Seismic velocity characterisation and survey design to assess CO2 injection performance at Kızıldere geothermal field

Abstract

The noncondensable gases in most geothermal resources include CO2 and smaller amounts of other gases. Currently, the worldwide geothermal power is a small sector within the energy industry, and CO2 emissions related to the utilisation of geothermal resources are consequently small. In some countries, however, such as Turkey and Iceland, geothermal energy production contributes significantly to their energy budget, and their CO2 emissions are relatively significant. SUCCEED is a targeted innovation and research project, which aims to investigate the reinjection of CO2 produced at geothermal power production sites and develop, test, and demonstrate at field scale innovative measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV) technologies that can be used in most CO2 geological storage projects. The project is carried out at two operating geothermal energy production sites, the Kızıldere geothermal field in Turkey and the CarbFix project site at the Hellisheiði geothermal field in Iceland. Together with a brief description of the project, this paper presents the details of the two field sites and the progress made in seismic velocity characterisation and modelling relevant to the Kızıldere geothermal field in Turkey.