Feasibility of electricity generation from abandoned oil wells in the Global South

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Usman, Fidelis Jonah and Kelly, Nicolas (2024) Feasibility of electricity generation from abandoned oil wells in the Global South. In: uSIM2024, 2024-11-25 - 2024-11-25, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.

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Abstract

Low-temperature heat from abandoned fossil fuel workings and dedicated boreholes are often viewed to as a zero-carbon means of provide space and water heating for urban areas and communities. However, if the heat source is a considerable distance from the demand, then costs for distribution (piping and pumping) can become prohibitive. Alternatively, in many countries in the Global South, there is a limited demand for heat and instead there is a need for cooling, particularly in urban areas. In this paper the use of low-grade, ground-source heat for the generation of electricity using organic Rankine cycles (ORC) is explored, as electricity is transportable over long distances with limited losses, and it is also the energy source for the most common refrigeration cycle (vapour compression refrigeration (VCR)). The paper looks at the case study of Nigeria, a country with a predominant cooling demand in buildings and a significant number of abandoned oil and gas wells, which could be exploited for energy conversion. An initial critical review of low-temperature geothermal heat-to-electricity work is presented. The paper then describes an integrated model, which uses CFD to compute heat recovery from oil wells along with a custom MATLAB model to assess thermal resource depletion and ORC efficiency. The model is used to assess the feasibility and potential for power generation for communities from abandoned oil wells and compares this to the production of electricity from the alternative of solar photovoltaics (PV). The results indicate that the temperature of the underground resource and operation of the ORC are critical, and the economics are currently unfavourable. However, this form of electricity generation has an efficiency that can be comparable to or better than PV, and unlike PV, the generated electricity is dispatchable. This research contributes to the broader goal of diversifying Nigeria’s energy sources and promoting environmentally friendly alternatives in urban energy provision.

ORCID iDs

Usman, Fidelis Jonah and Kelly, Nicolas ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6517-5942;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)