The PIXIL project promotes the first transnational network to boost
geothermal energy exploration and its development
Barcelona, 12 April
2022 - After two
and a half years of research, the PIXIL
project (Pyrenees Imaging eXperience: an InternationaL network) has come to
an end, becoming the first cross-border network (Spain-Andorra-France) for
subsoil characterisation using geophysical imaging in the field of geothermal
energy. Coordinated by the Barcelona
Supercomputing Center, PIXIL had five other Spanish and French partners that supported the
different research areas of the project: Universitat de Barcelona, Basque Center for
Applied Mathematics (BCAM), Pôle Avenia, INRIA and RealTimeSeismic.
"The PIXIL project succeeded in connecting
the academic and industrial sectors involved in geothermal energy. During three
intense years, we have improved technologies and carried out application
demonstrations that would not otherwise have been possible. In addition,
through working sessions open to the geothermal community, we have been able to
get closer to the problems of this technology, which has a great future in our
region. We hope that our work will help to make geothermal energy a
complementary technology in the revolution towards clean energy from local
sources", said Josep de la Puente,
Geoscience Applications Group Manager at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center
and coordinator of PIXIL.
Design of Imaging
Algorithms for geothermal reservoir characterisation
The PIXIL research in the design of Imaging
Algorithm’s area, a new high-order, parallel modeling tool was developed to
simulate 3D magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical experiments. Simultaneously,
researchers developed deep neural networks (DNNs) aimed at solving the
so-called inverse problem, i.e. determining subsurface properties from recorded
measurements. These DNNs were also applied to the design of better borehole
logging instruments.
On the other hand, PIXIL conducted a
collaborative research and development with the industrial partner of the
project, RealTimeSeismic, in order to build a Full Waveform Inversion (FWI)
tool suitable for surface waves and ultimately applying it onto real data
acquired by RealTimeSeismic in a near-surface seismic exploration.
High Performance
Computing (HPC) implementation for the geothermal sector
While designing innovative algorithms is
fundamental to the effectiveness of imaging technologies, it is their
implementation as software that makes the concept applicable. Thus, this area
of the project has focused on implementing the methodological advances
developed and transforming them into fast, accurate and reliable software.
The result of this effort is a new version of
PETGEM, a parallel code that focuses on detecting and characterising geothermal
reservoirs (and other valuable resources) based on electromagnetic methods and
high-performance computing. Thanks to PIXIL's research, PETGEM proves to be a
scalable, flexible, accurate and efficient software for solving realistic test
cases in both marine and land contexts. In addition, PETGEM has been selected
for the first pre-assessment study of the Lab-to-Market (L2M) program of the
R+D+I Energy for Society Network (XRE4S), which evaluates the technology itself
and the market opportunity.
HPC workflow within
PETGEM: model definition, parallel simulations, and analysis of results
Technology
applications in geothermal energy
An essential aspect of the PIXIL project has
been to demonstrate the improvement of the technologies developed with real
applications and experiments to quantify its results.
In the last research area of the project,
researchers proved the capacity of the technologies to visualise reservoirs
from geophysical data and modeling. Specifically, they investigated a reference
model such as the geothermal anomaly of La Garriga, located in the Catalan
region of Vallès Oriental, and they reinterpreted it to renew the existing
conceptual model. Thus, the new conceptual model integrates geophysical results
(obtained from electromagnetic, seismic, gravimetric and temperature data) with
geochemical, geological and hydrogeological results. In this way, it has been
possible to study in depth the mechanisms that control many of the geothermal
systems present in the Pyrenees.
Preliminary conceptual
model of the geothermal system of La Garriga - Samalús
This case study also inspired the modeling and
testing of the new geophysical inversion tools generated in the framework of
the PIXIL project. The researchers set up a collection of models of increasing
complexity, inspired by a fault-controlled geothermal reservoir, to test some
of the numerical tools developed by the project partners.
About PIXIL
PIXIL is a cross-border and
multidisciplinary scientific-technological collaboration effort, with the aim
of developing the most advanced tools to analyze the earth's subsoil, with a
special interest in favoring the growth of geothermal energy in the region.
PIXIL has a strong research profile, where scientific collaboration between the
centers prevails and whose results are advances in the three disciplines that
make up modern geophysical imaging: Geophysics, Applied Mathematics and Computing
The project has been 65% co-financed
by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg
VA Spain-France-Andorra Program (POCTEFA 2014-2020). The objective of POCTEFA is to reinforce the economic and social
integration of the Spain-France-Andorra border area. Its assistance focuses on
the development of cross-border economic, social, and environmental activities
through joint strategies in favor of sustainable territorial development.
Further information: https://pixil-project.eu/ (webpage) @PixilProject_EU (Twitter)
Contact: Mireia Cos, Barcelona Supercomputing
Center
Email: mireia.cospique@bsc.es