Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H: Geo-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 January 2025 | Viewed by 14397

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daoyi Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Petroleum, China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, Karamay 834000, China
Interests: oilfield chemistry; plugging theory and technology; low-energy processes for oil and gas recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yiqun Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Safety and Ocean Engineering, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Interests: offshore oil and gas engineering; drilling and completion engineering; well testing; natural gas hydrates; geothermal

Dr. Xiankang Xin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Interests: reservoir engineering; numerical reservoir simulation; enhanced oil recovery

Dr. Shuda Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

GGPE, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65401, USA
Interests: polymer gel; conformance control; enhanced oil recovery

Dr. Hongbin Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Huadong), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: functional gelling control agent; low-cost and high-efficiency chemical flooding system; production fluid treatment; temperature-resistant cleaning fracturing fluid
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The trajectory of industrialisation is tightly correlated with geo-energy. Academics place a high value on all kinds of cutting-edge studies. Every breakthrough, whether theoretical or in engineering, has the potential to significantly advance society. This Special Issue is seeking frontier and innovative research on the low-energy development of geo-energy resources. Several research studies are presently being conducted on EOR flooding materials, such as polymer, CO₂, air, steam and composite methods. Additionally, the study of some low-energy and promising heating reservoir technologies has also been gradually increasing, such as nuclear energy, solar energy, in situ upgrading, and electromagnetic heating. Of course, with the continuous innovations in computer and information technology, numerical simulation technology and big data analysis methods also play pivotal roles in the development of high-efficiency and low-energy geological energy.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the new advances in low-energy processes for geo-energy development.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

Intelligent well technologies
New technologies in ROP improvement
New technologies in cold production
New technologies in waterflooding for geo-energy resources development
New technologies in polymer flooding
New technologies in emulsion flooding
New technologies in enhanced CO₂ injection
New technologies in enhanced air injection
New technologies in enhanced steam injection
New technologies in heating geo-energy reservoirs
New technologies in geo-energy reservoir simulation
Low-energy processes for shale oil recovery
Low-energy processes for tight oil recovery

Dr. Daoyi Zhu
Prof. Dr. Yiqun Zhang
Dr. Xiankang Xin
Dr. Shuda Zhao
Dr. Hongbin Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

low-energy processes
intelligent well technologies
cold production
cold-enhanced geo-energy recovery
thermal-enhanced geo-energy recovery
enhanced gas injection
enhanced steam injection
reservoir simulation of Geo-energy
shale oil
tight oil

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

13 pages, 14127 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanofluidic Study of Multiscale Phase Transitions and Wax Precipitation in Shale Oil Reservoirs

by Zhiyong Lu, Yunqiang Wan, Lilong Xu, Dongliang Fang, Hua Wu and Junjie Zhong

Energies 2024, 17(10), 2415; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17102415 - 17 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 714

Abstract

During hydraulic fracturing of waxy shale oil reservoirs, the presence of fracturing fluid can influence the phase behavior of the fluid within the reservoir, and heat exchange between the fluids causes wax precipitation that impacts reservoir development. To investigate multiscale fluid phase transition and microscale flow impacted by fracturing fluid injection, this study conducted no-water phase behavior experiments, water injection wax precipitation experiments, and water-condition phase behavior experiments using a nanofluidic chip model. The results show that in the no-water phase experiment, the gasification occurred first in the large cracks, while the matrix throat was the last, and the bubble point pressure difference between the two was 12.1 MPa. The wax precipitation phenomena during fracturing fluid injection can be divided into granular wax in cracks, flake wax in cracks, and wax precipitation in the matrix throat, and the wax mainly accumulated in the microcracks and remained in the form of particles. Compared with the no-water conditions, the large cracks and matrix throat bubble point in the water conditions decreased by 6.1 MPa and 3.5 MPa, respectively, and the presence of the water phase reduced the material occupancy ratio at each pore scale. For the smallest matrix throat, the final gas occupancy ratio under the water conditions decreased from 32% to 24% in the experiment without water. This study provides valuable insight into reservoir fracture modification and guidance for the efficient development of similar reservoirs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 6669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applying Deep Electrical-Resistivity Tomography Techniques for the Exploration of Medium- and Low-Geothermal Energy Resources

by Cristina Sáez Blázquez, Ignacio Martín Nieto, Javier Carrasco, Pedro Carrasco, Daniel Porras, Miguel Ángel Maté-González, Arturo Farfán Martín and Diego González-Aguilera

