Contribution
Multimethod exploration of the hydrothermal reservoir in Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany
Schäffer, Rafael; Bär, Kristian; Sass, Ingo
Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften Band 169 Heft 3 (2018), p. 311 - 333
110 références bibliographiques
publié: Oct 31, 2018
publication en ligne: Aug 7, 2018
manuscrit accepté: Jul 5, 2018
révision final du manuscrit reçu: Jun 7, 2018
révision du manuscrit demandée: Jan 17, 2018
manuscrit reçu: Nov 10, 2017
ArtNo. ESP171016903002, Prix: 29.00 €
Abstract
Schäffer, R., Bär, K. & Sass, I. (2018): Multimethod exploration of the hydrothermal reservoir in Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany. – Z. Dt. Ges. Geowiss., 169: 311–333, Stuttgart. The Spessart Spa at Bad Soden-Salmünster extracts carbon dioxide bearing thermal brine from three wells. To utilise the thermal brine for balneology in the spa it is necessary to heat the brine, given that the maximum temperature is “only” 23.7 °C. The management of the spa intends to lower financial expenses by increasing the utilisation of renewable energies. This has led to the investigations presented here, focussing on whether hotter brine could be produced by deepening existing wells or drilling new deeper wells. Additionally, optional heat supply from shallow geothermal systems is examined. The wells of Bad Soden-Salmünster are the deepest drill holes in the region reaching a depth of 539 m. Since there are neither deeper wells nor available geophysical exploration data, predicting the geological structure of the deeper underground is a challenging aspect of this exploration. Therefore, a multimethod approach has been chosen here. Firstly, a combination of historical data and new measurements is used to discuss origin and genesis of the thermal brine. Secondly, using literature data and an outcrop analogue study, the geological units beneath Bad Soden-Salmünster are predicted and assigned petrophysical properties. Thirdly, the open-flow potential of the used wells and data from pumping tests are evaluated. Finally, the geothermal potential of the reservoir at Bad Soden-Salmünster is estimated. The chosen multimethod approach is shown to provide a comparatively quick and cost efficient option for establishing a reliable database that enables geothermal exploration decisions as well as future simulations of different geothermal utilisation scenarios.
Mots-clefs
geothermal • exploration • exploitation • thermal brine • mineral water • well reuse