NATURAL STATE MODEL OF KERINCI GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, JAMBI,

INDONESIA
Yudithia Prastika1, John O’Sullivan1 and Michael O’Sullivan2
1Geothermal Institute and Department of Engineering Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand

[email protected]

Keywords: Kerinci geothermal field, natural state, National Park, which is acknowledged by UNESCO as a
computer modelling World Heritage Site.

ABSTRACT The literature on the Kerinci geothermal system was

reviewed and a conceptual model was developed. This
The Kerinci geothermal system is located in Jambi
conceptual model was used as the basis for a natural state
Province, Indonesia. The study area is located on part of the computer model that was manually calibrated. The
Great Sumatra Fault which means it is a fault-controlled numerical simulator AUTOUGH2 (Yeh et al., 2012), the
system. Many surface manifestations are found along the University of Auckland’s version of TOUGH2 (Pruess,
faults, such as steaming ground, fumaroles, hot springs and
Oldenburg, & Moridis, 1999) was used for carrying out all
mud pools. The development of Kerinci is problematic as the natural state simulations. To support the modelling, a
the Sikai area is situated in the Kerinci Seblat National Park graphical interface, TIM (Yeh et al., 2013), was used to
in which all deforestation-related acitivities are banned. The visualise the results.
geothermal prospect is controlled by Pertamina Geothermal
Energy (PGE) who have recently drilled an exploration After a reasonable natural state model was obtained a
well. number of future production simulations were carried out.
Overall, the project was aimed at understanding the
In the present study a conceptual model was developed potential of Kerinci geothermal system under various types
based on an analysis of information available in the
of exploitation scenarios and discovering the performance
literature. Then the conceptual model was used as the basis limit of the system.
of a natural state, computer model of Kerinci. Manual
calibration was used to improve the model by adjusting the 2. CONCEPTUAL MODEL
model parameters, mostly the permeabilities, in order to 2.1. Introduction
obtain results corresponding to the conceptual model.
However, the calibration process was difficult because little A conceptual model is created to achieve a good
field data are available. understanding of important aspects of the physical
processes and structure of a geothermal system. The
Finally the model was used to carry out production conceptual modelling approach is particularly effective
simulations to understand the behaviour of the system under when exploring blind prospects because it makes fuller use
unconstrained exploitation and to predict the sustainable of limited data and helps to identify strategies for
production level of the Kerinci geothermal system. Overall, addressing the lack of information, as well as identifying
the production rate decreases over a 25 year production targets (Cumming, 2009). There are some vital components
period (either the total mass flow rate or steam flow rate) for a conceptual model of a potential geothermal area,
accompanied by a gradual decline in pressure. On the other namely: heat source, reservoir structure (e.g., good
hand, the enthalpy is almost stable throughout the period. permeability, lithologically or structurally determined),
recharge fluids, and discharge zones (thermal signatures)
1. INTRODUCTION (Utami, 2015).
The Kerinci geothermal system is located in the Lempur
area, Jambi Province, and mostly consists of volcanic rocks. Kerinci geothermal field is located in the Lempur village
Structurally, the system is classified as a fault-controlled area which is approximately 10 km southeast of Kerinci
system and there are two main faults dominating, namely Lake, roughly 30 km south east of Sungai Penuh town, and
Sikai Fault and Dua Belas Fault. The deep reservoir fluid is approximately 525 km from Jambi Capital City (10 hour
neutral chloride water with geothermometer-measured drive). The Lempur site is at an elevation of about 1400 m
temperature of 220 – 260°C and there is an overlying above sea level. The Kerinci geothermal field has been
vapor-dominated zone (JICA, 1989). Currently, the Kerinci under development by Pertamina Geothermal Energy
geothermal prospect is being developing by Pertamina (PGE) since 2008 (Silitonga et. al., 2015).
Geothermal Indonesia (PGE), one of the state-owned To build a conceptual model, all field data related to the
companies, managing the geothermal industry in Indonesia. area were compiled and analysed. The published data on the
Previously, two drilling investigations, to reveal the Kerinci geothermal area are limited, yet they are sufficient
potential of the system, were conducted by VSI and JICA in to build a conceptual model. They include geology,
1983 and 1988, respectively. Recently, PGE has drilled and geophysics, geochemistry, and data from existing
tested a deviated exploration well and categorized it as a exploration wells. There are three exploration wells in the
successful production well. The well, KRC-B1, can deliver Kerinci geothermal system, located in the eastern Mt.
steam at 70 tonnes/hour and brine at 240 tonnes/hour with Kunyit, Lempur area. Two wells were drilled by JICA
an enthalpy of 1100 kJ/kg, at a wellhead pressure of 5.5- jointly with VSI. The first well, LP-1, drilled in 1983 and
6.55 bar (Silitonga, 2015). The KRC-B1 cluster was located the second, LP-2, drilled in 1988 are separated by 1.5 km.
outside the system boundary since, at present, the The third well, KRC-B1, was drilled by Pertamina in July
government forbids any activities inside the Kerinci Seblat

