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Papers by Robert Podgorney

54th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Jun 28, 2020

Well 58-32 (previously labeled MU-ESW1) was drilled near Milford Utah during Phase 2B of the FORG... more Well 58-32 (previously labeled MU-ESW1) was drilled near Milford Utah during Phase 2B of the FORGE Project to confirm geothermal reservoir characteristics met requirements for the final FORGE site. Well Accord-1 was drilled decades ago for geothermal exploration purposes. While the conditions encountered in the well were not suitable for developing a conventional hydrothermal system, the information obtained suggested the region may be suitable for an enhanced geothermal system. Geophysical well logs were collected in both wells to obtain useful information regarding there nature of the subsurface materials. For the recent testing of 58-32, the Utah FORGE Project contracted with the well services company Schlumberger to collect the well logs.

This submission contains a cumulative record of one-dimensional temperature modeling based off of... more This submission contains a cumulative record of one-dimensional temperature modeling based off of well data in the vicinity of the Utah FORGE site. Temperature log data from wells used, and in some cases were extrapolated below the bottom of a number of wells. The data were corrected for elevation and location using the Utah FORGE earth model. These data locations correspond to well locations provided in GDR Submission 1111 (linked below). All data are georeferenced to UTM, zone 12N, NAD 83, NAVD 88.

This submission contains pressure and flow time series data from the reservoir testing of Well 58... more This submission contains pressure and flow time series data from the reservoir testing of Well 58-32. These activities were part of the Utah FORGE Phase 2B site suitability confirmatory testing.

This submission contains a number of maps and shapefiles related to the Utah FORGE site. Examples... more This submission contains a number of maps and shapefiles related to the Utah FORGE site. Examples include geologic maps (several variations) and GIS data for the Utah FORGE site outline. All data are georeferenced to UTM, zone 12N, NAD 83, NAVD 88.

Performance of heat production process over a 30-year period is assessed in a conceptual EGS mode... more Performance of heat production process over a 30-year period is assessed in a conceptual EGS model with a geothermal gradient of 65K per km depth in the reservoir. Water is circulated through a pair of parallel wells connected by a set of single large wing fractures. The results indicate that the desirable output electric power rate and lifespan could be obtained under suitable material properties and system parameters. A sensitivity analysis on some design constraints and operation parameters indicates that 1) the fracture horizontal spacing has profound effect on the long-term performance of heat production, 2) the downward deviation angle for the parallel doublet wells may help overcome the difficulty of vertical drilling to reach a favorable production temperature, and 3) the thermal energy production rate and lifespan has close dependence on water mass flow rate. The results also indicate that the heat production can be improved when the horizontal fracture spacing, well deviat...

A Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) stimulation program has injected over 254... more A Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) stimulation program has injected over 254 million gallons of water into the well RRG-9 ST1 since the summer of 2013. Three major stimulations have been conducted during the program increasing injection flow rates from less than 20 gpm to 550 gpm. Geologic, water chemistry, microseismic activity, and borehole imaging data have been used to develop a conceptual model describing possible flow paths of this injected water. This model contains two major fracture zones one of which intersects the RRG-9 ST1 wellbore. Modified Hall and injectivity index plots constructed using injection flow rates, surface temperatures, and wellhead pressures show steady improvement in the injectivity of the well. The injectivity index has risen from 0.15 gpm/psi to 2.0 gpm/ psi. A pressure falloff test conducted on April 28, 2015 indicates a reservoir permeability of 1,220 md and -5.38 skin factor. The well stimulation program was simulated numericall...

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2017

The Raft River geothermal field, located in southern Idaho, roughly 100 miles northwest of Salt L... more The Raft River geothermal field, located in southern Idaho, roughly 100 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, is the site of a Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System project designed to develop new techniques for enhancing the permeability of geothermal wells. RRG-9 ST1, the target stimulation well, was drilled to a measured depth of 5962 ft. and cased to 5551 ft. The open-hole section of the well penetrates Precambrian quartzite and quartz monzonite. The well encountered a &

Geothermal Energy Science, 2016

Southeastern Idaho exhibits numerous warm springs, warm water from shallow wells, and hot water f... more Southeastern Idaho exhibits numerous warm springs, warm water from shallow wells, and hot water from oil and gas test wells that indicate a potential for geothermal development in the area. We have estimated reservoir temperatures from chemical composition of thermal waters in southeastern Idaho using an inverse geochemical modeling technique (Reservoir Temperature Estimator, RTEst) that calculates the temperature at which multiple minerals are simultaneously at equilibrium while explicitly accounting for the possible loss of volatile constituents (e.g., CO 2), boiling and/or water mixing. The temperature estimates in the region varied from moderately warm (59 • C) to over 175 • C. Specifically, hot springs near Preston, Idaho, resulted in the highest reservoir temperature estimates in the region.

