U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
Technology Development and Field Trials of EGS Drilling Systems at Chocolate Mountain
Abstract
Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits are routinely used in the oil and gas industry for drilling medium to hard rock but have not been adopted for geothermal drilling, largely due to past reliability issues and higher purchase costs. The Sandia Geothermal Research Department has recently completed a field demonstration of the applicability of advanced synthetic diamond drill bits for production geothermal drilling. Two commercially-available PDC bits were tested in a geothermal drilling program in the Chocolate Mountains in Southern California. These bits drilled the granitic formations with significantly better Rate of Penetration (ROP) and bit life than the roller cone bit they are compared with. Drilling records and bit performance data along with associated drilling cost savings are presented herein. The drilling trials have demonstrated PDC bit drilling technology has matured for applicability and improvements to geothermal drilling. This will be especially beneficial for development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems whereby resources can be accessed anywhere within the continental US by drilling to deep, hot resources in hard, basement rock formations.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Other Number(s):
- 140
- DOE Contract Number:
- AID 20008
- Research Org.:
- USDOE Geothermal Data Repository (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Geothermal Technologies Program (EE-2C)
- Collaborations:
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Subject:
- 15 Geothermal Energy
- Keywords:
- geothermal; chocolate mountains; drilling; pdc bit; roller cone; granite; chocolate mountains drilling; synthetic diamond; rate of penetration; egs; lateral vibration spectrum; California; CA; Southern California; SoCal; drilling records; performance data; drilling charts; before and after; pictures; vibration spectrum
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1225980
- DOI:
- https://doi.org/10.15121/1225980
Citation Formats
Knudsen, Steven. Technology Development and Field Trials of EGS Drilling Systems at Chocolate Mountain. United States: N. p., 2012.
Web. doi:10.15121/1225980.
Knudsen, Steven. Technology Development and Field Trials of EGS Drilling Systems at Chocolate Mountain. United States. doi:https://doi.org/10.15121/1225980
Knudsen, Steven. 2012.
"Technology Development and Field Trials of EGS Drilling Systems at Chocolate Mountain". United States. doi:https://doi.org/10.15121/1225980. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1225980. Pub date:Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2012
@article{osti_1225980,
title = {Technology Development and Field Trials of EGS Drilling Systems at Chocolate Mountain},
author = {Knudsen, Steven},
abstractNote = {Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits are routinely used in the oil and gas industry for drilling medium to hard rock but have not been adopted for geothermal drilling, largely due to past reliability issues and higher purchase costs. The Sandia Geothermal Research Department has recently completed a field demonstration of the applicability of advanced synthetic diamond drill bits for production geothermal drilling. Two commercially-available PDC bits were tested in a geothermal drilling program in the Chocolate Mountains in Southern California. These bits drilled the granitic formations with significantly better Rate of Penetration (ROP) and bit life than the roller cone bit they are compared with. Drilling records and bit performance data along with associated drilling cost savings are presented herein. The drilling trials have demonstrated PDC bit drilling technology has matured for applicability and improvements to geothermal drilling. This will be especially beneficial for development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems whereby resources can be accessed anywhere within the continental US by drilling to deep, hot resources in hard, basement rock formations.},
doi = {10.15121/1225980},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2012},
month = {1}
}