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Auckland, New Zealand
2007. This well is deviated with a 500-650 inclination and distributed in the northern part. A few outcrops from the
penetrates to a measured depth of 2650 m, with a maximum basement Tertiary and Mesozoic can be identified in this
horizontal displacement of 1650 m and vertical depth of area as they are distributed under the Quaternary volcanic
1899 m. rocks. The Mesozoic rock group is composed of grey, hard
limestones, often in association with lenticular shale beds
2.2. Geology (Hasri, 1984). It is also noted that this group is associated
Kerinci is located in Sumatera Island, one of the biggest with the Barisan Formation while the Tertiary system
islands in Indonesia. Figure 1 shows the area of this study. consists of basaltic andesites and acidic volcanic rocks,
In the west part of Indonesia, the Indian Ocean Plate is mainly rhyolites and dacites.
subducting beneath the Southeast Asia Plate. Because of the
movement of the plates, there is large-scale strike-slip fault
forming inside the island. The fault is a dextral strike-slip
fault and can be traced for about 1660 km. Many
observations have been undertaken to assess the rate of slip
of this fault and GPS (Global Positioning System)
measurements indicate that the largest tectonic movement,
of 24 mm/yr, occurs in north western Sumatra and the
smallest, of 6 mm/yr, in south eastern Sumatra (McCaffrey,
1991; Bellier and Sébrier, 1995; Genrich et al., 2000;
McCaffrey et al., 2000; Prawirodirdjo et al., 2000). Satellite
image analysis (Bellier and Sebrier, 1995) showed that
some calderas have evolved from pull-apart basins. Figure 2: Geological Cross section from ENE to WSW
Hochstein and Sudarman (1993) said that the huge potential Above the basement rocks, Pleistocene formations are
of high-temperature geothermal resources in Sumatra is present, consisting of three main volcanic rocks. First are
associated with the Sumatran Fault and many of these the volcanic rocks whose deposition age is in the early
geothermal fields are situated in the pull-apart basins Pleistocene, for example, the Tua volcanic rocks, that are
(Hickman et al., 2004). strongly altered and rich in joints. After that, there are the
Raja volcanic rocks which are relatively young and lie
above the Tua volcanic rocks. Lava flows and tuff breccia
characterize the area. In general, the character of this rock
type is similar to the Tua volcanic rocks which are
dominantly jointed. Thirdly, Kunyit volcanic rocks lie
above the Raja volcanic rocks and form the Kunyit lava
domes, Kering lava, Lempur pyroclastic flow, and Rawang-
Sipedjani pumice gravel bed. The lava domes are basically
of pyroxene-hornblende type, formed in the upper
Pleistocene. The Lempur pyroclastic flow mainly consists
of pyx-ho dacitic volcanic breccia and ash bed whereas
Rawang-Sipedjani is composed of dacitic pumice and silt
and is thought to have resulted from sedimentation in water
(JICA, 1989).

