High-temperature borehole instrumentation
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:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- 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.
Dennis, B.R., Koczan, S.P., & Stephani, E.L. High-temperature borehole instrumentation. United States. doi:10.2172/6355508.
Dennis, B.R., Koczan, S.P., and Stephani, E.L. Tue .
"High-temperature borehole instrumentation". United States.
doi:10.2172/6355508. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6355508.
@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},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985},
month = {Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985}
}
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