GEG Group
CPG
TANGO
ETH Zurich

Techno-Economic Optimization of CPG through WRFM: Recompletion Strategy and Rate Optimization in Focus

2025Master's ThesisETH Zurich

Abstract

CO2 plume geothermal (CPG) offers the dual benefit of renewable power generation and permanent geological sequestration within the broader carbon-capture-utilization- and-storage (CCUS) portfolio, yet its commercial outlook remains constrained by multiple interacting uncertainties. To address these challenges, we introduce—for the first time in a CPG context—the well-reservoir-facility-management (WRFM) framework and apply it at two distinct deployment scales to optimize reservoir-development strategies. For a doublet-well system, we first characterize the baseline productivity of stacked reservoirs and quantify the influence of interlayer contrast. The subsequent optimization phase centers on the mid- and late-life comparison of sidetracking versus zonal isolation recompletion strategies, evaluating their respective technical merits and economic returns. For a multi-well system, we implement a Gaussian-process-surrogate Bayesian optimization to refine injection strategies across multiple injectors. This approach markedly reduces the computational burden, enabling cost-efficient resolution of field-scale injection-rate allocation—a persistent reservoir management challenge. Post-processing of the optimization results provides quantitative guidance and theoretical support for the large-scale deployment of CPG through comparative analysis of alternative injection schemes.