Figure 1: The location of the study area in Sumatra Figure 3: Geological Cross section from NNE to SSW
Island.
Figure 4 shows that there are several faults dominating the
There is a high geothermal potential in the depression zone area. In general, NW-SE and NNE-SSW trending faults are
because there is highly active magmatism resulting from clear. The review by Hasri (1984) suggests that the NW-SE
plate subduction (JICA, 1989). As has been noted, the area faults are part of the Great Sumatra Fault zone and can be
of the present study, Kerinci, is one of the areas located in viewed running parallel to the Barisan Mountain Range.
this depression zone and is situated in the 70 km long The manifestations, shown in Figure 4, mostly emerge
Siulak segment (2.250 S to 1.70 S). along the faults.
The study area is mainly covered by Quaternary volcanic
rocks comprised of three main formations including: Tua
volcanic rocks, Raja volcanic rocks, and Kunyit volcanic
rocks, as shown by Figures 2 and 3. In the flat terrain, fan
deposits can also be found and alluvium is widely

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Auckland, New Zealand
 In Grao Kunyit, while hydrothermal alteration extends
widely to the surrounding the fumaroles, it is relatively
narrow in Grao Sikai. Abang hot springs discharge 60°C
water and there is a lack of an alteration zone. At the Grao
Bulan fumaroles area, the extent of the hydrothermal
alteration is narrow while in Grao Duabelas, Grao Bujang
and Grao Rasau, there are intensive fumaroles and boiling
mud pools accompanied by a vast alteration zone. Analysis
of isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen from the Duabelas
fumaroles area indicate that their steam is derived from a
vapour dominated zone which is the product of a deep
boiling reservoir. The temperature of this zone is estimated
to be 135°C to 160°C. On the other hand, neutral
bicarbonate type hot water is flowing out at the Abang hot
springs which results from percolation of the upflowing
steam into the groundwater aquifer, producing an estimated
temperature of 145°C to 168°C (JICA, 1989).
The chemical composition of LP-1 has been analysed and it
shows that the geothermal system is of a neutral chloride
type and the estimated temperature based on isotope
analysis is in the range 200 – 300°C. The LP-2 drilling
record shows the reservoir fluids are of meteoric origin and
are of chloride type, similar to LP-1. Yet, from silica and
Na-K-Mg thermometers, the estimated deep reservoir
temperature is higher than in LP-1, at approximately 220°C
and from fluid inclusion measurements is about 224°C.
However, the isotope geothermometer identifies higher
temperatures, ranging from 238°C to 271°C.
Different conditions were discovered in the Sikai area, with
barely any water found discharging that could be used to
assess the reservoir temperature. However, since the
chemical composition of fumarolic gas in Sikai is similar to
that at Duabelas, it can be concluded that the Sikai area is
of the same neutral chloride type and the reservoir fluid
Figure 4: Plan view of the Kerinci geothermal area, its emanates from a common source. Nonetheless, a gas
formations and surface features isotope thermometer indicates a higher temperature than in
the Duabelas area, of not lower than 261°C.
The two fault zones controlling the manifestations are the
Sikai Fault zone and Dua Belas Fault zone. These two 2.4 Geophysics
faults have a similar NE-SW trend. There are also some There are a few published geophysical investigations of this
faults in the NW-SE direction which are highly correlated area, namely: a resistivity investigation which was done in
and parallel with part of the fault segment of the GSF. the 1980’s and MT and gravity surveys conducted in 2007
However, along these faults, manifestations are rare, by Pertamina. However, there is a lack of detailed
especially for the faults located to the northeast of the area. information about the two newest studies. For example,
The NNE-SSW and NW-SE faults can be interpreted as there is no cross section showing MT resistivity distribution
reflecting the strain field caused by the activities of the in the sub-surface.
Great Sumatra Fault zone (Hasri, 1984). However, there is a Resistivity data were derived from 75 vertical soundings
lack of information about the character of these faults. with a Schlumberger array with distances of up to
2.3. Geochemistry AB/2=1000 m. There are four survey lines (A, B, C, and D)
covering an area of about 22 km2 over the northern slopes
As previously mentioned, in the study area, the of Mt. Kunyit, as shown in Figure 5. Two maps which were
manifestations tend to appear along the faults. Some of the produced include an iso-resistivity map and a sounding
locations observed are at Grao Sikai and Garo Kunyit in the map. An overview of the apparent resistivity structure of
Sikai area (on the Sikai Fault) and at Grao Duabelas, Grao the survey area is given by the apparent resistivity maps, for
Bujang, Grao Rasau, Grao Bulan, and Abang hot spring in AB/2= 500 m and AB/2= 1000 m, shown by Figure 7 (A)
the Duabelas area (near the Duabelas fault complex). and (B). It can be seen that the low resistivity ground is
However, to the southeast of Mt. Kunyit, the Kering associated with Grao Bujang, Grao Duabelas, and Abang
alteration zone occurs on the Aur Fault, but is associated hot spring. Another low resistivity area also occurs over the
with no active thermal features. Silitonga et al. (2015) Grao Sikai thermal area on the northern slopes of Mt.
observed that the alterations in the nearby manifestations Kunyit.
are argillic alterations (smectite) and they also found minor
amounts of sulphur deposits in Grao Sikai. Their
observations agree with statements in the JICA report that
the occurrence of kaolinite and/or alunite (argillic group)
result from acidic hot water.

