Process modelling of hydrothermal systems

Prof. Dr. Michael Kühn - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

Telegrafenberg, 14474 Potsdam

GeoLab, Building A27 Room 101

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Hydrothermal systems are the engines that fuel geothermal fields and are of great significance for the generation of the world’s hydrocarbon and mineral resources. Adequate and reliable supplies of affordable energy, obtained in environmentally sustainable ways, are essential to economic prosperity, environmental quality and political stability around the world. The challenge for geological exploration is to find cost-effective ways of locating high quality geothermal and mineral resources. Numerical simulation of reactive transport is an emerging exploration tool, which can provide a more quantitative exploration effort.

In order to meet this challenge the GFZ with their Section Hydrogeology provide a 1-day training course in the framework of Geo.X. The focus of this course is on coupled numerical simulation of fluid flow, heat transfer, multi species transport and chemical reactions. An outline of the physical and chemical foundations will be given and the philosophy of how to conceptualise, set up and carry out numerical modelling projects will be discussed in detail. This is a hands-on course.

The target audience are geophysicists, geologists, geochemists and hydrogeologists from industry, universities and governmental institutions interested in processes and simulation techniques of hydrogeological, geothermal and reactive transport applications. Post-graduate students are particularly encouraged to attend.