Energies 2024, 17(8), 1836; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17081836 - 11 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1087

Abstract

The growth of the geothermal industry demands the constant search of techniques with the aim of reducing exploration efforts whilst minimizing subsurface uncertainty. The exploration of geothermal resources is fundamental from the exploitation point of view, especially in those regions where this energy is not as widespread as the rest of renewable sources. This research shows how geoelectrical methods can contribute to the investigation and characterization of medium–low enthalpy geothermal resources until about 800 m of depth. A 2000 m long electrical-resistivity tomography profile was performed in a region of Southern Spain with previous evidence of moderate geothermal potential. Results of this geophysical campaign (together with a preliminary geological characterization) allowed for the obtainment of a 2D profile and a pseudo-3D model with extensive information about the subsoil in terms of geological composition and formations. The interpretation of geophysical results denotes the existence of a potential formation constituted by carbonate materials with thickness greater than 300 m, crossing different fractures. Once the ideal location for the geothermal exploitation is defined, the research evaluates the contribution of the possible energy source, deducing that the energy extraction in the potential fracturing area would be double that of the one in the vicinity of the site. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 75937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Practical Model for Gas–Water Two-Phase Flow and Fracture Parameter Estimation in Shale

by Pin Jia, Langyu Niu, Yang Li and Haoran Feng

Energies 2023, 16(13), 5140; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16135140 - 3 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1100

Abstract

The gas flow in shale reservoirs is controlled by gas desorption diffusion and multiple flow mechanisms in the shale matrix. The treatment of hydraulic fracturing injects a large amount of fracturing fluids into shale reservoirs, and the fracturing fluids can only be recovered by 30~70%. The remaining fracturing fluid invades the reservoir in the form of a water invasion layer. In this paper, by introducing the concept of a water invasion layer, the hydraulic fracture network is di-vided into three zones: major fracture, water invasion layer and stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). The mathematical model considering gas desorption, the water invasion layer and gas–water two-phase flow in a major fracture is established in the Laplace domain, and the semi-analytical solution method is developed. The new model is validated by a commercial simulator. A field case from WY shale gas reservoir in southwestern China is used to verify the utility of the model. Several key parameters of major fracture and SRV are interpreted. The gas–water two-phase flow model established in this paper provides theoretical guidance for fracturing effectiveness evaluation and an efficient development strategy of shale gas reservoirs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 7653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Hybrid Oil Production Prediction Model Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology

by Xiangming Kong, Yuetian Liu, Liang Xue, Guanlin Li and Dongdong Zhu

Energies 2023, 16(3), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16031027 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1987

Abstract

Oil production prediction plays a significant role in designing programs for hydrocarbon reservoir development, adjusting production operations and making decisions. The prediction accuracy of oil production based on single methods is limited since more and more unconventional reservoirs are being exploited. Artificial intelligence technology and data decomposition are widely implemented in multi-step forecasting strategies. In this study, a hybrid prediction model was proposed based on two-stage decomposition, sample entropy reconstruction and long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) forecasts. The original oil production data were decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN); then these IMFs with different sample entropy (SE) values were reconstructed based on subsequence reconstruction rules that determine the appropriate reconstruction numbers and modes. Following that, the highest-frequency reconstructed IMF was preferred to be decomposed again by variational mode decomposition (VMD), and subsequences of the secondary decomposition and the remaining reconstructed IMFs were fed into the corresponding LSTM predictors based on a hybrid architecture for forecasting. Finally, the prediction values of each subseries were integrated to achieve the result. The proposed model makes predictions for the well production rate of the JinLong volcanic reservoir, and comparative experiments show that it has higher forecasting accuracy than other methods, making it recognized as a potential approach for evaluating reservoirs and guiding oilfield management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Workflow for Early Time Transient Pressure Data Interpretation in Tight Oil Reservoirs with Physical Constraints

by Tongjing Liu, Liwu Jiang, Jinju Liu, Juan Ni, Xinju Liu and Pengxiang Diwu

Energies 2023, 16(1), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010245 - 26 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1435

