Viability Analysis of the Implementation of Geothermal Energy in Waters Associated with Hydrocarbon Production

Daily in Colombia for each barrel of oil 12.02 barrels of water are produced, this sub product of oil operations is a geothermal resource of low enthalpy that has been wasted, because this can generate electricity through the use of an Organic Rankine Cycle. The objective of this project is to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of implementing an ORC for electricity generation in a study case that represents the usual conditions of an oil field supported by the Aspen Hysys process simulator licensed by the Industrial University of Santander. It begins with a literary review that compiles the characteristics and optimal conditions that allow the proper functioning of an ORC, then simulates the different processes of the ORC in Aspen Hysys in order to make a sensitivity to mass flow and temperature that allows establishing the best working fluid and optimum mass flows for the geothermal fluid and organic fluid to finally obtain an efficient development of the cycle to the characteristics of the study case. It is concluded it is technically and economically feasible to implement an ORC module for the generation of electrical energy in the study case carried out, reaching a generation capacity for a single oil well of 1.5 MW at a mass flow of geothermal fluid of 30 kg/s with an IRR higher than 17% evaluated over a period of 8 years. Produce efficient, favorable and sustainable energy through the development of this co-generation project can contribute in the economic scope in the energy needs of an oil field, in the environmental with no carbon tax causation and in a social scope to the development of communities not connected to the national energy network.