Project title
Unlocking the geothermal energy potential of old sedimentary systems: Linking reservoir quality, geomechanics and flow.
Project abstract
Hot Sedimentary Aquifer (HSA) systems present an opportunity to harness geothermal energy in areas where traditional hydrothermal heat sources are not available. The Midland Valley of Scotland (MVS), underlying the Central Belt and major cities including Edinburgh and Glasgow, hosts a promising HSA within Upper Devonian/Carboniferous age strata. Early studies in the 1980s concluded that geothermal potential was limited by poor aquifer properties. More recent regional geothermal heat estimates suggest temperatures of 44–116 °C, but remain constrained by limited data, simplified input parameters, and coarse spatial resolution. Sedimentological and diagenetic studies indicate substantial heterogeneity in porosity and permeability, introducing further uncertainty.
Using the MVS as a case study, this research investigates the variability and controls on sedimentological, hydro-mechanical, and hydraulic properties in diagenetically complex sedimentary systems. Integrated analyses of sedimentology, mineralogy, and geo-mechanical properties are applied to reservoir and fluid-flow models to better constrain geothermal properties and assess subsurface potential.