High-temperature borehole instrumentation

Dennis, B R; Koczan, S P; Stephani, E L

doi:10.2172/6355508

Title: High-temperature borehole instrumentation

Full Record
Other Related Research

Abstract

A new method of extracting natural heat from the earth's crust was invented at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1970. It uses fluid pressures (hydraulic fracturing) to produce cracks that connect two boreholes drilled into hot rock formations of low initial permeability. Pressurized water is then circulated through this connected underground loop to extract heat from the rock and bring it to the surface. The creation of the fracture reservior began with drilling boreholes deep within the Precambrian basement rock at the Fenton Hill Test Site. Hydraulic fracturing, flow testing, and well-completion operations required unique wellbore measurements using downhole instrumentation systems that would survive the very high borehole temperatures, 320/sup 0/C (610/sup 0/F). These instruments were not available in the oil and gas industrial complex, so the Los Alamos National Laboratory initiated an intense program upgrading existing technology where applicable, subcontracting materials and equipment development to industrial manufactures, and using the Laboratory resource to develop the necessary downhole instruments to meet programmatic schedules. 60 refs., 11 figs.

Authors:: Dennis, B R; Koczan, S P; Stephani, E L

Publication Date:: Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985

Research Org.:: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 6355508

Report Number(s):: LA-10558-HDR
ON: DE86004383

DOE Contract Number:: W-7405-ENG-36

Resource Type:: Technical Report

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS; WELL LOGGING EQUIPMENT; DESIGN; BOREHOLES; HIGH TEMPERATURE; CAVITIES; ENERGY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT; GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS; Geothermal Legacy

Citation Formats


                    Dennis, B R, Koczan, S P, and Stephani, E L. High-temperature borehole instrumentation.  United States: N. p., 1985. 
        Web.  doi:10.2172/6355508.

Copy to clipboard


                    Dennis, B R, Koczan, S P, & Stephani, E L. High-temperature borehole instrumentation.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/6355508

Copy to clipboard


                    Dennis, B R, Koczan, S P, and Stephani, E L. 1985.  
        "High-temperature borehole instrumentation".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/6355508.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6355508.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_6355508,

  title        = {High-temperature borehole instrumentation},

  author       = {Dennis, B R and Koczan, S P and Stephani, E L},

  abstractNote = {A new method of extracting natural heat from the earth's crust was invented at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1970. It uses fluid pressures (hydraulic fracturing) to produce cracks that connect two boreholes drilled into hot rock formations of low initial permeability. Pressurized water is then circulated through this connected underground loop to extract heat from the rock and bring it to the surface. The creation of the fracture reservior began with drilling boreholes deep within the Precambrian basement rock at the Fenton Hill Test Site. Hydraulic fracturing, flow testing, and well-completion operations required unique wellbore measurements using downhole instrumentation systems that would survive the very high borehole temperatures, 320/sup 0/C (610/sup 0/F). These instruments were not available in the oil and gas industrial complex, so the Los Alamos National Laboratory initiated an intense program upgrading existing technology where applicable, subcontracting materials and equipment development to industrial manufactures, and using the Laboratory resource to develop the necessary downhole instruments to meet programmatic schedules. 60 refs., 11 figs.},

  doi          = {10.2172/6355508},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6355508},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985},

  month        = {Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985}

}

Copy to clipboard

Technical Report:

View Technical Report (4.57 MB)

https://doi.org/10.2172/6355508

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Similar records in OSTI.GOV collections:

Logging technology for high-temperature geothermal boreholes

Conference Dennis, B

Research in materials, equipment, and instrument development was required in the Hot Dry Rock Energy Extraction Demonstration at Fenton Hill located in northern New Mexico. Results of this extensive development advanced the logging technology in geothermal boreholes to present state-of-the art. The new Phase II Energy Extraction System at the Fenton Hill Test Site will consist of two wellbores drilled to a depth of about 4570 m (15,000 ft) and then connected by a series of hydraulic-induced fractures. The first borehole (EE-2) was completed in May of 1980 at a depth of 4633 m (15,200 ft) of which approximately 3960more »« less
Full Text Available
Planning and drilling geothermal energy extraction hole EE-2: a precisely oriented and deviated hole in hot granitic rock

Technical Report Helmick, C; Koczan, S; Pettitt, R

During the preceding work (Phase I) of the Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Geothermal Energy Project at Fenton Hill, two holes were drilled to a depth of nearly 3048 m (10,000 ft) and connected by a vertical hydraulic fracture. In this phase, water was pumped through the underground reservoir for approximately 417 days, producing an energy equivalent of 3 to 5 MW(t). Energy Extraction Hole No. 2 (EE-2) is the first of two deep holes that will be used in the Engineering-Resource Development System (Phase II) of the ongoing HDR Project of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This phase of themore »« less
https://doi.org/10.2172/5349667

Full Text Available
Mining earth's heat: development of hot-dry-rock geothermal reservoirs

Conference Pettitt, R; Becker, N

The energy-extraction concept of the Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Geothermal Program, as initially developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is to mine this heat by creating a man-made reservoir in low-permeability, hot basement rock. This concept has been successfully proven at Fenton Hill in northern New Mexico by drilling two holes to a depth of approximately 3 km (10,000 ft) and a bottom temperature of 200/sup 0/C (392/sup 0/F), then connecting the boreholes with a large-diametervertical hydraulic fracture. Water is circulated down one borehole, heated by the hot rock, and rises up the second borehole to the surface wheremore »« less
Full Text Available
Hot dry rock, an alternate geothermal energy resource: a challenge for instrumentation

Conference Dennis, B; Horton, E

The natural internal heat from the Earth is one of the cleanest, nearly inexhaustible energy sources. The hot dry rock that composes most of the Earth's crust has the potential of becoming one of the largest reservoirs of energy economically available in the near future. The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, for the past five years, has been working toward exploiting this very abundant, clean energy source. The LASL technique to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of extracting heat from the hot dry rock source depends upon the connection of two deep boreholes drilled into impermeable precambrian granite where themore »« less
Full Text Available
Sidetracking experiences in hot granitic wellbores

Conference Pettitt, R; Carden, R

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,more »« less
Full Text Available

Similar Records