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WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Using Fiber Optics to Improve Geothermal Potential Adapted from Information by the University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscientists and engineers are working with industry partners and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a highly detailed monitoring system for geothermal wells. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are man-made geother- mal wells created by drilling injection wells and injecting fluid into naturally heated rock areas which are not already saturated with fluid. This process opens up existing rock fractures, allowing water to circulate through the area and transport the geothermal heat so it can be converted into electricity. These man-made geothermal systems which emulate natural ones could, by some conservative estimates, produce a total of 100 gigawatts of electricity over the next 50 years. However, to get to that point, energy providers need more sophisticated systems for gathering and analyzing data about the rock mechanics and hydrology at work. The research team, including geological engineering and geo- science Professor Kurt Feigl; geological engineering Associate Professor Dante Fratta; geoscience Assistant Professor Mike Cardiff; geoscience Professor Cliff Thurber; and geoscience Professor Herb Wang, has converged on Brady Hot Springs, Nevada, to turn a relatively small geothermal field into a proving ground for a system which could potentially be scaled for wider and deeper fields. Although it is common for energy companies to use this tech- nology for oil exploration, this is the first project in North America to use fiber-optic cables to measure rock properties in a geothermal field. “Locating oil under- ground is tough, but in geothermal wells, the challenge is finding hot water,” Feigl stated. In the last five years, advances in fiber-optic technology have enabled cables to gather around a terabyte of detailed seismic and temperature data per day. According to Joe Greer, a business development manager at Silixa, one of the industry partners involved with the project, there is one channel every 3 feet or so, whereas a typical seismic survey would have one channel about every 98-130 feet. The project’s scope spans from fundamental geoscience to maximizing the produc- tion of electricity from geothermal wells. Feigl says there’s still a great deal to be learned about fractures and deformation in rocks, and the information will in turn help the DOE, Silixa, and Ormat Technologies follow the hot water through a complex underground land- scape - and pursue the long-term goal of commercializing EGS technology. “We have a real opportunity to create better, more efficient reservoirs, and that could lead to the deployment of EGS on a broader scale,” said Lauren Boyd, the EGS program manager for DOE. “We have to understand what our fracture network looks like before we try to create a reservoir.” Boyd also stated the DOE chose to fund the project in part because the University of Wisconsin-Madison Team has a unique combination of strengths in geoscience and data analysis. “It was very clear that Kurt and his team have a really clear understanding of these challenges that we’re facing, and it brings a creative approach to integrating technologies,” Boyd concluded. Centerline Manufacturing Co. 903-725-6978 903-725-3647 fax ~ Mud pumps for the 21st century ~ www.centerlinemanufacturing.com ~ Centerline mud pumps are getting the job done from Canada to Australia, China to Peru ~ ©WorldWide Drilling Resource, Inc. 2006 Centerline Manufacturing is proud to be your complete stocking source for American Manufacturing mud pump parts!! U.S. Patent #6,769,884 and others pending Monopump models rated: 180 gpm Duplex models rated: 300 gpm Triplex models rated: 450 gpm 500 or 800 psi models available aluminum or iron. ~ The Centerline 7 1/2” x 10” hydraulic drive mono mud pump ~ ~ compact ~ fits on top or under deck ~ pumps the rated flow of a 5” x 6” @ over twice the rated pressure ~ weighs 650 lbs, 1615 lbs less! &% ! "" * "(%$ ))) (" $( ' & $ %# # " (" $( $ ( " !" !! ! &% ! % ! (" $( & $ $ $ " ! $ $ ! ! $ ! $ # $ $ $ Photo of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Team by Dan Koetke. 30 AUGUST 2015