Sidetracking experiences in hot granitic wellbores
In the development of the first Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal energy extraction system at Fenton Hill, west of Los Alamos, New Mexico, man-made reservoirs were created by connecting two holes in hot, impermeable crystalline rock with hydraulically-produced fractures. This system consists of two near-vertical, 24.5-cm (9-5/8-in.) diameter holes approximately 3 km (10,000 ft) deep in Precambrian basement rock, at a bottom-hole temperature of 200/sup 0/C (400/sup 0/F). In order to improve the connection between the wellbores, the production hole was sidetracked to intercept the fracture zone at a more favorable depth. Two successful sidetrack operations were accomplished in 1977, utilizing cement plugs, underreaming, Dyna-Drills, and both button and diamond bits. Drilling of the second larger, commercial-sized reservoir system began in 1979 and consists of two boreholes drilled to a depth of 4 km (15,000 ft) at an angle of 35/sup 0/ from the vertical, which will be connected by a series of hydraulic fractures extending across the 400-m-(1200-ft) vertical separation of the two holes. Sidetracking to bypass a stuck bottom-hole assembly was accomplished through the use of a whipstock device, Dyna-Drills, and button bits. This paper is presented as a case history of the efforts involved to achieve successful sidetracking in hot granitic wellbores.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA); Grace, Sursen, Moore and Associates, Amarillo, TX (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6206390
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-81-1786; CONF-811015-12; ON: DE81025299
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Geothermal Resources Council annual meeting, Houston, TX, USA, 25 Oct 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy Development Program Annual Report Fiscal Year 1988
High-temperature borehole instrumentation
Related Subjects
HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS
WELL DRILLING
BOREHOLES
CEMENTS
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
DRILL BITS
EXPLORATORY WELLS
FRACTURES
GRANITES
MAPS
NEW MEXICO
BUILDING MATERIALS
CAVITIES
DRILLING
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
FAILURES
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
PLUTONIC ROCKS
ROCKS
SOUTHWEST REGION
USA
WELLS
Geothermal Legacy
150901* - Geothermal Engineering- Drilling Technology & Well Hardware