Mapping geothermal heat flow of the Barents Sea

Since the 1970s, exploration activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) have significantly contributed to CO2 emissions. Harnessing geothermal energy for platform electrification on the NCS presents a promising opportunity to reduce these emissions and promote a sustainable energy future. This study aims to estimate the heat flow in the Barents Sea, a region with a complex geological history and high geothermal potential. The research utilized a comprehensive collection of subsurface temperature data, including multiple temperature measurements from 23 wells and single bottom hole temperature measurements from 118 wells. Geophysical well logs, completion reports, and other relevant data were sourced from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate's Diskos database, ensuring data reliability and accuracy. Industrystandard software tools, such as Landmark DecisionSpace and SLB Petrel, were employed to calculate thermal conductivity and heat flow and visualize their distribution across various depths. In this study, temperature corrections were applied using two prominent methodologies: the Central Danish Basin and Horner correction techniques. The selection of the most reliable method was based on a strong correlation with bulk thermal conductivity. The reliability of the corrected temperatures was significantly influenced by the measurement time since the end of mud circulation (TSC), with longer TSC yielding more reliable temperature estimation. Bulk thermal conductivity was calculated by interpreting various lithologies and applying lithology-specified equations using geophysical logs. Results showed higher mean thermal conductivity values of 5.2 W/m·K for carbonates, 2.5 W/m·K for shales, and 3.2 W/m·K for sandstones. Heat flow calculations revealed an average measurement of 71 mW/m², closely aligning with the published value of 72 mW/m² for the Barents Sea. The heat flow distribution showed lower values in the central and southern regions and higher values in the northwestern part, influenced by crustal thinning, erosion, and deep-seated faulting resulting lateral oceanic-continental heat transfer. The above finding from this study were ultimately utilized to make a comparison of distribution of heat flow in Barents Sea with the published work in terms of similarities and differences based on measured data.