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Auckland, New Zealand
 Figure 6: The sounding maps of resistivity investigations
in the Kerinci geothermal area. (1) is the modified
‘re-interpretation map’ from Hasri (1984) and (2)
is the map produced by JICA (1983)

In 2007, there were more geophysical investigations of the

study area. Silitonga et al. (2015) described two
geophysical surveys using magnetotelluric and gravity
methods. However, in the published paper, there are no
detailed analyses to delineate the subsurface. Silitonga et
al., (2015), from a Bouguer anomaly map, detected a low
density anomaly zone (-20 mGal) close to Mt. Kunyit and
correlated to the alteration zone. A resistivity map produced
from the MT method reveals that the conductive clay cap
(<10 ohmm), interpreted as the smectite zone, is located in
Figure 5: The iso-resistivity maps of the Lempur the eastern of part of the prospect, near Mt. Kunyit. This
(Kerinci) geothermal system measured by JICA conductive layer is relatively thin (less than approximately
and analysed by Hasri (1984). (A) is the iso- 700 m), overlying the slightly resistive layer that is
resistivity map with AB/1000 m and (B) is the iso- estimated to form the reservoir.
resistivity map with AB/500 m
2.5 Final Conceptual Model
All available geoscientific data related to the Kerinci
To understand the vertical resistivity structures, pseudo-
geothermal system were discussed above. The data were
resistivity maps, from which are plotted the apparent
integrated to build a comprehensive conceptual model of
resistivity versus an apparent depth, were produced for lines
Kerinci. Figure 7 and 8 display two vertical sections
A, B, C, and D (not shown). The plots show that beneath
through the conceptual model, directed ENE-WSW and
lines A and B, there are higher apparent resistivities than
NNE-SWS, intersecting the Sikai and the Dua Belas Fault.
beneath lines C and D. This situation applies in the most
western and most eastern part of line D, while in the middle
we can find an intense low resistivity which may be related
to thermal alteration of rocks.
Hasri (1984) was suspicious of the interpretation of the
vertical results produced by JICA because he detected some
peculiar anomalies caused by EM coupling effect. He
reprocessed the JICA data and then reinterpreted the results.
The comparison for line D is shown in Figure 6 (1) and (2).
The pseudo-resistivity, beneath line B, C, and D shows
there are low resistivity rocks near the Sikai Fault and the
Duabelas Fault. Assuming that low resistivity is mainly
caused by thermally altered rocks, the alteration is thicker
beneath line D than line A.
Figure 7: Conceptual model of the Kerinci geothermal
system. ENE-WSW cross section

Proceedings 38th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop

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Auckland, New Zealand
The colours represent the lithology units, blue and red
arrows show cold fluids penetrating down and heated fluids
(reservoir fluids) flowing up to the surface, respectively.
Also shown are surface manifestations, wells, estimated
temperatures and the location of the clay cap.