Abstract

In this work, a novel workflow has been proposed, validated and applied to interpret the early time transient pressure data in tight oil reservoirs with physical constraints. More specifically, the theoretical model was developed to obtain the transient pressure response for a vertical well in tight oil reservoirs with consideration of pseudo threshold pressure gradient (TPG). Then, a physical constraint between the skin factor and formation permeability has been proposed based on the physical meaning of percolation theory. This physical constraint can be applied to determine the lower limit of the skin factor which can reduce the uncertainty during the interpretation process. It is found that the influence range of the skin factor and permeability may partially overlap during the interpretation process without consideration of physical constraints. Additionally, it is found that the equivalent wellbore radius is more reasonable by considering the skin factor constraints. Furthermore, the short-time asymptotic method was applied to separate the small pressure signal at the early time period and a novel type curve was proposed to better analyze the early time pressure response. Subsequently, sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate the influence of different parameters on the new type curves. It is found that the new type curves are more dispersed and sensitive to the parameters at the early time period which can be beneficial for the early time transient pressure analysis in a tight formation. The proposed method has been validated and then extended to a field application, demonstrating that the transient pressure for a vertical well in a tight formation can be analyzed in a reasonable and accurate manner with only early time transient pressure data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 11449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation of Geothermal Reservoir Reconstruction and Heat Extraction System Productivity Evaluation

by Jinshou Zhu, Zhenpeng Cui, Bo Feng, Hao Ren and Xin Liu

Energies 2023, 16(1), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010127 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2028

Abstract

The key to ensuring the economic feasibility of EGS mainly includes two points. On the one hand, it is necessary to ensure the connectivity of the artificial fracture network; on the other hand, it is necessary to determine the most efficient geothermal energy exploitation mode. Most previous studies have only focused on one of the points. To restitute the entire geothermal energy development process, the two parts should be combined to conduct research. In this study, a random fractured medium model was established based on the TOUGH2-BIOT simulation program and the whole process of reservoir stimulation was analyzed. According to the results of reservoir stimulation, different geothermal energy exploitation schemes are set up, and the heat transfer efficiency of the conventional double vertical wells, the horizontal wells, and the double-pipe heat exchange system are comparatively analyzed. The results show that reservoir reconstruction is mainly divided into three stages: In the first stage, the hydraulic aperture of the conducting fractures reaches the maximum value; in the second stage, the non-conductive fractures overcome the in situ stress and become conducting fractures; in the third stage, the rock in the reservoir undergoes shear failure, the fractures expand and connect, and finally, a fracture network is formed. After each stage, the volume of the enhanced permeability area is approximately 10,000, 21,000, and 33,000 m³, respectively. After 30 years of exploitation, the outlet temperature and thermal power output of conventional double vertical wells are the highest, while the horizontal wells have the highest heat extraction ratio. The temperature of a production well in the conventional double vertical wells model, horizontal wells, and double-pipe heat exchange system is 101 °C, 93.4 °C, and 91.6 °C, a decrease of 41.2%, 45.7%, and 46.7%, respectively. The thermal power output is 6.67 MW, 6.31 MW, and 6.1 MW, a decrease of 39.4%, 42.6%, and 44.5%, respectively. The heat extraction ratio of the horizontal wells is 2% higher than the double-pipe heat exchange system and 6.5% higher than the conventional double vertical wells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Visualization of Nanoscale Salt Precipitation and Dissolution Dynamics during CO₂ Injection

by Xinling Hu, Jian Wang, Liang Zhang, Hongli Xiong, Zengding Wang, Huazheng Duan, Jun Yao, Hai Sun, Lei Zhang, Wenhui Song and Junjie Zhong

Energies 2022, 15(24), 9567; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15249567 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1886

