A Reference Thermal-Hydrologic-Mechanical Native State Model of the Utah FORGE Enhanced Geothermal Site

Abstract

The Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) site is a multi-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy for enhanced geothermal system research and development. The site is located on the margin of the Great Basin near the town of Milford, Utah. Work has so far resulted in the compilation of a large amount of subsurface data which have been used to improve the geologic understanding of the site. Based on the compiled data, a three-dimensional geologic model describing the structure, composition, permeability, and temperature at the Utah FORGE site was developed. A deep exploratory well (Well 58-32) and numerous tests conducted therein provide information on reservoir rock type, temperature, stress, permeability, etc. Modeling and simulation will play a critical role at the site and need to be considered as a general scientific discovery tool to elucidate the behavior of enhanced geothermal systems and as a deterministic (or stochastic) tool to plan and predict specific activities. This paper will present the development of a reference native state model and the calibration of the model to the reservoir pressure, temperature, and stress measured in Well 58-32.

Keywords

• enhanced geothermal systems
• native state
• FORGE
• FALCON