Attempts have been made to confirm the extension of geothermal reservoir by new techniques of exploration such as fluid inclusion survey and AE (acoustic emission) method in the Kakkonda (Takinoue) Geothermal Area.
It is necessary to estimate the borehole temperature for the evaluation of the geothermal resource of each well. The minimum homogenization temperature of the secondary inclusions in quartz and calcite is useful to make prediction of the underground temperature, because the minimum homogenization temperature is in good agreement with the measured downhole temperature by logging. In order to measure the temperature around fractures during drilling without delay, we developed a measuring apparatus for fluid inclusions in minerals without making polished sections ourselves, using a silicon oil-filled cell. The lateral distribution of the homogenization temperatures shows that high temperature zone exists in the northwestern part of the Kakkonda Area.
An acceleration-sensitive long-distance AE measurement technique has been successfully applied to study the behavior of fracture extension caused by a build-up test, hydraulic fracturing treatments and drilling. The increasing of reservoir pressure by a shut-down operation of production wells (build-up test) and hydraulic fracturing facilitates the fracture propagation, resulting in the generation of AE in the Kakkonda Area. When the AE measurements started in 1982, no AE had been generated in the D and E bases at the northwestern part in the Kakkonda until 1984. However, the AE sources distributed near the D and E bases in 1985. This fact means that fractures extend to the D and E bases by the build-up test and hydraulic fracturing. The fractures recognized by AE measurements are considered to be related to vertical type faults. The D and E bases were originally poor in permeable zones even though the existence of a few faults. However, a build-up test and hydraulic fracturing caused the fractures, and they propagated and connected with these faults.
It has been revealed on the basis of the new techniques of exploration described here that the geothermal reservoir in the Kakkonda Area extends to the northwestern part of this area. A 35% of production steam is now obtained around D and E bases.
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