The use of modeling in drawing up guidelines for the exploitation of theKhankala geothermal field (Chechen Republic)

Nowadays, geothermal waters have become an important form of energy and many researchershave put to the forefront the issue of “sustainability” of the geothermal reservoirdevelopment. Reinjection of the used fluid during exploitation allows minimizing thepossible negative effect on the environment and maintaining the reservoir pressure andtherefore the initial high flow rates. However, it has a major disadvantage—a gradualtemperature decrease in an aquifer, which needs to be taken into account. The mosteffective methods assessing this disadvantage are based on numerical modeling, which hasbeen actively implemented in all areas of science. In the current paper, mathematicalmodeling is applied for the Khankala geothermal field in the Chechen Republic to forecastchanges in the temperature regime of the resource and define the optimal exploitationscenario to achieve its sustainable development.