Abstract

CO₂ injection to enhance shale oil recovery provides a win-win solution to meet the global fuel shortage and realize ultimate carbon neutrality. When shale reservoirs contain high salinity water, CO₂ injection can result in salt precipitation to block the nanometer pores in the shale, causing undesirable formation damage. Understanding salt precipitation and dissolution dynamics at the nanoscale are fundamental to solving this practical challenge. In this work, we developed a shale micromodel to characterize salt precipitation and dissolution based on nanofluidic technology. By directly distinguishing different phases from 50 nm to 5 μm, we identified the salt precipitation sites and precipitation dynamics during the CO₂ injection. For the salt precipitation in the nanometer network, we identified two precipitation stages. The ratio of the precipitation rates for the two stages is ~7.9 times that measured in microporous media, because of the slow water evaporation at the nanoscale. For the salt precipitation in the interconnected micrometer pores, we found that the CO₂ displacement front serves as the salt particle accumulating site. The accumulated salt particles will in turn impede the CO₂ flow. In addition, we also studied the salt dissolution process in the shale micromodel during water injection and found the classical dissolution theory overestimates the dissolution rate by approximately twofold. This work provides valuable pore-scale experimental insight into the salt precipitation and dissolution dynamics involved in shale formation, with the aim to promote the application of CO₂ injection for shale oil recovery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Water–Rock Interaction on the Permeability of the Near-Well Reservoir in an Enhanced Geothermal System

by Bo Feng, Zhenpeng Cui, Xiyao Liu, Shuantong Shangguan, Xiaofei Qi and Shengtao Li

Energies 2022, 15(23), 8820; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238820 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1667

Abstract

During the operation of an enhanced geothermal system (EGS), the non-equilibrium temperature, pressure, and hydrochemistry caused by fluid injection intensify water–rock interactions, induce the mineral dissolution and precipitation in the reservoir near an injection well (also referred to as the near-well reservoir), and change reservoir permeability, thus affecting continuous and efficient geothermal exploitation. Based on the investigation of the M-1 injection well of the EGS in the Matouying uplift of Hebei Province, China, a THC reactive solute transport model using the TOUGHREACT program was established in this study to explore the mineral dissolution and precipitation laws of the near-well reservoir and their influencing mechanisms on the reservoir porosity and permeability in the long-term fluid injection of this well. As indicated by the results, the dissolution of primary feldspar and chlorite and the precipitation of secondary minerals (mainly dolomite and illite) occurred and water–rock interaction significantly reduced the porosity and permeability of the near-well reservoir in the long-term continuous injection process. Appropriate reduction in the injection flow rate, injection temperature, and the Mg²⁺ and K⁺ contents in the injected water can help inhibit the formation of secondary minerals and delay the plugging process of the near-well reservoir. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 4060 KiB

Open AccessEssay

Comparative Analysis of Heating Efficiency of a Single-Well Geothermal System in the Cold Region of Northeast China

by Bo Feng, Hao Ren, Yabin Yang, Zhenpeng Cui and Jichu Zhao

Energies 2023, 16(4), 1884; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041884 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1818

Abstract

Geothermal energy is a type of renewable energy that has rich reserves, is clean, environmentally friendly and has been widely used in the heating industry. The single-well closed-loop geothermal system is a technology with the characteristics of “taking heat without taking water” and is mainly used for geothermal energy heating. Although the heating requirements in the cold region of Northeast China are urgent, the traditional heating mode not only has high economic costs but also causes serious damage to the environment. Therefore, it is of important practical significance to change the heating structure and develop and utilize geothermal energy for heating according to local conditions. In this study, the actual operating single-well geothermal system in the Songyuan area of Jilin Province is used as a case study, and a numerical model is established based on the T2WELL simulation program. The flow production temperature and heat extraction response law of the single-well system in the M1 and M2 wells are contrasted and analyzed under the three key factors of geothermal gradient and injection temperature and flow rate. Based on the simulation results, an optimized development and utilization plan for the M1 and M2 wells is proposed. These results provide a theoretical reference and heating potential evaluation for the promotion of single-well geothermal systems in Northeast China. Taking the geothermal gradient of 4.2 ° C/hm as an example, after 30 years of operation, the heat extraction of the M1 well is 406 kW, and that of the M2 well is 589 kW. Compared with the M1 well, although the M2 well has higher heat extraction, the radial variation in reservoir temperature is more than 50 m under long-term operation, which is not conducive to long-term development and utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

New Advances in Low-Energy Processes for Geo-Energy Development

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI