GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURAL MODELING OF THE FEDERAL STATE OF HESSE (GERMANY) TO EVALUATE GEO-POTENTIALS

A three dimensional structural model of the Federal State of Hesse was developed in the framework of a project „3D Modeling of the Deep Geothermal Potential of Hesse“ (Arndt et al. 2011). The modeling used the software GOCAD and incorporates more than 4150 well data from the Hessian well database hosted by the Geological Survey of Hesse (HLUG) as well as from the Hydrocarbon Well Database of the German Geological Surveys, hosted by the Geological Survey of Lower Saxony (LBEG). Furthermore, all geological cross sections from the geological maps and from other literature were taken into account. Additional data such as contour maps, palaeogeographic maps and theoretical models were used. In order to provide uncertainty information to third party users more easily, it was integrated into the model itself. Stratigraphic Grids were created from the structural model and attributed with geothermal reservoir parameters, such as permeability, porosity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and temperature (Bär et al. 2011). Depending on these parameters, the model is highly capable to evaluate geo-potentials. Therefore, a new method for geo-potential evaluation based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) from Saaty (1980) was developed. The method can identify and visualize different geo-potentials from cell based objects using many different parameters. In addition to the evaluation of the deep geothermal potential the model and the presented method can be used to evaluate other geo-potentials like potentials for CCS. The intersection of different potentials may then help to identify and visualize their conflicts of use and their synergetic use, respectively.

References

Arndt, D., Bär, K., Fritsche, J.-G., Kracht, M., Sass, I. & Hoppe, A. (2011): 3D structural model of the Federal State of Hesse (Germany) for geo-potential evaluation. – Z. dt. Ges. Geowiss., 162/4 [in review.].

Bär, K., Arndt, D., Fritsche, J.‐G., Götz, A.E., Hoppe, A., Kracht, M. & Sass, I. (2011): 3D‐Modellierung der tiefengeothermischen Potenziale von Hessen – Eingangsdaten und Potenzialausweisung. – Z. dt. Ges. Geowiss., 162/4 [in review.].

Saaty (1980): The Analytic Hierarchy Process: Planning, Priority Setting, Resource Allocation. – 287 p., McGraw-Hill, New York.