An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Hydrogeology & Groundwater for Energy Projects
Hydrogeology and Groundwater for Energy Projects
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
31 May 2027
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Hydrogeology & Groundwater for Energy Projects
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Hydrogeology & Groundwater for Energy Projects - GG-HYDRO-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-HYDRO-PEA27 | 31 May - 04 Jun 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Hydrogeology & Groundwater for Energy Projects
This training covers hydrogeology and groundwater for energy projects. It works through groundwater flow fundamentals, aquifer characterisation and testing, groundwater chemistry and quality, recharge and water balance, contaminant transport, groundwater modelling, protection requirements and regulation, groundwater issues in storage and geothermal projects and the assessment of groundwater risk in project permitting.
Description
Energy projects interact with groundwater whether or not they intend to. Carbon dioxide storage must demonstrate that shallow aquifers are protected; geothermal schemes abstract and reinject water and may affect shallow systems; produced water disposal injects into aquifers; and unconventional development is scrutinised for groundwater impact. In each case the permitting depends on a groundwater assessment, and in each case the assessment is conducted by hydrogeologists working to standards and methods that petroleum geoscientists have usually not encountered.
This training covers the hydrogeology required. Groundwater flow fundamentals are established first, covering hydraulic head, Darcy flow in the groundwater formulation, aquifer types and the terminology that differs from petroleum usage. Aquifer characterisation and testing follow, covering pumping tests, slug tests and their interpretation. Groundwater chemistry and quality are then developed, covering major ion chemistry, water quality standards and the parameters that matter for protection. Recharge and water balance follow. Contaminant transport is then addressed, covering advection, dispersion, retardation and the prediction of plume movement. Groundwater modelling follows. Protection requirements and regulation are then developed. Groundwater issues in storage and geothermal projects follow. The training closes with groundwater risk in permitting.
The terminology differs from petroleum practice and the differences cause real errors. Hydrogeologists work in hydraulic head and hydraulic conductivity rather than pressure and permeability, in transmissivity rather than permeability-thickness, and in storativity rather than compressibility. The quantities are convertible but the conversions involve fluid density and viscosity, and a hydraulic conductivity quoted in metres per day is not a permeability. Mixing the systems, or assuming a conversion, produces errors of orders of magnitude, and anyone working across both disciplines needs to be fluent in both sets of units.
Brine displacement is the groundwater issue in carbon storage. Injecting into a saline formation displaces the brine already there, and that brine has to go somewhere: laterally within the formation, or vertically if a pathway exists. Where the formation connects to a shallower fresher aquifer, the pressure increase can drive saline water upwards and degrade a usable water resource, without any carbon dioxide moving at all. This is a legitimate regulatory concern, it depends on the regional hydrogeology rather than on the plume, and it is assessed with a groundwater model rather than a reservoir simulator.
A pumping test is the hydrogeological equivalent of a well test and is interpreted similarly. Pumping at a constant rate and monitoring drawdown in the pumping well and in observation wells gives transmissivity, storativity and evidence of boundaries, leakage and heterogeneity, through analysis methods directly analogous to pressure transient analysis. A petroleum engineer can read these tests with little retraining, which makes aquifer testing an area where existing skills transfer well.
