Recent Thermal and Hydraulic Stimulation Results at Raft River, ID EGS Site
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); University of Utah
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
- Geothermal Resource Group, Inc., Palm Desert, CA (United States)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- US Geothermal Inc., Boise, ID (United States)
- Waters Petroleum LLC, Anchorage, AK (United States)
The Raft River geothermal system, located 160 km northwest of Salt Lake City, Utah is the site of a Department of Energy Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) stimulation demonstration project. The target well RRG-9 ST-1, is roughly 1.6 km (1 mile) south of the power plant. This well has undergone a series of thermal and hydraulic stimulation treatments. Furthermore, the well passes through approximately 1,524 m MD (5,000 ft. MD) of laterally discontinuous Quaternary and Tertiary volcanoclastic and volcanic rocks that unconformably overlie the Precambrian basement. The Elba Quartzite formation located in the Precambrian basement is the target zone for the stimulation program. Fluid injected into the well exits through a fracture zone in the Elba Quartzite at 1,567 m TVD (5,140 ft. TVD). In June 2013 low-rate stimulation began at RRG-9 ST-1 using injection water from the geothermal plant. The average injection rate, temperature, and well head pressure of the low-rate stimulation was 163 Lpm (43 gpm), 34°C, and 1,931kPa (280 psig), respectively. This injection continued through late August of 2013 when wellhead pressures were intentionally increased to approximately 5,516 kPa (800 psig) at approximately 984 Lpm (260 gpm). From September 12 to September 24, 2013 cold well water was injected. The average surface injection temperature was approximately 12°C. On September 25, 2013 injection of the warmer plant water was resumed. This was continued through the rest of 2013 and into 2014. Between April 1, 2014 and April 4, 2014, a higher rate hydraulic stimulation was conducted. Colder water (~10°C) was injected at rates of 20 bpm to 30 bpm (3,178 Lpm to 4,770 Lpm) at wellhead pressures of 5,861 kPa (850 psig) over approximately 24 hours. Microseismic activity was recorded near the Tertiary-Precambrian contact. Subsequently, injection of water from the plant was resumed. As of mid-January, 2015, over 666 million liters (176 million gallons) have been injected into the well. The fate of this water is the subject of ongoing numerical analyses and continuous site monitoring. Various analyses have been implemented to monitor and assess the ongoing stimulation program. Modified Hall plot analysis shows increasing conductivity and/or a decreasing skin factor around the wellbore. Since April, 2014, the injectivity index has increased significantly from 0.28 Lpm/kPa (0.5 gpm/psig) to 0.93 Lpm/kPa (1.7 gpm/psig).
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0000215; FG36-08GO18189
- OSTI ID:
- 1781422
- Journal Information:
- Stanford Geothermal Workshop, Journal Name: Stanford Geothermal Workshop
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Thermal Stimulation and Injectivity Testing at Raft River, ID EGS Site
The Application of Hydraulic and Thermal Stimulation Techniques to Create Enhanced Geothermal Systems