiogenic heat production, was used to infer the terrestrial heat flow and to highlight possible advective perturbation due to groundwater circulation. Only two boreholes close to recharge areas argue for deep groundwater flow in the permeable carbonate unit, whereas most of the obtained heat-flow data may reflect the deep, undisturbed, conductive thermal regime.

scholarly journals Reflection Seismic Thermometry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arka Dyuti Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Subsurface Temperature ◽  
Reflection Seismic ◽  
The North ◽  
Blake Ridge ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Subsurface Temperatures

An understanding of the subsurface thermal regime is beneficial to many disciplines, including petroleum and geothermal exploration, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear waste sequestration. This project developed and tested a new methodology for determining subsurface temperature using a non-invasive approach based on the velocity information derived from seismic reflection data. By solving a one-dimensional steady state approximation of Fourier’s Law, it is possible to determine a bulk thermal gradient as a function of depth, enabling the determination of temperatures across an entire volume using this methodology, termed reflection seismic thermometry. There are two principal components to this methodology, requiring 1) a bulk thermal conductivity structure and 2) heat flow and/or temperature data to condition the model. The first component uses an empirical velocity to thermal conductivity transform whilst the second uses sparse temperature data from boreholes or a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) to derive the shallow thermal regime and heat flow. The thermometry workflow has been applied to three case studies; in the Lüderitz Basin, offshore Namibia; the Blake Ridge, offshore USA; and the North Viking Graben (NVG) in the North Sea. In the frontier Lüderitz Basin, a BSR was identified and used to derive heat flow of 60-70 mW m-2. The Aptian source rock interval here was shown to presently be in the gas generative window. On Blake Ridge borehole velocities and a BSR were used to determine heat flow (43-56 mW m-2) and subsurface temperatures. Finally, methodology validation was conducted in the North Sea Basin using a high-resolution 3D full waveform inversion (FWI) velocity dataset calibrated with 141 wells. Forward models of subsurface temperatures were calibrated against the borehole temperatures, with inverse modelling used to derive heat flow at km scale lateral resolution. The availability of a fast track velocity volume for this area allowed comparison with the FWI derived thermal model results. It was found that stacking velocities were lower than well and FWI velocities, leading to overprediction of subsurface temperature. Modelling the temperature profile for CCS well 31/5-7 showed bottom hole temperature (BHT) within 6 °C of recorded BHT. With application and verification of the method in different basins, the versatility of the work conducted is demonstrated. It is envisioned that this technique opens avenues for the seismic characterisation of thermal regime in disparate settings and varied disciplines.

scholarly journals Methods to Invert Temperature Data and Heat Flow Data for Thermal Conductivity in Steady-State Conductive Regimes

Geosciences ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Wallace Anderson McAliley ◽  
Yaoguo Li
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Heat Flow ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Geophysical Data ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Flow Data ◽  
Thermal Data ◽  
Thermal Conductivities

Temperature and heat flow data carry specific information about the distribution of thermal conductivity variations which is not available in other geophysical data sets. Thus, thermal data constitute important complementary data sets in the multiphysics-based imaging and characterization of earth’s subsurface. The quantitative interpretations that accompany this effort can be carried out by determining thermal conductivities from temperature or heat flow data. Towards this goal, we develop inversion methods based on Tikhonov regularization and numerical solution of the differential equations governing the steady-state heat equation. Numerical simulations using these methods yield insights into the information content in thermal data and indicate it is similar to that in potential-field data. We apply the temperature inversion method to borehole temperature data from the Cooper Basin in Australia, a well-studied geothermal prospect. The methods and insights presented in this study pave the way for imaging the subsurface through recovered thermal conductivities and for joint quantitative interpretations of thermal data with other common geophysical data sets in various geoscientific applications.