Figure 8: Conceptual model of the Kerinci geothermal

system. NNE-SWS cross section
Figure 10: Plan view of model showing faults (magenta),
3. COMPUTER MODEL surface features (red dots), and a well (green
3.1 Model Description square)
A regular rectangular grid is used for the model. The area of
A B
the grid is 16 km x 14 km and it is divided into an outer
area and an inner area. The outer area blocks are 1 km x 1
km in size and the inner area has a better resolution with
500 m x 500 m blocks. Vertically, the model is set up with
19 layers. Layer 0 is the atmospheric layer and layers 1 to
19 are for rock lithology units. Layers 1 to 15 are set to be
200 m thick and the rest of them are 500 m thick. Layers 16
to 19 represent the basement and so they have uniform
lithology. The elevation of the top of the model follows the
topography.
Figure 11: Layer structure for model on section AB.

Table 1: Lithological units and parameter values

Rock Permeability
No Geologic system
name k1 k2 k3
1 A0001 Alluvium 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
2 B0001 Fan Deposit 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
Kunyit Volcanic
3 C0001 Rock (pumice 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
gravel)
Kunyit Volcanic
4 D0001 Rock (pyroclastic 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
flow)
Kunyit Volcanic
5 E0001 4E-16 5E-16 2E-16
Rock (lava dome)
Kunyit Volcanic
6 F0001 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
Rock (lava)
Raja Volcanic Rock
7 G0001 1E-16 2E-16 2E-16
(lava)
Tua Volcanic Rock
8 H0001 4E-16 5E-16 4E-16
Figure 9: The model grid, the topography and geological (tuff breccia)
map. Faults are shown in magenta. Tua Volcanic Rock
9 T0001 2E-16 2E-16 2E-16
(Upper)
The total number of blocks is approximately 7000. Figure Tua Volcanic Rock
9, above, shows the topographical map, overlaid by a 10 U0001 2E-16 2E-16 2E-16
(Medium)
geology map and by the model grid. Tua Volcanic Rock
11 V0001 2E-16 2E-16 2E-16
(Lower)
The red dots and green square in Figure 10, a plan view of
the grid, correspond to the surface features and KRC-B1 12 I0001 Basement Rock 5E-16 5E-16 5E-16
(Pertamina well), respectively. Figure 11 is a vertical cross 13 J0001 Basement Rock 5E-16 5E-16 5E-16
section showing the layer structure.

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Auckland, New Zealand
The lithology and the permeability structure were set up shown in Figure 12. The total flow rate of recharge is
based on the geological map and conceptual model. The 35 kg/s with an enthalpy of 1300 kJ/kg.
initial lithology units and their initial permeability values
are shown in Table 1.
There are, in addition, 10 faults identified in the Kerinci
geothermal system, as shown in Table 2. The locations of
the faults (listed in Table 2 and shown in Figure 10) were
based on two maps, namely: Pertamina literature (2015)
and JICA map (1989). However, the fault properties, such
as dip, azimuth etc. could not be determined properly due to
lack of information and so they were treated as vertical.
This enabled the model blocks corresponding to each fault
to be identified using the fault traces and then new “faulted”
rock types to be assigned to each block. Thus faulted rock
types were created for each of the faults in each of geologic
systems listed in Table 1. The faulted rock types were
distinguished from their base lithology by the assignment of Figure 12: Mass recharge blocks at base of the model
different rock properties in terms of permeability, porosity,
etc. The basic idea behind this approach is that since a fault
can act as a conduit or as a barrier, each fault should be The structure of permeability in the Kerinci geothermal
assigned unique parameters that either enhance or retard model is focused on the faults since they are the reason why
flow as a result of the faulting. Table 2 also shows how this the heated fluids in the reservoir appear at the surface. They
approach has altered the permeabilities of the Basement act as channels for hot fluids to seep out of the system.
rock type (I0001). Also, some of the faults act as conduits for water from
natural precipitation to recharge the geothermal system.
Thus the faults have two roles generally, as an entrance and
Table 2: Faults used in the model with permeabilities an exit for the fluids. All of the structures are assumed to
given for the Basement rock type (I0001) extend to the basement.
The rock properties for the faults are assigned differently
Fault Permeability (Basement)
No Direction from the rock properties in the background formations (as
Name k1 k2 k3 given in Table 1). It is expected that most faults will act as
- No Fault - 5E-16 5E-16 5E-16 conduits and should have high permeability and porosity.
However a few faults may act as barriers and should have
1 Fault 1 NE-SW 1E-16 5E-16 2E-15
low lateral permeability. The details were determined by
2 Fault 2 NE-SW 5E-16 2E-15 2E-15 calibration.
3 Fault 3 NNE-SSW 5E-16 5E-16 2E-15 3.2 Model Calibration and Results
4 Fault 4 NW-SE 1E-15 1E-16 5E-16 By using the numerical simulator, AUTOUGH2, a natural
5 Fault 5 NNE-SSW 2E-16 2E-16 2E-15
state model was generated and calibrated to match the field
data and the conceptual model. It was necessary to make
6 Fault 6 NW-SE 5E-16 1E-16 1E-15 several adjustments to the model during the calibration
7 Fault 7 NNW-SSE 1E-15 1E-15 1E-15 phase to achieve a good match with the real system. The
variables that were modified were: the permeability (both
8 Fault 8 NNW-SSE 5E-16 5E-16 2E-15 horizontal and vertical), the deep upflow of mass at the
9 Fault 9 NW-SE 5E-16 1E-16 2E-15 lowermost layer, the thickness of surface lithology and the
clay cap settings. Some small adjustments and re-
10 Fault 10 NNE-SSW 2E-16 2E-16 2E-15
interpretations in lithology or structures were also made.
Figures 13 and 14 show the structure of the natural state
The important matters related to building a model are, first, model and Figures 15 and 16 show the temperatures on the
the size and structure of model, and then second are the same profiles.
boundary conditions. The boundary conditions for this
model are as follows:
• The top boundary was assigned an atmospheric pressure
of 1 bar and temperature of 250 C. The surface lithology
units are assigned a high permeability to allow
simulation of the correct the position of the water table.
Some modellers have used a flat water table while
others have adjusted the thickness of the top blocks of
the model to match the variable elevation of the water
table (O’Sullivan et al., 1998).
• The side boundaries are assumed to be closed to heat
and fluid flow;
• Most of the bottom boundary was assigned a constant Figure 13: Vertical permeability on ENE-WSW vertical
background heat flux of 0.08 W/m2 while some blocks slice of the calibrated natural state model.
were set up to be the locations of hot mass recharge, as

