Convetive heat transfer at the Soultz-sous-Forets Geothermal Site: implications for oil potential

Time, temperature and pressure are key parameters in oil maturation. One of the most difficult problems in oil exploration is the prediction of the temperature field as a function of both depth and time. Conductive models have been classically used for more than 30 years. However, it has been shown during the last decade that temperature can be highly affected by thermo-convective heat and mass transfers, phenomena which are still poorly understood. This paper investigates a numerical method for modelling the heat and mass transfers in anisotrophic and heterogeneous porous media. The contribution of convective heat transfer is then evaluated using, as a case study, the Pechelbronn oil fields situated in the Rhine Graben (France).