Analysis of the relation between bottom hole temperature data and Curie temperature depth to calculate geothermal gradient and heat flow in Coahuila, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 780 ◽  
pp. 228397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Luis Carrillo-de la Cruz ◽  
Rosa María Prol-Ledesma ◽  
Darío Gómez-Rodríguez ◽  
Augusto Antonio Rodríguez-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Curie Temperature ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Temperature Depth

scholarly journals Review of geothermal conditions of Hungary

2021 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Laszlo Lenkey ◽  
János Mihályka ◽  
Petra Paróczi
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Geothermal Resources ◽  
Flow Systems ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Flow Map ◽  
Temperature Maps ◽  
Thermal Conductivities

The heat flow map of Hungary was presented in the Atlas of Geothermal Resources in Europe in 2002 and was last updated in 2005. Since that time several geothermal projects, e.g. TransEnergy (2010-13), assessment of the geothermal potential of the Drava basin (2013) Paks-II, NPP (2016) and continuous drilling activity in the country have been in progress. Large amount of temperature data became available, which allowed the update of the Geothermal Database of Hungary and the compilation of an updated heat flow map and temperature maps. The heat flow is determined based on the Fourier law using the thermal conductivities of rocks and temperature gradient calculated from temperature observations in boreholes and wells. The thermal conductivity is known from laboratory measurements made on core samples. The thermal conductivities and the temperature data are stored in the Geothermal Database of Hungary. The heat flow is calculated in 2001 boreholes and wells using the Bullard-plot technique. The mean heat flow in Hungary is 90 mW/m2, varying between 30 mW/m2 and 120 mW/m2. The high values are found over buried basement highs in the eastern and southern part of the country, while the low values are located in the recharge areas of karstic flow systems. In the sedimentary basins, where the thickness of the Neogene and Quaternary sediments reaches 5-7 km, the heat flow is slightly below the mean value (80-90 mW/m2) due to the cooling effect of sedimentation. These basins contain the main thermal water aquifer in Hungary utilized for district heating and green house heating. The buried basement highs characterized by high heat flow (100-120 mW/m2) are potential sites to create artificial geothermal reservoirs by hydraulic fracturing (EGS). Temperature maps at 500 m, 1 km, 2 km and 3 km depths were also compiled. Similarly to the heat flow, the temperature anomalies strongly reflect the local and regional groundwater flow systems.

scholarly journals Past climate changes and permafrost depth at the Lake El'gygytgyn site: implications from data and thermal modeling

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mottaghy ◽  
G. Schwamborn ◽  
V. Rath
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Temperature Data ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Past Climate ◽  
Ground Surface Temperature ◽  
Recent Climate

Abstract. This study focuses on the temperature field observed in boreholes drilled as part of interdisciplinary scientific campaign targeting the El'gygytgyn Crater Lake in NE Russia. Temperature data are available from two sites: the lake borehole 5011-1 located near the center of the lake reaching 400 m depth, and the land borehole 5011-3 at the rim of the lake, with a depth of 140 m. Constraints on permafrost depth and past climate changes are derived from numerical simulation of the thermal regime associated with the lake-related talik structure. The thermal properties of the subsurface needed for these simulations are based on laboratory measurements of representative cores from the quaternary sediments and the underlying impact-affected rock, complemented by further information from geophysical logs and data from published literature. The temperature observations in the lake borehole 5011-1 are dominated by thermal perturbations related to the drilling process, and thus only give reliable values for the lowermost value in the borehole. Undisturbed temperature data recorded over more than two years are available in the 140 m deep land-based borehole 5011-3. The analysis of these observations allows determination of not only the recent mean annual ground surface temperature, but also the ground surface temperature history, though with large uncertainties. Although the depth of this borehole is by far too insufficient for a complete reconstruction of past temperatures back to the Last Glacial Maximum, it still affects the thermal regime, and thus permafrost depth. This effect is constrained by numerical modeling: assuming that the lake borehole observations are hardly influenced by the past changes in surface air temperature, an estimate of steady-state conditions is possible, leading to a meaningful value of 14 ± 5 K for the post-glacial warming. The strong curvature of the temperature data in shallower depths around 60 m can be explained by a comparatively large amplitude of the Little Ice Age (up to 4 K), with low temperatures prevailing far into the 20th century. Other mechanisms, like varying porosity, may also have an influence on the temperature profile, however, our modeling studies imply a major contribution from recent climate changes.

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