This is the first in a series of posts discussing the initialization of a TOUGH model to represent realistic natural state conditions. In almost all cases, it is beneficial to run a model to steady state before adding transient boundary conditions, injection or pumping wells, etc. We’ll give a very simple example first, where we’ve used EOS3 to establish a hydrostatic pressure gradient in a single phase model. … Read More
We recently had a customer request for some help with a shallow geothermal model. I thought it would be interesting to show one approach to simulating fluid flow in tubes (pipes) with heat conduction into the surrounding soil.
When I first saw this problem, I thought that PetraSim (TOUGH2) might not be the best code for the solution. The pipe geometry would need to be approximated and if conduction is the dominant mechanism in the soil, there might be other codes that could do a good job. However, PetraSim (TOUGH2) does offer some unique advantages to simulate complex heat transfer in the soil, including the potential heat transport due to groundwater flow.
We have posted a short video showing how to create DXF files in SketchUp and then use them to subdivide a PetraSim model into geometric regions. The demo shows how to create a cylinder inside a rectangular model and assign material properties to the cylinder.
… Read MoreThis video demonstrates input, execution, and analysis of the 5-Spot Geothermal Production/Injection example presented in the TOUGH2 User’s Guide. PetraSim is a graphical interface for TOUGH2, TOUGH2-MP, T2VOC, TMVOC, TOUGHREACT, TOUGH-Fx/HYDRATE, and TETRAD. These simulators are recognized for their powerful simulation capabilities involving fluid flow and heat transfer in porous and fractured media.
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