engleski

The conceptual model validation by 3D numerical model: the firsts steps for the sustainable thermal water exploitation in the Euganean Geothermal Field (North-Eastern Italy)

The Euganean Geothermal System (EuGS), located in the Veneto region (NE Italy), is one of the most important, economically profitable, low-enthalpy geothermal resource in southern Europe. From the Euganean Geothermal Field (EuGF) approximately 15 Mm³/y of thermal water are exploited with a temperature ranging from 63 to 87 􀁥C. The water is mainly used for balneotherapy and recreational purposes and the related tourism industry produce an income of approximately 300 million € per year. A conceptual hydrogeological model, describing the heating of groundwater during their flow from the recharge area to the exploitation field, was recently developed. In order to validate this conceptual model, a regional 3D numerical model was carried out. The model results, in agreement with the temperature measured by thermal logs, confirm the suggested conceptual model. However, several geological and hydrogeological features that characterize the geothermal system was not taken into account in its implementation (i.e. the real extension of the regional fault system and the hydrostratigraphic units geometries). Since the existingmodeling was essentially focused on the simulation of the processes producing the EuGS, this work aims to refine the existing 3D regional numerical model improving the geological and hydrogeological settings. For this reason, a detailed geological reconstruction by Move code is performed. In order to achieve the geological reconstruction geological and seismic section and stratigraphic logs of wells located in the Veneto plain are used. Furthermore, in the EuGF area approximately 500 stratigraphic logs are available that allow to define in detail the geological setting of the exploitation field. Subsequently, the geological reconstruction will be implemented in GOLEM code carrying out coupled simulations of fluid flow and heat transport.

numerical modelling ; thermal system ; Euganean geothermal system ; north-eastern Italy

nije evidentirano