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2016

FALCON (Fracturing And Liquid CONvection) is a hybrid continuous/discontinuous Galerkin finite el... more FALCON (Fracturing And Liquid CONvection) is a hybrid continuous/discontinuous Galerkin finite element geothermal reservoir simulation code based on the MOOSE (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment) framework being developed and used for multiphysics applications. In the present work, a suite of verification and validation (V&V) test problems for FALCON was defined to meet the design requirements, and solved to the interests of enhanced geothermal system modeling and simulation. The intent for this test problem suite is to provide baseline comparison data that demonstrates the performance of FALCON solution methods. The test problems vary in complexity from a single mechanical or thermal process, to coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in geological porous medium. Numerical results obtained by FALCON agreed well with either the available analytical solutions or experimental data, indicating the verified and validated implementation of these capabilities in FALCON. Whenever possible, some form of solution verification has been attempted to identify sensitivities in the solution methods, and suggest best practices when using the FALCON code.

Journal of Open Source Software, 2021

Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solut... more Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solutions and their interaction with minerals in many areas of practical interest, for example, geothermal wells and reservoirs, contaminant flow through aquifers, ore creation and mining techniques, petroleum and gas exploitation, and rock diagenesis. The models are frequently extremely complicated, with thousands of interacting chemical species, and often require computer software to find the chemical concentrations.

The MOOSE geochemistry module can solve models involving aqueous geochemistry, including aqueous ... more The MOOSE geochemistry module can solve models involving aqueous geochemistry, including aqueous equilibrium, kinetics, oxidation-reduction, sorption and surface complexation, dissolution-precipitation and gas buffering. One aspect that makes the geochemistry module different to other codes is the ease of coupling additional physics to the geochemical functionality. In particular, when used in conjuction with the MOOSE PorousFlow module, sophisticated reactive-transport simulations may be performed, including multi-phase and unsaturated fluid flows, high-precision equations of state for fluids, dynamic porosity and permeability distributions, and sophisticated numerical stabilization. Geomechanics may also be incorporated by using MOOSE's TensorMechanics module, to explore the interplay between geomechanical stresses and strains, and fluids, heat and reactions. Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solutions and their interac...

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2017

54th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Jun 28, 2020

Well 58-32 (previously labeled MU-ESW1) was drilled near Milford Utah during Phase 2B of the FORG... more Well 58-32 (previously labeled MU-ESW1) was drilled near Milford Utah during Phase 2B of the FORGE Project to confirm geothermal reservoir characteristics met requirements for the final FORGE site. Well Accord-1 was drilled decades ago for geothermal exploration purposes. While the conditions encountered in the well were not suitable for developing a conventional hydrothermal system, the information obtained suggested the region may be suitable for an enhanced geothermal system. Geophysical well logs were collected in both wells to obtain useful information regarding there nature of the subsurface materials. For the recent testing of 58-32, the Utah FORGE Project contracted with the well services company Schlumberger to collect the well logs.

This submission contains a cumulative record of one-dimensional temperature modeling based off of... more This submission contains a cumulative record of one-dimensional temperature modeling based off of well data in the vicinity of the Utah FORGE site. Temperature log data from wells used, and in some cases were extrapolated below the bottom of a number of wells. The data were corrected for elevation and location using the Utah FORGE earth model. These data locations correspond to well locations provided in GDR Submission 1111 (linked below). All data are georeferenced to UTM, zone 12N, NAD 83, NAVD 88.

This submission contains pressure and flow time series data from the reservoir testing of Well 58... more This submission contains pressure and flow time series data from the reservoir testing of Well 58-32. These activities were part of the Utah FORGE Phase 2B site suitability confirmatory testing.

This submission contains a number of maps and shapefiles related to the Utah FORGE site. Examples... more This submission contains a number of maps and shapefiles related to the Utah FORGE site. Examples include geologic maps (several variations) and GIS data for the Utah FORGE site outline. All data are georeferenced to UTM, zone 12N, NAD 83, NAVD 88.

Performance of heat production process over a 30-year period is assessed in a conceptual EGS mode... more Performance of heat production process over a 30-year period is assessed in a conceptual EGS model with a geothermal gradient of 65K per km depth in the reservoir. Water is circulated through a pair of parallel wells connected by a set of single large wing fractures. The results indicate that the desirable output electric power rate and lifespan could be obtained under suitable material properties and system parameters. A sensitivity analysis on some design constraints and operation parameters indicates that 1) the fracture horizontal spacing has profound effect on the long-term performance of heat production, 2) the downward deviation angle for the parallel doublet wells may help overcome the difficulty of vertical drilling to reach a favorable production temperature, and 3) the thermal energy production rate and lifespan has close dependence on water mass flow rate. The results also indicate that the heat production can be improved when the horizontal fracture spacing, well deviat...

A Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) stimulation program has injected over 254... more A Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) stimulation program has injected over 254 million gallons of water into the well RRG-9 ST1 since the summer of 2013. Three major stimulations have been conducted during the program increasing injection flow rates from less than 20 gpm to 550 gpm. Geologic, water chemistry, microseismic activity, and borehole imaging data have been used to develop a conceptual model describing possible flow paths of this injected water. This model contains two major fracture zones one of which intersects the RRG-9 ST1 wellbore. Modified Hall and injectivity index plots constructed using injection flow rates, surface temperatures, and wellhead pressures show steady improvement in the injectivity of the well. The injectivity index has risen from 0.15 gpm/psi to 2.0 gpm/ psi. A pressure falloff test conducted on April 28, 2015 indicates a reservoir permeability of 1,220 md and -5.38 skin factor. The well stimulation program was simulated numericall...

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2017

The Raft River geothermal field, located in southern Idaho, roughly 100 miles northwest of Salt L... more The Raft River geothermal field, located in southern Idaho, roughly 100 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, is the site of a Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System project designed to develop new techniques for enhancing the permeability of geothermal wells. RRG-9 ST1, the target stimulation well, was drilled to a measured depth of 5962 ft. and cased to 5551 ft. The open-hole section of the well penetrates Precambrian quartzite and quartz monzonite. The well encountered a &

Geothermal Energy Science, 2016

Southeastern Idaho exhibits numerous warm springs, warm water from shallow wells, and hot water f... more Southeastern Idaho exhibits numerous warm springs, warm water from shallow wells, and hot water from oil and gas test wells that indicate a potential for geothermal development in the area. We have estimated reservoir temperatures from chemical composition of thermal waters in southeastern Idaho using an inverse geochemical modeling technique (Reservoir Temperature Estimator, RTEst) that calculates the temperature at which multiple minerals are simultaneously at equilibrium while explicitly accounting for the possible loss of volatile constituents (e.g., CO 2), boiling and/or water mixing. The temperature estimates in the region varied from moderately warm (59 • C) to over 175 • C. Specifically, hot springs near Preston, Idaho, resulted in the highest reservoir temperature estimates in the region.

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2016

FALCON (Fracturing And Liquid CONvection) is a hybrid continuous/discontinuous Galerkin finite el... more FALCON (Fracturing And Liquid CONvection) is a hybrid continuous/discontinuous Galerkin finite element geothermal reservoir simulation code based on the MOOSE (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment) framework being developed and used for multiphysics applications. In the present work, a suite of verification and validation (V&V) test problems for FALCON was defined to meet the design requirements, and solved to the interests of enhanced geothermal system modeling and simulation. The intent for this test problem suite is to provide baseline comparison data that demonstrates the performance of FALCON solution methods. The test problems vary in complexity from a single mechanical or thermal process, to coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in geological porous medium. Numerical results obtained by FALCON agreed well with either the available analytical solutions or experimental data, indicating the verified and validated implementation of these capabilities in FALCON. Whenever possible, some form of solution verification has been attempted to identify sensitivities in the solution methods, and suggest best practices when using the FALCON code.

Journal of Open Source Software, 2021

Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solut... more Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solutions and their interaction with minerals in many areas of practical interest, for example, geothermal wells and reservoirs, contaminant flow through aquifers, ore creation and mining techniques, petroleum and gas exploitation, and rock diagenesis. The models are frequently extremely complicated, with thousands of interacting chemical species, and often require computer software to find the chemical concentrations.

The MOOSE geochemistry module can solve models involving aqueous geochemistry, including aqueous ... more The MOOSE geochemistry module can solve models involving aqueous geochemistry, including aqueous equilibrium, kinetics, oxidation-reduction, sorption and surface complexation, dissolution-precipitation and gas buffering. One aspect that makes the geochemistry module different to other codes is the ease of coupling additional physics to the geochemical functionality. In particular, when used in conjuction with the MOOSE PorousFlow module, sophisticated reactive-transport simulations may be performed, including multi-phase and unsaturated fluid flows, high-precision equations of state for fluids, dynamic porosity and permeability distributions, and sophisticated numerical stabilization. Geomechanics may also be incorporated by using MOOSE's TensorMechanics module, to explore the interplay between geomechanical stresses and strains, and fluids, heat and reactions. Geochemical models are used to understand the chemistry of natural waters and other aqueous solutions and their interac...

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2017