HDR opportunities and challenges beyond the long-term flow test

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5488683

Duchane, D V

The long term flow test (LTFT) of the world's largest, deepest, and hottest hot dry rock (HDR) reservoir currently underway at Fenton Hill, NM, is expected to demonstrate that thermal energy can be mined from hot rock within the earth on a sustainable basis with minimal water consumption. This test will simulate the operations of a commercial facility in some ways, but it will not show that energy from HDR can be produced at a variety of locations with different geological settings. Since the Fenton Hill system was designed as a research facility rather than strictly for production purposes, it will also not demonstrate economic viability, although it may well give indications of system modifications needed for economic HDR operations. A second production site must be constructed, ideally under the direction of the private geothermal community, to begin the process of proving that the vast HDR resources can be accessed on a worldwide scale. Finally, research and development work in areas such as reservoir interrogation, and system modeling must be accelerated to increase the competitiveness and geographical applications of HDR and the geothermal industry in general. This paper addresses the above issues in detail and outlines possible paths to future prosperity for the commercial geothermal industry.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5488683
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-92-978; CONF-920378--1; ON: DE92011234
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150100* -- Geothermal Energy-- Resources & Availability
DEMAND
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEOTHERMAL INDUSTRY
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
Geothermal Legacy
HEAT EXTRACTION
HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS
INDUSTRY
MINING
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCES
USA
WATER REQUIREMENTS