Application of Energetic Stimulation at High Temperature and Pressure for Deep Geothermal Reservoirs

Dynamic loading methods have been demonstrated to create radial and branching fractures in “tailored pressure stimulation” or “dynamic pulse loading” of boreholes. Such approaches show promise for stimulating crystalline rocks, typical of geothermal reservoirs. However, many such target formations are at significant depths where pressures and temperatures induce a more ductile response that may inhibit the stimulation of an effective, permeable network. We present results from a computational effort to assess the feasibility of dynamic loading for creating a stimulated fracture network at depths approaching the brittle-ductile transition. We will discuss the spatial distribution of the developed fracture network for various P-T regimes. The results of this study are intended to support future experimental and/or field-based investigations and pave the way for a field demonstration of the dynamically stimulated geothermal process.