Finally, groundwater protection standards are prescriptive and non-negotiable. Unlike reservoir management, where the operator sets the targets, groundwater protection works to concentration limits for specified substances defined in regulation, applied at defined compliance points, with monitoring and reporting requirements attached. A project either meets them or does not. Understanding which standards apply, where compliance is measured and what the monitoring obligation is should happen early in project design, because retrofitting compliance is expensive and sometimes impossible.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Apply groundwater flow fundamentals and hydrogeological terminology
- Convert between hydrogeological and petroleum units correctly
- Characterise aquifers and interpret pumping and slug tests
- Interpret groundwater chemistry and assess water quality
- Assess recharge and construct water balances
- Predict contaminant transport including dispersion and retardation
- Specify and interpret groundwater modelling
- Apply groundwater protection standards and regulatory requirements
- Assess brine displacement and groundwater impact in storage projects
- Assess groundwater risk for project permitting
The training works on groundwater data sets from energy project settings. Participants interpret pumping tests, construct water balances, and assess contaminant and brine displacement scenarios. Groundwater models are run and interpreted. Project cases are assessed against groundwater protection standards and permitting requirements.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Address groundwater requirements early in project design
- Assess brine displacement in storage projects
- Interpret aquifer test data correctly
- Specify groundwater studies and models effectively
- Meet groundwater protection and monitoring obligations
- Reduce permitting delays from groundwater issues
Participants will:
- Work fluently in hydrogeological units and concepts
- Interpret aquifer tests
- Assess groundwater chemistry and quality
- Predict contaminant and brine movement
- Specify groundwater modelling
- Address groundwater risk in permitting
- Geoscientists on storage and geothermal projects
- Reservoir engineers working injection projects
- Environmental and permitting staff
- Water disposal and injection well staff
- Hydrogeologists new to energy projects
- Project staff addressing groundwater requirements
- Technical staff reviewing groundwater assessments
Module 1 - Groundwater Flow Fundamentals
- Hydraulic head and its components
- Hydraulic conductivity and permeability
- Transmissivity and storativity
- Unit conversions between disciplines
- Darcy flow in groundwater form
- Confined and unconfined aquifers
- Leaky and perched aquifers
- Aquitards and confining units
- Flow nets and flow direction
- Regional and local flow systems
- Vertical hydraulic gradients
- Density driven flow
Module 2 - Aquifer Characterisation and Testing
- Aquifer geometry and mapping
- Hydrostratigraphic framework
- Pumping test design
- Constant rate and step tests
- Drawdown measurement and observation wells
- Theis and Jacob analysis
- Leaky aquifer solutions
- Boundary identification
- Slug and packer tests
- Tracer tests in groundwater
- Geophysical methods in hydrogeology
- Heterogeneity and scale effects
Module 3 - Groundwater Chemistry
- Major ion chemistry
- Water types and classification
- Piper and Stiff diagrams
- Total dissolved solids and salinity
- pH, redox and their significance
- Dissolved gases
- Trace elements and metals
- Isotopes in groundwater
- Groundwater age and dating methods
- Water quality standards
- Sampling protocols and preservation
- Interpreting chemistry for flow and origin
Module 4 - Recharge and Water Balance
- Recharge mechanisms
- Precipitation and infiltration
- Recharge estimation methods
- Water table fluctuation methods
- Chloride mass balance
- Discharge to surface water
- Evapotranspiration
- Water balance construction
- Sustainable abstraction concepts
- Abstraction effects on the balance
- Climate effects on recharge
- Water balance uncertainty
Module 5 - Contaminant Transport
- Advective transport
- Hydrodynamic dispersion
- Molecular diffusion
- Sorption and retardation
- Distribution coefficients
- Degradation and decay
- Density effects on transport
- Plume geometry and development
- Breakthrough curves
- Analytical transport solutions
- Dilution and attenuation
- Transport in fractured media
Module 6 - Groundwater Modelling
- Modelling objectives and scoping
- Conceptual model construction
- Finite difference and finite element methods
- Common modelling codes
- Grid design and boundary conditions
- Property assignment and zonation
- Steady state and transient calibration
- Calibration targets and quality
- Predictive simulation
- Transport modelling
- Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
- Model review and acceptance
Module 7 - Protection and Regulation
- Groundwater protection principles
- Underground sources of drinking water
- Protected and usable aquifer definitions
- Concentration limits and standards
- Compliance points and their definition
- Monitoring well networks
- Monitoring frequency and parameters
- Reporting requirements
- Injection well classification
- Permitting requirements for injection
- Corrective action requirements
- Jurisdictional differences
Module 8 - Energy Project Applications
- CO2 storage and groundwater protection
- Brine displacement and its modelling
- Upward migration of saline water
- Pressure propagation to shallow aquifers
- CO2 dissolution and acidification effects
- Trace metal mobilisation
- Geothermal abstraction and reinjection
- Thermal effects on groundwater
- Produced water disposal
- Unconventional development groundwater concerns
- Baseline groundwater characterisation
- Assessing groundwater risk in permitting
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
