The Horizon 2020 EU-funded REFLECT project organised a geothermal stakeholder workshop on 21 June 2022 in İzmir, Turkey. During this physical event, the most relevant project results for geothermal operators were presented.
The efficiency of geothermal utilisation depends on the behaviour of fluids that transfer heat between the geosphere and the engineered components of a power plant. Scaling and corrosion are the cause of downtime, maintenance costs and even failures in geothermal installations. REFLECT aims to prevent these problems related to fluid chemistry rather than treat them. Because physical and chemical fluid properties are often poorly defined, large uncertainties in current model predictions prevail. REFLECT has been collecting new, high-quality data in critical areas to tackle these uncertainties. The existing and new data collected will be implemented in a European Geothermal Fluid Atlas and in predictive models. These and other relevant results for improving the efficiency of geothermal operations were shared with the workshop participants.
The REFLECT stakeholder workshop brought together actors from the scientific community with geothermal operators. The workshop served two purposes: First, showcase results from the REFLECT project and explain the application of those results to geothermal operations. Second, learn from operators about the challenges they encounter during operation and how they mitigate those challenges. Project partners and stakeholders exchanged on solutions and mitigation approaches, but also defined the need for further research and development.
The workshop focused on:
- Geochemical challenges related to high-temperature geothermal fluids with examples from Turkey and Iceland
- Geochemical challenges of saline and low temperature geothermal operation with examples from Germany and the Netherlands
- Results from REFLECT’s investigations on scaling, degassing and the influence of microbial activity on geothermal operations
- Tools for prediction of geothermal challenges and improving plant operations: the high-temperature geothermal fluid sampler developed in REFLECT, the Fluid Atlas and software tools for predictive modelling
Participation of geothermal operators, consultants, investors, project developers, or technology developers was highly encouraged.
Tuesday 21 June 2022
| Session 1: Geochemical challenges of high-temperature geothermal fluids | ||
| 8:45-9:00 | Coffee & Tea | |
| 9:00-9:05 | Welcome, Introduction of the Agenda | Katrin Kieling |
| 9:05-9:10 | Greeting by the host of the meeting | Alper Baba (IZTECH) |
| 9:10-9:15 | Greeting by Rector of Izmir Institute of Technology | Prof. Dr. Yusuf Baran |
| 9:15-9:35 | The Horizon2020 project REFLECT: Redefining Fluid properties at extreme conditions to optimise future geothermal energy extraction – Download slides | Simona Regenspurg (GFZ) |
| 09.40-9:55 | Geochemical challenges of Turkish geothermal fluids – Download slides | Alper Baba (IZTECH) |
| 10:00-10:15 | Scaling and its mitigation on the west coast of Turkey – Download slides | Mustafa M. Demir (IZTECH) |
| 10:20-10:35 | Fluid chemistry of the Theistareykir geothermal field, NE Iceland – Download siles | Deirdre Clark (ISOR) |
| 10:40-10:55 | Stakeholder presentation: Overview of Kızıldere Geothermal Power Plant in Turkey | Elif Demirhan (Zorlu Energy) |
| 11:00-11:25 | Break | |
| Session 2: Investigations and challenges concerning saline and low-temperature geothermal fluids | ||
| 11:30-11:45 | Studying microbial life in deep geothermal reservoirs – Download slides | Pilar Junier (UNINE) |
| 11:50-12:05 | Experimental determination of degassing kinetics and the effect of gas bubbles – Download slides | Chris Boeije (TUD) |
| 12:10-12:25 | Fluid chemistry of the low-saline fluids in Heemskerk, the Netherlands – Download slides | Laura Wasch (TNO) |
| 12:30-12:45 | Challenges in geothermal operations of the geothermal power plant in Insheim, Germany – Download slides | Justine Mouchot (Natürlich Insheim) |
| 12:45 | Group photo | |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch break | |
| Session 3: Tools for prediction of geothermal challenges and improving plant operations | ||
| 14:00- 14:15 | Development of a downhole sampler for high-temperature geothermal wells – Download slides | Iwona Monika Galeczka (ISOR) |
| 14:20-14:35 | Collection and visualization of Europe-wide geothermal fluid data: The European Fluid Atlas – Download slides | Karoly Kovacs (UNIM) |
| 14:40-14:55 | Impact of Geochemical Uncertainties on Scaling Precipitation in Geothermal Assets – Download slides | Laura Wasch (TNO) |
| 15:00-15:15 | Reactive Transport Modelling with a Coupled OpenFOAM®-PHREEQC platform – Download slides | Laurent André (BRGM) |
| 15:20-15:35 | Stakeholder presentation: Geothermal cascade project opportunities with developing technology – Download slides | Cannur Bozkurt (Director of Enerchange in Turkey) |
| 15:40-17:00 | Poster session and drinks | |
Kaya İzmir Thermal and Convention
Ilıca Mah. Zeytin Sk. No: 112 Narlıdere | İzmir | Türkiye
