Drilling into molten rock at Kilauea Iki

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6700728

Colp, J L; Okamura, R T

The scientific feasibility of extracting energy directly from buried circulating magma resources is being assessed. One of the tasks of the project is the study of geophysical measuring systems to locate and define buried molten rock bodies. To verify the results of a molten rock sensing experiment performed at Kilauea Iki lava lake, it is necessary to drill a series of holes through the solid upper crust and through the molten zone at that location. Thirteen holes have been drilled in Kilauea Iki. The results achieved during the drilling of the last two holes indicated that the molten zone in Kilauea Iki is not a simple, relatively homogeneous fluid body as expected. The encountering of an unexpected, unknown rigid obstruction 2.5 ft below the crust/melt interface has led to the conceptual development of a drilling system intended to have the capability to drill through a hot, rigid obstruction while the drill stem is immersed in molten rock. The concept will be field tested at Kilauea Iki in the summer of 1978.

• Research Organization: Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-0789
• OSTI ID: 6700728
• Report Number(s): SAND-78-0443C; CONF-780708-11
• Resource Relation: Conference: Geothermal Resources Council meeting, Hilo, HI, USA, 25 Jul 1978
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
KILAUEA VOLCANO
WELL DRILLING
MAGMA SYSTEMS
BOREHOLES
DESIGN
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
HAWAII
LAVA
LAYERS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
CAVITIES
DRILLING
EQUIPMENT
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
USA
VOLCANIC ROCKS
VOLCANOES
WESTERN REGION
Geothermal Legacy
150303* - Geothermal Exploration & Exploration Technology- Exploratory Drilling & Well Logging