Repurposing Oil and Gas Wells for Geothermal - The Well Integrity Perspective

The number of O&G wells at the end of their economic life continues to grow. Likewise, the costs continue to increase for their decommissioning & abandonment. Many benefits would accrue if these wells could be used as a source of geothermal energy, and interest is growing in the feasibility of re-purposing these wells to geothermal.

A major consideration in new geothermal projects is a huge up-front capex requirements. In general, a quarter of the costs go towards drilling new wells and one-third towards completions. Thus re-purposing these wells could result in significant cost savings.

However, many other factors must be considered, such as local energy demand, potential market, existing infrastructure, and technical challenges. A conversion strategy for the existing wells is discussed in terms of the wellbore integrity requirements and steps to ensure hydrocarbon containment during the heat extraction process. Potential well-integrity challenges in the inspection and preparation of these wells will be discussed in this presentation. All content contained within this webinar is copyrighted by Arash Dahi Taleghani and its use and/or reproduction outside the portal requires express permission from Arash Dahi Taleghani.

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