Freeze Well

Freeze wells extract heat from the subsurface. Their productive life has two phases: the freezing phase, which finishes when the terrain around the well is effectively frozen, and the maintenance phase.

A freeze well is similar to other wells in PetroVR in that they have a Well Drilling Info Tab, a Well Completion Info Tab, and a number of jobs available to define its drilling and completion.

In the Freeze Well Details tab you can enter the following inputs:

  • Freezing Time: Duration of the freezing phase. After this period is over, the maintenance phase starts and lasts for the rest of the lifecycle of the well.
  • Frozen Interval: Height of the column frozen by this well.
  • Well Opex: Operating expenses for this well.
  • Freezing Heat Extraction Rate: The amount of heat the well extracts per length of the column to be frozen during the freezing phase. It begins to be incurred when the completion is performed, and stops after the Freezing Time is over.
  • Maintenance Heat Extraction Rate: The amount of heat the well extracts per length of the column to be frozen during the maintenance phase. It begins to be incurred immediately after the freezing phase.
  • Performance coefficient: Define the ratio between power consumed and heat extracted. It is the inverse of heat extraction efficiency. It is used to calculate the well's power requirements according to the formula:
Power required = Heat Extraction Rate * Well Frozen Interval / Performance coefficient