Recent flow testing of the HDR reservoir at Fenton Hill, NM
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
The principal objective of the recent flow testing of the Phase II Hot Dry Rock (HDR) reservoir at Fenton Hill, NM has been to demonstrate its long-term viability as a significant source of thermal energy. However, with an aggregate of only about 8 months of production to date, this objective has obviously not yet been accomplished. Starting in April 1992, two periods of steady-state reservoir flow testing were conducted, which are here referred to as the first (16-week long) and second (8-week long) phases of the Long-Term Flow Test (LTFT). These two segments of the LTFT -- April through July 1992 and February through April 1993 -- were conducted at an aseismic (nonextensional) injection pressure of about 3960 psi (27.3 MPa) and at a production well between these two phases of the LTFT included a lower-injection-pressure flow test lasting about 6 weeks and a 2-month period of flow testing at the LTFT injection pressure of 3960 psi, but at even higher levels of production well back-pressure -- 1800 and 2200 psi (12.4 and 15.2 MPa). The permeation loss from the boundaries of the reservoir decreased from an average of about 12.5 gpm (0.79 l/s) during the first phase of the LTFT to 7.3 gpm (0.46 l/s) near the end of the second phase of the LTFT. This low but apparently still declining water loss is remarkable considering the very large volume of fractured rock (about 16x10[sup 6] m[sup 3]) comprising the flow-connected Phase II reservoir region. The long-term testing of the Phase II reservoir at Fenton Hill under stable, aseismic conditions has shown no thermal drawdown during almost 8 months of flow testing. This conclusion is based primarily on downhole measurements of the fluid temperature level just above the 1130-ft (344-m) multiple-entrance production zone in the production well, which indicate that there has been no change in the mixed-mean reservoir outlet temperature between July 1992 and March 1993.
- OSTI ID:
- 7369656
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930484-; ON: DE94001714
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 11. Geothermal program review: geothermal energy - the environmentally responsible energy technology for the nineties, Berkeley, CA (United States), 27-29 Apr 1993; Related Information: In: Proceedings: Geothermal Energy: The Environmentally Responsible Energy Technology for the Nineties'', by
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Progress report on the long-term flow testing of the HDR reservoir at Fenton Hill, New Mexico
The US Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy Development Program
Related Subjects
HOT-DRY-ROCK SYSTEMS
FLUID INJECTION
PERFORMANCE TESTING
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
WATER PUMPS
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
PUMPS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
TESTING
Geothermal Legacy
150800* - Geothermal Power Plants
150902 - Geothermal Engineering- Fluid Transmission
150904 - Geothermal Engineering- Geothermal Reservoir & Well Performance