A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes
Abstract Achieving well integrity is mandatory for a geothermal well’s safe and sustainable operation. One of the most critical steps is the success of the primary cementing. Conventional monitoring only shows discrete snapshots after completion of the cement job. However, optical fiber sensors enab...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95588-5 |
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| author | Johannes Hart Berker Polat Christopher Wollin Martin Lipus Felix Schölderle Toni Ledig Philippe Jousset Thomas Reinsch Charlotte M. Krawczyk |
| author_facet | Johannes Hart Berker Polat Christopher Wollin Martin Lipus Felix Schölderle Toni Ledig Philippe Jousset Thomas Reinsch Charlotte M. Krawczyk |
| author_sort | Johannes Hart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Achieving well integrity is mandatory for a geothermal well’s safe and sustainable operation. One of the most critical steps is the success of the primary cementing. Conventional monitoring only shows discrete snapshots after completion of the cement job. However, optical fiber sensors enable monitoring of the entire cementing process. Here, we investigate the cement placement and early hydration for a surface casing at a geothermal site in Munich, Germany. We show that distributed dynamic strain rate sensing (DDSS or DAS) allows for tracking rising fluid interfaces, determining the setting time of cement, and assessing the cement job’s success at each depth. We used DDSS and DTS (distributed temperature sensing) with a fiber optic cable permanently deployed behind the casing and combined the results with operational data, a model for the rise of fluids in the borehole, and laboratory experiments to estimate the cement setting phase. Our approach enables monitoring all phases of primary cementing, which can increase the success rate of achieving well integrity. Furthermore, it can reduce costs and improve society’s acceptance of deep geothermal wells in urban areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-943dfcb228384c019db8ec26c1713fc2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-943dfcb228384c019db8ec26c1713fc22025-08-20T03:04:50ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-95588-5A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholesJohannes Hart0Berker Polat1Christopher Wollin2Martin Lipus3Felix Schölderle4Toni Ledig5Philippe Jousset6Thomas Reinsch7Charlotte M. Krawczyk8GFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeosciencesFraunhofer IEG, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies IEGGFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeosciencesGFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeosciencesChair for Hydrogeology, Technical University MunichStadtwerke München GmbH, Renewable EnergiesGFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeosciencesFraunhofer IEG, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies IEGGFZ Helmholtz Centre for GeosciencesAbstract Achieving well integrity is mandatory for a geothermal well’s safe and sustainable operation. One of the most critical steps is the success of the primary cementing. Conventional monitoring only shows discrete snapshots after completion of the cement job. However, optical fiber sensors enable monitoring of the entire cementing process. Here, we investigate the cement placement and early hydration for a surface casing at a geothermal site in Munich, Germany. We show that distributed dynamic strain rate sensing (DDSS or DAS) allows for tracking rising fluid interfaces, determining the setting time of cement, and assessing the cement job’s success at each depth. We used DDSS and DTS (distributed temperature sensing) with a fiber optic cable permanently deployed behind the casing and combined the results with operational data, a model for the rise of fluids in the borehole, and laboratory experiments to estimate the cement setting phase. Our approach enables monitoring all phases of primary cementing, which can increase the success rate of achieving well integrity. Furthermore, it can reduce costs and improve society’s acceptance of deep geothermal wells in urban areas.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95588-5Fiber opticDASWell integrityDisplacement efficiencyCement hydrationReal-time monitoring |
| spellingShingle | Johannes Hart Berker Polat Christopher Wollin Martin Lipus Felix Schölderle Toni Ledig Philippe Jousset Thomas Reinsch Charlotte M. Krawczyk A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes Scientific Reports Fiber optic DAS Well integrity Displacement efficiency Cement hydration Real-time monitoring |
| title | A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| title_full | A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| title_fullStr | A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| title_full_unstemmed | A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| title_short | A fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| title_sort | fiber optic approach for cement placement and hydration assessment of deep geothermal boreholes |
| topic | Fiber optic DAS Well integrity Displacement efficiency Cement hydration Real-time monitoring |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95588-5 |
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