Case Study: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology models a complex geothermal system with Tecplot 360

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology - Customer Case Study

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, through master’s student Melinda Horne and advisor Dr. Mark Person, was studying a blind geothermal reservoir in south-central New Mexico with unusual temperature inversion and complex three-dimensional flow. Using Tecplot 360, they needed to analyze model output, match temperature-depth data from a geothermal well, and compare salinity and resistivity patterns against surface electrical survey data.

Tecplot 360 helped the team extract precise profiles and contours from the 2D model, visualize temperature, heat, and salinity fields, and move data between Tecplot 360 and R for Archie’s Law resistivity calculations. The result was a better-fit geothermal flow interpretation, with coupled and uncoupled simulations showing different best-fit conditions, and a clearer image of the upflow zone, salinity distribution, and lateral extent of the reservoir. Tecplot, Inc. provided an intuitive tool that the researcher described as irreplaceable for her master’s work.

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Mark Person

Professor of Hydrology