Vol. 337 No. 9 (2026)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/9/5283
Well design optimization for steam-lift production in geothermal fields with low-pressure aquifer
Relevance. The need to find ways to prevent the loss of productivity of steam-lift production wells associated with a decrease in reservoir pressure during the development of geothermal fields. Aim. To identify the effect of the design of the internal channel of production wells on the technological parameters of the steam-lift and determine the optimal design that ensures the possibility of operating wells at minimum values of aquifer pressure. Methods. Mathematical modeling of thermo-, hydro-, gas-dynamic processes in the trunk of steam-lift wells for typical conditions of the largest domestic geothermal field (Mutnovskoe in Kamchatka) and analysis of the obtained results taking into account new ideas about stability of their operating mode. Results. The author confirmed the possibility of controlling the steam-lift parameters by setting the design of the internal channel of production wells; established the presence of a maximum well diameter, exceeding which will be incompatible with the stable operation of the steam-lift at the specified parameters of feeder aquifer; determined the optimal combination of the lengths of lower, with a smaller diameter, and upper, with a larger diameter, sections for telescopic design of internal channel. Conclusions. For given parameters of the feeder aquifer, there is a maximum well diameter, exceeding which will be incompatible with its stable operation in the steam-lift mode. For the conditions of the Mutnovskoe geothermal field, the maximum diameter, approaching which is undesirable, is 278 mm. With telescopic design of the internal borehole channel, consisting of a lower section with diameter of 0.152 m and an upper section with diameter of 0.225 m, the optimal length of the lower section for the conditions of the Mutnovskoe field is 500 m, which is close to the values characteristic of previously constructed and operated wells of this field.
For citation: Shulyupin A.N. Well design optimization for steam-lift production in geothermal fields with low-pressure aquifer. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering, 2026, vol. 337, no. 9, pp. 17–23. http://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/9/5283
Keywords:
geothermal field, production well, steam-lift, bottomhole pressure, feeder aquifer, mathematical modeling, optimal design
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