Integration of Geothermal Energy Extraction and Carbon Sequestration

  • Dr Elham Doroodchi, The University of Newcastle, Australia
  • Prof Behdad Moghtaderi, The University of Newcastle, Australia
  • The rising concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG), primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere can potentially lead to global warming and climate change. There are a range of approaches available to minimise the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere including, using renewable energy, utilization and sequestration of GHGs, and combining carbon generation and capture technologies. This study investigates the integration of energy production from geothermal sources (i.e. use of renewable energy) with sequestration of carbon in geological formations to enhance mitigation of CO2 in the atmosphere. In this approach, CO2 will be stored in a created underground reservoir through diffusion, while being used as a heat transmission fluid to continuously extract energy from the fractured geological formations. This is examined by compiling a detailed comparison of the performance and operating conditions of the supercritical CO2 Hot-Dry-Rock system with that of the conventional Hot-Dry-Rock system for power generation using a HYSYS based model.