Fiber Optic Monitoring of Geothermal Circulation Tests in Utah

This technical report details the acquisition, processing, and analysis of fiber optic data from the Utah FORGE 16B(78)-32 well during August 2025 cross-well circulation and huff and puff tests. The data includes continuous monitoring via distributed strain (RFS DSS), temperature (DTS), and acoustic (DAS) sensing along the cased hole section of production well 16B.

Use Cases

• Analyze distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data to map thermal evolution during huff and puff tests.
• Correlate distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) signals with operational phases of cross-well circulation tests.
• Process distributed strain sensing (RFS DSS) data to assess mechanical deformation along the wellbore.
• Integrate DTS, DAS, and DSS data streams for a multi-physics analysis of geothermal reservoir behavior.

Strengths

• Data provides continuous monitoring through time at high spatial resolution along the entire cased hole section.
• Report details acquisition and processing of three distinct fiber optic sensing modalities (DTS, DAS, DSS).
• Focuses on a specific, documented test period (August 2025) at the Utah FORGE geothermal research site.

Limitations

• Data is presented in a processed, report format (PDF) rather than raw, machine-readable time-series files.
• The scope is limited to a single well (16B(78)-32) and a specific test period, reducing generalizability.
• Technical report format may require domain expertise in geophysics or geothermal engineering for full interpretation.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy

Collection Method

Fiber optic data collected via instrumented coiled tubing pipe during field tests executed by Texas Tech University and California State University Long Beach.

Time Range

August 2025

Freshness

Report was last updated in March 2026, covering tests from August 2025.

Geography

Utah FORGE 16B(78)-32 well, Utah, USA