Advanced Heat Extraction Technologies: Vacuum Insulated-Tubulars in Oil and Gas Wells for Improved Thermal Retention and Increased Power Generation

Abstract This paper evaluates the performance and feasibility of vacuum-insulated tubulars (VITs) for efficient heat extraction from oil and gas wells, focusing on their application in the Department of Energy (DOE) Wells of Opportunity 2 project site at the Blackburn, Nevada. The study assesses the thermal efficiency, durability, and economic viability of VITs in geothermal energy production. The feasibility study is a combination of field data parameters and computational modeling to evaluate the thermal performance of VITs for heat extraction of existing oil and gas wells. Optimization procedures include evaluating the VIT design for maximum thermal output for power generation, the economics and comparing VITs with other options for conveying fluid to surface, including conventional tubulars. The process integrates real-world data from the Blackburn site with simulations to validate the effectiveness of VITs in geothermal applications. Preliminary results indicate that VITs significantly reduce heat loss during extraction, achieving a higher thermal efficiency compared to traditional tubulars. At Blackburn, with traditional tubulars, heat loss from reservoir to surface was approximately 17° C with additional heat loss of 22° C across the gathering and processing system. VITs cut this heat loss significantly leading to materially higher modeled electrical power generation outputs. In some cases, the modeled electrical power generation outputs are two times the outputs from wells and gathering systems with traditional tubulars because of the increased thermal mass available and increased difference between the geofluid temperatures and ambient air temperature. Observations highlight the importance of maintaining vacuum integrity for optimal performance. Additional considerations both operationally and techno-economically focus on whether VITs are used solely in the wellbore or both in the wellbore and at surface in the gathering system. The study concludes that VITs offer a promising solution for enhancing geothermal energy recovery in oil and gas wells, with potential scalability for broader applications in renewable energy projects. This paper contributes novel insights into the practical application of VITs in geothermal energy extraction, specifically within the context of coproduction of geothermal with oil and gas and the repurposing oil and gas wells for geothermal production. It contexts-specific modelling data on the performance metrics of VITs, offering a foundation for future research and development in sustainable energy technologies.