On the Intersection of Production Technology, Geothermal Energy, and Data Science

By Pejman Omrani Shoeibi | TNO

Abstract
Geothermal energy has the potential to play a critical role in decarbonizing energy systems by providing reliable baseload heating and power. However, production and operational challenges such as injectivity decline, artificial lift failures, and flow assurance issues like scaling and corrosion, which are very common in petroleum systems, can compromise efficiency and increase costs. Reactive approaches to these issues often result in higher operational expenditures (OPEX) and hinder the broader adoption of geothermal systems.

The industry is increasingly leveraging advancements in data acquisition and data science to enhance operational efficiency. By integrating monitoring data with unstructured information, decision support tools can be developed to proactively address challenges and optimize performance. Drawing lessons from the petroleum sector, this lecture provides examples on geothermal operational challenges with a special focus on electrical submersible pumps and integrating digital tools and models to improve the production and operation. This presentation bridges geothermal energy operation, data science, and production technologies to offer insights relevant to both geothermal and petroleum sectors. The content can be tailored to address key interests in operational optimization, data analytics, or artificial lift systems.

Takeaway

Data-driven decision-making, adapted to the unique characteristics of geothermal assets, can improve operational efficiency and reliability.

Biography
Pejman is a top senior scientist, leads TNO's Production Optimization and AI teams in the energy transition unit. With almost 15 years of experience, he pioneers digital technologies in geo-energy systems, flow assurance, and data-driven decision support for real-time production enhancement across sectors like oil and gas and geothermal energy. Notably, Pejman leads national, European and international projects, collaborating with several energy companies. Pursuing a Ph.D. at Wageningen University, Pejman holds a Master's degree from Delft University of Technology, with over 20 publications and prestigious awards. His awards include winning the AInnovation competition in 2023, candidate for best researcher in 2015 and 2017. He actively engages in community service and holds key roles in SPE international (chair of production optimization workshop, committee member of ATCE, offshore Europe, geothermal workshop), SPE Netherlands (digital officer) and Energy Reinvented Community (digital energy lead).