Resource assessment of the Imperial Valley. Final report

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5778886· OSTI ID:5778886

Biehler, S; Lee, T

A resource assessment of the Imperial Valley has been made based on the use of the gravity anomalies as indicators of total excess mass. These data indicate a potential of producing electric power of 7 to 80 thousand megawatts for 30 years. Over half of the total potential is located in the Salton Sea Anomaly and approximately half of the potential of the Salton Sea field is water covered. An attempt has been made to assess not only the heat in storage in the fluid but also recoverable from the country rock by reinjection. Based on calculations, the natural recharge rate of heat in the Valley due to sea floor spreading is too small to give the resource an indefinite life-span since the economic rates of withdrawal appear to be at least an order of magnitude greater.

• Research Organization: Dry Lands Research Inst., Riverside, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5778886
• Report Number(s): DLRI-10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
IMPERIAL VALLEY
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
EARTHQUAKES
FLUID WITHDRAWAL
GEOTHERMAL FLUIDS
GRAVITY SURVEYS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECHARGE
REINJECTION
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
SALINITY
SALTON SEA GEOTHERMAL FIELD
CALIFORNIA
FLUIDS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEISMIC EVENTS
USA
WESTERN REGION
Geothermal Legacy
150101* - Geothermal Energy- Resources & Availability- USA- (-1989)