Geothermal Canada Content Catalogue
Dusseault (Dr. Maurice Dusseault)
Yaghoubi, A., Schultz, R., Hickson, C., Wigston, A., Dusseault, M.B., Induced seismicity traffic light protocol at the Alberta No. 1 geothermal project site, Geothermics, Volume 117, 2024, 102860, ISSN 0375-6505, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2023.102860.
Maurice’s Blog | Maurice’s Blog RSS Feed
Geothermal Canada’s former Director for Central Canada, Maurice Dusseault, is a professor at the University of Waterloo who has been thinking about energy for a long time. This page hosts a collection of his thoughts about energy and geothermal.
Hickson, C., Miranda, M., Huang, K., Witter, J., Unsworth, M., Raymond, J., Poux, B., Marcia, K., Grasby, S., Fraser, T., Ebell, J., Dusseault, M., GRC Transactions, Vol. 45, Oct. 2021.
Rocks of intermediate depth (100-1000 m) and those in the deep (greater than 1 km) subsurface represent an environmental resource to aid the energy transition and to achieve improved environmental outcomes. Porous and permeable sediments can be used to store fluid and solid wastes through processes of injection. Suitable porosity and permeability are needed for fluids disposal (CO2, waste water, acid gas), and slurried solids may be disposed in sediments through fracture injection, a process that has been taking place in the oil industry for over 40 years. Particular emphasise is placed on the potential for sedimentary rocks to accommodate injection and to dissipate pressures, but caution is warranted: the huge volumes of CO2 proposed for injection will exceed the sediments’ capacities in many areas, leading to regional pressurization and increased escape risks.
Dusseault, M. Yellowknife Geoscience Forum 2018. (Presentation). Nov. 2018
The Four Geothermal Pillars
1. High-grade geothermal where steam is generated to drive turbines: ~T>140°C
2. Warm fluids in porous and permeable strata: ~T = 70-140°C
3. EGS – Enhanced Geothermal Systems, warm, low permeability: ~T = 70-140°C
4. Shallow, heat-pump based geoexchange, storage of heat in the upper ~500 m Below ~70°C – “district heating” or direct use of heat for drying, greenhouses, etc.
Dusseault, M. Yellowknife Geoscience Forum 2018. (Presentation). Nov. 2018
Deep geothermal needs a high enough T for co-generation – power + heat. And we need to drill at least 3-4 km deep to get 60-70°C. Shallow geothermal (GSHP) becomes inefficient because the ground cools more and more each year. But if the shallow ground T is OK and is maintained annually – heat pumps have a COP of 3 to 4!! Good use of power.
