Assessment of geothermal resources in Guanzhong basin

Geothermal storage layers mainly included unconsolidated deposition and carbonate rock in Guanzhong basin. Total thermal quantities were estimated to be 2.16 × 1018 kcal (equal to 3.09 × 1011t standard coals) by the method of volume, in which 60% of thermal resources stored below 4000 m. According to fundamental equation of solid conduction and ignoring movement of thermal water, one-dimension numerical models of thermal conduction in porous medium were built to estimate the exploitable thermal quantities from the main four elements of basin, and the result was 8.55 × 1012 kcal (equal to 1.22 × 106 t standard coals) for decreasing the temperature of 1°C of the normal temperature soil surface above thermal storage layers. The results will provide a reference to exploit thermal resources in future.