Feasibility of Deep Direct-Use Geothermal on the WVU Campus-Morgantown, WVBrian J. AndersonDirector, The WVU Energy InstituteVerl O. Purdy Chair of EngineeringChemical Engineering

Energy Transitions for Green GrowthA Conference by the West Virginia Office of

EnergyJune 5, 2018

Flatwoods, WV

Energy Institute Vision and MissionMissionTo promote, coordinate and expand the vital impacts and value of West Virginia’s energy assets and capabilities for the people of West Virginia, the mid-Appalachian region, the nation and world

Vision By serving as a catalytic hub, continually discovering and developing transformational pathways connecting WVU energy researchers, programs, facilities, capabilities and students/workforce entrants with the future of energy

2025 Goals

(A) Expand the PortfolioStrategically drive, enable and guide

expansion of WVU’s energy research portfolio to $60m annually by 2025

in coordination with the needs of policy makers and industry

(B) Promote DevelopmentPromote economic development

within West Virginia and the region by aligning West Virginia’s energy

assets with the emerging needs, directions, and challenges of the

energy sector

(C) Elevate the WorkforceElevate West Virginia’s workforce by aligning, coordinating, and expanding

opportunities through interdisciplinary energy academic

programs and initiatives

CTC GTC

MSEELGas Production

CERC Portfolio(Coal Generation, CCUS)

Rare Earths

Electric Vehicles …

RenewableResource Production

Nonrenewable

DDU Geothermal

Renewables Grid Integration

Thermal and Mechanical

Conversion

Valu

e C

hain

Resource Type

GTLCTL

NG Vehicles

Coal Power Generation

Gas Power Generation

Biomass to Plastics

Biomass Growth

Biomass Cofiring

Need for Energy at Low Temperature

U.S. thermal energy demand from 0-260oC (with electrical system losses)

The thermal spectrum of low-temperature energy use in the United States, Fox et al., Energy and Environmental Science, 2011

Low-temperature, direct-use geothermal

Low-Temperature Energy Demand

• Piping networks deliver heating or cooling streams to consumers

• 1st gen District Heating (DH): steam • 2nd and 3rd gen DH: hot water• 4th gen DH: low temperature

fluid, ~55°C • 4th gen DH enable

penetration of renewable sources

• Higher utilization efficiencies than electricity production

District Heating Energy Brief

• Over 800 district energy systems in the United States

• Operating in the US for over 100 years

• Serving more than 4.3 billion ft2 of building space

District Energy Systems in the US

Geothermal direct-use in the U.S. 2004 (data from Lund, 2005)

U.S. Geothermal district heating systems (from Richter, 2007)

Direct-Use Geothermal Usage in the US

Combined Risk Geological Factors; Play Fairways; Utilization Opportunities

WVU Case Study• AspenPlus models of the heating distribution system and

absorption chilling system constructed and analyzed.

CaseHeating(MWth)

Cooling (MWth)

Levelized Energy Cost ($/MMBtuth)

1 16.24 9.93 17.69~18.372 16.24 9.93 16.29~17.003 16.08 9.93 14.00~15.00

Case 1: Full costs, complete retrofit, no tax breaks

Case 2: Public entity bond rates, tax incentivesCase 3: Lower retrofit costs, using hot water not

steam

Aspen Plus model of full steam network and absorption chilling system

3D Model of utility infrastructure

He, X., Anderson, B.J., "Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources for District Heating: An Energy-Economic Model of West Virginia University Case Study," SGW, 2012, SGP-TR-194

Feasibility of Deep Direct Use Geothermal at West Virginia UniversityPrime Recipient: West Virginia University (WVU) Research Corporation - DE-EE0008105Key Participants: WVU, WVU Facilities Management, West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey, Lawrence

Berkeley National Laboratory, Cornell UniversityPrincipal Investigator: Dr. Brian J. Anderson

brian.anderson@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-6631

Technology Summary: Morgantown’s elevated geothermal temperature profile, combined with a retrofit of anexisting 12-month steam loop, affords an optimal opportunity to use geothermal heating at the WVU campus

EERE funds: $720,000

Applicant Cost Share: $113,517

Project Result/Goal: Design of a Geothermal District Heating and Cooling system providing heat to the WVUcampus and replacing the current coal-fired system

Impacts:

Research Objective 1 – Characterize the Geothermal Site

Research Objective 3 – Create Subsurface Model & Design

Research Objective 2 – Characterize Existing Infrastructure

Advancement of WVU’s efforts to achieve a reliable and clean energy source for its central steam generation system, aspart of its Sustainability Plan managed under the Office of Sustainability and the WVU Energy Institute.

