An introduction to geothermal energy and a case study in exploration for blind geothermal systems on the Texas Gulf Coast

The United States generates 3.7 gigawatts (GWe) of geothermal electricity every year, however this only accounts for 0.4% of the total power generated and consumed by the U.S. Consequently, exploring for and developing new geothermal resources to increase this percentage is of upmost importance. Geothermal resources for electrical power generation can be classified into three broad categories: conventional hydrothermal, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), and hot sedimentary aquifer (HSA). These three categories differ in thermal energy and fluid type, with conventional hydrothermal being the hottest (>350⁰F) and typically vapor dominated, EGS systems have moderate temperature (300-350⁰F) and are usually dry rock, and hot sedimentary aquifers are mostly classified into the low temperature category (200-300⁰F). The variability of these systems leads to different challenges and methodologies when exploring for and developing these resources. The passive margin of the Texas Gulf Coast is a basin that contains numerous hot sedimentary aquifers of varying age, lithology, and reservoir temperature. Identifying and classifying the different sedimentary geothermal play types that contain HSAs is a pivotal part of exploring for geothermal resources in this region. This presentation will discuss the different geothermal play types identified in south Texas through subsurface petrophysical and temperature mapping.

Biography

Eric Stautberg is a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado School of Mines in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering. His research is focused on identifying and characterizing low temperature geothermal play types on the Texas Gulf Coast for utility scale electrical power generation and direct use applications. Prior to being at Colorado School of Mines, he spent seven years working in oil and gas exploration at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) on the Gulf Coast and in the Permian Basin. At both Anadarko and Oxy, he was tasked with generating prospects and drilling horizontal exploration wells across the Gulf Coast and in the Permian Basin. In 2013 he completed a M.Sc. in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso where he worked a field-based carbonate sedimentology and stratigraphy project in southern New Mexico and west Texas. He also has a B.Sc. in Geology from Texas A&M University and worked as a NAGT field intern at the U.S. Geological Survey. Eric is passionate about applying oil and gas exploration techniques to low temperature geothermal exploration in sedimentary basins.

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