Proceedings 38th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop

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Auckland, New Zealand
 Figure 17: Surface temperatures in the model
Figure 17 shows that the surface temperature is elevated in
Figure 14: Vertical permeability on NNE-SSW vertical
some blocks where there are existing surface
slice of the calibrated natural state model.
manifestations, but temperatures are lower than those
measured. This can be explained by the fact that the model
is built with a large block size, i.e., 500 m x 500 m. In most
cases the area of hot springs and fumaroles is quite small,
no more than approximately 10 m2. Accordingly, the heat
and mass flowing up to the surface is represented in the
model as the average over both the surface feature and the
surrounding cold terrain.
More details of the calibrated model are given by Prastika
(2016).
4. FUTURE PRODUCTION
The future development of the Kerinci geothermal system is
rather problematic due to the fact that the targeted potential
areas are situated in the National Park Kerinci Seblat
Figure 15: Temperatures on an ENE-WSW vertical slice (NPKS). At present, it is impossible to have any drilling
through the calibrated natural state model. activities in that area due to restrictions, but it might be
possible, in the future, that the regulator could allow
exploration and exploitation that would not damage the
park by setting up some compliance controls and
regulations.

With this in mind three future scenarios were developed to

investigate possible future production possibilities. For the
first and second scenarios feedzone blocks were able to be
located inside the National Park with the second scenario
allowing more wells to be drilled. The last scenario had the
restriction that the well pads must be located outside the
National Park. As the third scenario is the most likely to be
implemented, seven more cases (sub-scenarios) were
investigated, with various well locations and different
Figure 16: Temperatures on a NNE-SSW vertical slice numbers of wells (see Prastika, 2016, for details).
through the calibrated natural state model.
The final calibrated model reasonably reflects the
conceptual model. Similar temperatures are shown in the
natural state model, especially the temperatures beneath Mt.
Sikai, to those interpreted for the conceptual model. In
Figure 15, the model has a temperature of approximately
2600C at an elevation of 600-700 masl. Moreover, at an
elevation of 200 – 300 masl in the vicinity of KRC-B1, the
model temperature is 2200C. Also Figure 16 shows a
comparable temperature distribution to the conceptual
model. The temperatures ranging from 2200 – 2500 C at an
elevation of 200 – 400 masl, near the Dua Belas Fault, are a
good match to the temperatures shown in Figure 8.
Figure 18: Schedule of make-up wells for scenario SC-2
for two multipliers of the productivity indices (150 and
200)

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Auckland, New Zealand
In all cases the wells were run on deliverability so that the Hickman, R.G., Dobson, P.F., van Gerven, M., Sagala, B.D.
flow rate declined as the reservoir pressure dropped, with & Gunderson, R.P.: Tectonic and stratigraphic
the rate of decline controlled by a productivity index evolution of the Sarulla graben geothermal area,
(Pruess et al., 1999). North Sumatra, Indonesia, Journal of Asian Earth
Sciences, 23, 435-448 (2004).
Unsurprisingly Scenario 2 was the most productive with 60
kg/s of steam being able to be sustained for 25 years using Hochstein, M.P., and Sudarman, S.: Geothermal resources
wells with a typical productivity index. With less wells of Sumatra, Geothermics, 22, 181-200 (1993).
Scenario 1 could sustain 50 kg/s for the same productivity
index while the most productive case of Scenario 3 could JICA: The Feasibility Study on Kerinci Geothermal
only sustain 42 kg/s because of the limitations on well Development Project in the Republic of Indonesia.
locations. Final Report, Japan International Cooperation
Agency, 236 p. (1989).
The most productive case within Scenario 3 (SC-2) was
then used to investigate the development schedule that McCaffrey, R.: Slip vectors and stretching of the Sumatran
would be required to sustain 50 kg/s of steam production fore arc, Geology, 19, 881-884 (1991).
corresponding to 25 MW of electric power generation (see
Prastika, 2016). Simulations were run using a range of McCaffrey, R., Zwick, P., Bock, Y., Prawirodirdjo, L.,
productivity indices to determine the effect on the Genrich, J., Stevens, C.W., Puntodewo, S.S.O. &
development schedule. The results shown in Figure 18 Subarya, C.: Strain partitioning during oblique plate
indicate that the target steam flow can be maintained, but convergence in northern Sumatra: Geodetic and
only by drilling several make-up wells. Even for the high PI seismologic constraints and numerical modelling,
case (M200) 10 make-up wells are required over 25 years. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 28, 363-28,
376 (2000).
5. CONCLUSIONS O'Sullivan, M. J., Bullivant, D. P., Mannington, W. I., &
A conceptual model and then a natural state computer Follows, S. E.: Modelling of the Wairakei – Tauhara
model of the undeveloped Kerinci geothermal field were geothermal system. Proc. 20th New Zealand
presented. The study shows that despite the limited amount Geothermal Workshop, University of Auckland,
of geoscientific data and with no downhole well data a Auckland, New Zealand, 59-66 (1998).
reasonable natural state model can be constructed. The
model is constrained by the locations and magnitudes of the Prastika, Y.: Natural state model of Kerinci geothermal
surface features which are able to be represented using the system, Jambi, Indonesia. Master of Energy Report,
air-water equation-of-state. University of Auckland (2016).

The natural state model was used as the basis for a number Prawirodirdjo, L., Bock, Y., Genrich, J.F., Puntdewo,
of future scenario simulations. The results show that when S.S.O., Rais, J., Subarya, C. & Sutisna, S.: One
well pads are restricted to locations outside the National century of tectonic deformation along the Sumatran
Park, approximately 20 wells are required to maintain a fault from triangulation and Global Positioning
production rate of 25 MWe. If the well pad locations are not System surveys, Journal of Geophysical Research,
restricted or deeper wells are able to be drilled then higher 105, 28.343-28.361, (2000).
rates of production could be achieved or less wells would
be required to sustain 25 MWe. Pruess, K., Oldenburg, C. & Moridis, G.: TOUGH2 User's
Guide, Version 2.0. Lawrence Berkeley National
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Proceedings 38th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop

23 - 25 November 2016
Auckland, New Zealand