REVIVING ABANDONED WELLS FOR ENERGY EXTRACTION

Abstract: The fossil fuels as the major energy source in the current energy scenario will disappear eventually. In such a case it has become a necessity to consider other energy sources for providing our future energy needs. One of the most promising of the energy sources is geothermal energy. Through this paper we will discuss an idea of extracting geothermal energy of the earth using abandoned oil/gas wells. If we use abandoned oil wells present in areas with a favourable geothermal gradient we might be able to harness an economical amount of energy.

Keywords: Geothermal gradient, Re-drilling, No-return valve, temperature logs, saturated steam, well abandonment.