Year-round utilization of the DDU system, significantly lowering the annually levelized cost of heat, thus providing the firstdemonstration in the eastern U.S. of the practical feasibility and effectiveness of geothermal technologies and systems asa component of sustainable practices for large public and private sector organizations.

Research Objective 4 – Develop and Optimize the System

Design of a Geothermal District Heating and Cooling (GDHC) system providing heat

to the WVU campus and replacing the current coal-fired system.

Year-round utilization of the DDU system, significantly lowering the annually

levelized cost of heat, thus providing the first demonstration in the eastern U.S. of

the practical feasibility and effectiveness of geothermal technologies and systems.

Start Date October2017

Fall 2019

Spring2020

Spring 2021 Summer 2022

Summer 2023

Summer 2025

September 2026

March 2027

TaskFeasibility

Project Start

Exploratory Well

Planning

Exploratory Well

Drilling and Evaluation

Injection Well

Drilling and Formation Evaluation

Production Well

Drilling and Flow

Testing

Distribution System

Upgrading

Building Integration

Commission-ing

New System Start

WVU GDHC System Development Timeline

Deep Direct Use Geothermal

• Technical ChallengesThe two critical subsurface risk factors are:

1. the achievable flowrate of geofluid through target formations in the Appalachian Sedimentary Basin,

2. the temperature of the producedgeothermal brine.

The location of the WVU campus in Morgantown, WV, provides a unique combination of factors necessary to develop deep direct use geothermal. The proposed system will allow for utilization of the geothermal heat as both heating and an energy source for absorption cooling, thus amortizing system costs across a full, 12-month year.

Minimize LCOH

Minimize Uncertainty

Project Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1 - Characterize the Geothermal Site

Task 1.1 - Perform Core Analysis & Estimate Temps ................ WVGES milestone 1.1

Task 1.2 - Estimate Reservoir Properties for Modelling ............ WVU G&G milestone 1.2

Task 1.3 - Develop 3D Geological Model .................................... WVU G&G milestone 1.3

OBJECTIVE 2 - Characterize Existing Infrastructure

Task 2.1 - Characterize Energy Demand ..................................... WVU Facs milestone 2.1

Task 2.2 - Perform Current DHS Integration Assessment ....... WVU Facs milestone 2.2

Task 2.3 - Develop Base Case Surface Facility Design ............ WVU ChE milestone 2.3

OBJECTIVE 3 - Characterize Existing Infrastructure

Task 3.1 - Simulate Base Case Vert/Hzn Well Configs ............. LBNL ms 3.1

Task 3.2 - Determine Well Configuration & Orientation .......... LBNL ms 3.2

Task 3.3 - Perform Subsurface Uncertainty Analysis .............. LBNL milestone 3.3

OBJECTIVE 4 - Develop & Optimize The System

Task 4.1 - Estimate Base Case Cost of Heat .............................. WVU ChE outcome 4.1

Task 4.2 - Optimize Integrated GDHC System ........................... WVU ChE outcome 4.2

Task 4.3 - Quantify Uncertainties & Development Risks ........ WVU ChE outcome 4.3

OBJECTIVE 5 - Manage Project

Task 5.1 - Execute Project Management Plan ............................ WVU EI

Task 5.2 - Execute Data Management Plan ................................ WVU EI

Task 5.3 - Maintain & Update Market Transformation Plan ... WVU EI

ownerDec-17 Mar-18 Jun-18 Sep-18 Dec-18 Mar-19 Jun-19 Sep-19

Year 1 Year 2WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

Project Timeline and Objectives

Impact of Technology AdvancementThe impact of this project on advancing the state-of-the-art in geothermal deep direct-use is three-fold:

We will design the subsurface geothermal system incorporating the current state-of-the-art in unconventional hydrocarbon development.

The development of our GDHC system on the Morgantown, WVU campus will be the first geothermal DDU heating and cooling system in the eastern U.S., demonstrating that geothermal is a national resource not limited to the western states.

The project will perform a fully-integrated assessment and optimization of the potential to incorporate DDU into an existing district heating system.

Thermal resource and site suitabilityThe elevated temperatures and high flow conductivity makes the proposed site an ideal geothermal resource for direct use.

