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The development of effective exploitation strategies requires scientifically sound
characterization of geothermal reservoirs. Surface geophysical
data are potentially the most powerful and cost effective means of exploration
and characterization, providing images of the subsurface structures prior
to extensive drilling.
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Finite Element Heat and Mass Code (FEHM)
At NER, we use the 3-D finite element code FEHM to simulate flow and energy transport. This is a non-isothermal, multiphase flow and transport code that simulates the transport of heat and contaminants in both saturated and partially saturated heterogeneous porous media. The code includes comprehensive reactive geochemistry and transport modules and a particle tracking capability. Fractured media can be simulated using an equivalent continuum, discrete fracture, dual porosity or dual permeability approach. Dual porosity and dual permeability renditions allow for fracture flow whereby the fracture permeability controls the pressure communication in the reservoir.The code uses a control volume finite element method to form the discrete equations that represent the conservation of mass and energy for the simulated groundwater system at each gridblock of a structural mesh. These discrete nonlinear equations are solved with a Newton-Raphson method for the outer nonlinear iterations, and a preconditioned Krylov method for the inner linear iterations.
FEHM was developed by George Zyvoloski and co-workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory over the past 20 years, and has undergone extensive validation and verification as part of DOE's Yucca Mountain Program (YMP). FEHM is also coupled to a sophisticated grid generation package that generates accurate and realistic 3-D meshes from hydrostratigraphic and structural databases.
We are currently using FEHM for the following applications:
- Tracking particle flow through heterogeneous sands and soils as a function of variable saturation
- Predicting breakthrough curves for conservative and reactive tracer flow through Berea sandstone and heterogeneous sands and soils
- Simulation of carbon dioxide sequestration in reservoirs and deep aquifers
331 Olcott Drive Suite L1 White River Jct., VT 05001 USA tel: +1 802.296.2401 fax: +1 802.296.8333