REFLECT Final Conference

The REFLECT project presented the main results of its research on geothermal fluid properties at the Final Conference organised on 19 October 2022 as a side event of the European Geothermal Congress 2022 in Berlin, Germany.

The one problem plaguing almost all deep geothermal operations in the world is related to the chemistry of geothermal fluids. In order to maximise both, the operational efficiency and economic returns of geothermal power plants, it is vital that these systems work well for long periods without requiring significant maintenance. The key to this is preventing or controlling deleterious physical and chemical reactions such as degassing and mineral precipitation that result in corrosion and scaling.

The Horizon2020 REFLECT project, funded by the European Commission, addresses the challenge of determining geothermal fluid properties at in-situ geothermal conditions, i.e., extremely hot or extremely saline fluids. The project has acquired new chemical, physical and microbiological data from sampling of natural fluids and new thermodynamic and kinetic reaction data from experiments in the lab. These data were implemented in predictive models to determine fluid reactions at extreme conditions, and into a comprehensive European Fluid Atlas. REFLECT researchers have also developed a downhole sampler for high-temperature geothermal wells.

The results presented during the Final Conference will enable operators to significantly increase technology performance and reduce maintenance costs or downtimes and, thus, reduce operational costs and increase the number of economically viable geothermal projects.