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Thesis prepared by Inès Raies:  « Identification et compréhension des mécanismes de déstabilisation colloïdale dans les procédés géothermiques  »  ("Identification and understanding of colloidal destabilization mechanisms in geothermal processes")

In a porous geological structure, the flow of a geothermal fluid carries along solid particles for which the rock acts as a filter. The capture of these particles causes the permeability of the porous medium to gradually decrease, which can lead to a drastic reduction in injectivity and eventual failure of the industrial operation.

In order to gain a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms at work, the PhD research was structured around three priority areas [1, 2]: 
   

  1. Identification of the clays that cause clogging;
       
  2. Study of clay stability under geothermal conditions;
      
  3. Study of the drop in injectivity caused by the deposition of clay particles in porous media.

A combined NMR and SEM approach was employed to better qualify the micrometric-scale alteration of the porous network and obtain the information required to interpret measured flow pressure losses, thereby improving the accuracy of the predictive numerical modeling of the phenomenon.

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References

  1. Formation damage induced by clay colloids deposition in Triassic clastic geothermal fields: Insights from an experimental approach, 2023, Raies Ines, Kohler Eric, Fleury Marc, Pédel Nicolas, Ledésert Béatrice, Applied Clay Science 234, 106868
    >> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2023.106868
     

  2. Clay-induced permeability decline in sandstone reservoirs: Insights from a coupled NMR-SEM experimental approach (2023) Raies Ines, Fleury Marc, Kohler Eric, Pédel Nicolas, Ledésert Béatrice, Geothermics 114, 102784
    >> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2023.102784

     

Scientific contact: eric.kohler@ifpen.fr

>> ISSUE 53 OF SCIENCE@IFPEN