The thermal resource has been informed by an ongoing project (MSEEL) led by WVU.

The extrapolated temperature of the Tuscarora at 10,000 ft is approximately 100°C.

Based on the resistivity logs and gas production histories in the Tuscarora, significant porosity and permeability is expected.

WVGES geologic cross section D-D’ near Morgantown, WV illustrating the expected

depth of the target formation.

A B C D

Reservoir Parameter Estimation Cores are analyzed by performing core

analysis using thin section analysis and computed tomography (CT) scanning.

Direct permeability measurements are taken on selected core segments from the entire length of the core, using the PPP-250 Minipermeameter.

In addition to permeability, fracture lengths, widths, and orientation angle with respect to core vertical and horizontal are measured, and other relevant lithologic features in the interval are noted before taking a digital photo of the core segment.

Location of cores in relation to West Virginia University’s Evansdale

campus. Circles surrounding core locations denote a 40-mile radius.

3-D Geological ModelTo develop the 3D geological model, structural surfaces were constructed from subsurface well picks.

Map showing location of wells drilled around Morgantown, WV with available

geophysical logs.

there are only 12 wells that have well logs in the 10 mi2 (26 km2) area surrounding the proposed geothermal wellsite,

most of the closest wells penetrate only the shallowest correlation top, indicated by the yellow circle segments,

only five wells in a 15 mi2 (39 km2) area around the proposed geothermal wellsite penetrate the target, Tuscarora Sandstone (TUSC, wells with green segments), and

only three wells in the area penetrate the base of the TUSC.

Reservoir Modeling Model domain and mesh based on geological model is constructed using 3D

GeoModeller GMS. Simulator: iTOUGH2/EOS1― Developed for geothermal applications― iTOUGH2 provides inverse analysis capability to TOUGH2 models

Details showing the 3D reservoir(b) embedded in the geological model(a)

Reservoir Modeling Optimizing a geothermal well field incorporating multiple horizontal lateral

wells. The proposed geothermal system will consist of one or multiple production wells,

one injection well, and the surface plant.

The produced geothermal fluid will be sent to the central heat exchanger where the heat from the geothermal fluid is exchanged with the secondary fluid (water) and the spent geothermal fluid is reinjected back into the reservoir.

Production Length

Injection Length

Separation Distance

Binary Cycle Surface Plant

Fluid Flow

Heat Flow

The market for the geothermal resource will be the WVU Campus.

The use of geothermal heating at WVU would result in year-round utilization of the DDU system, lowering the levelized cost of heat by fully amortizing the system over 12 months.

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Energy end use potential

Annual WVU campus steam consumption proposed to be replaced by the GDHC system

Current piping across the campus is based on steam and changing this pipelines to hot water will be expensive and uneconomic.

Geothermal hybrid (geothermal-natural gas boiler) system will be used to provide the required steam across the campus.

Surface Plant

Schematic of a centralized geothermal hybrid plant producing high-pressure steam.

Project costs and benefits An economic analysis for the GDHC will

be performed using GEOPHIRES1

Surface plant capital cost will mainly consist of central heat exchanger and the retrofitted components cost.

For calculating LCOH, BICYCLE2

levelized cost model will be used. The feasibility of the GDHC system will

be determined by comparing costs and benefits with the existing system.

Minimize LCOH

Minimize Uncertainty

1Beckers et al., 2013, Proceedings, Thirty-Eighth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.2Hardie, R. W. 1981, “BICYCLE II: A Computer Code for Calculating Levelized Life-Cycle Costs”, LANL, Los Alamos, NM.3 Nandanwar, M., 2016, Numerical modeling and simulations for techno-economic assessment of non-conventional energy systems, WVU

Illustration of two major goals of the proposed effort: to Minimize

1) Uncertainty, and 2) LCOH.

In our preliminary assessment the calculated LCOH was $11.73/MMBTU3 for geothermal district heating.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank You

DE-EE0008105

The WVU Energy Institute

Brian J. Anderson, Directorenergy.wvu.edubrian.anderson@mail.wvu.edu304-293-6631

The Institute’s mission is to coordinate and promote University-wide energy research in engineering, science, technology, and policy.

With an emphasis on Fossil Energy

Coal, Oil, and Natural GasSustainable Energy

Biomass, Geothermal, Wind, and SolarEnergy Policy

Energy and Environmental PolicyEnvironmental Stewardship

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