Monthly Archives: November 2021

7 posts

Geothermal Plays – Data Acquisition

When evaluating a potential Geothermal Play reservoir, there are several aspects to be investigated: (1) Trap Integrity, (2) Geothermal Reservoir (properties), (3) Heat Flow, and (4) Structure. Data is measured at the Surface, in the Overburden, and in the Reservoir or Aquifer. The integration of this data and how it […]

Geothermal Plays – Porosity and Permeability

With conduction-dominated plays representing an increasingly attractive source of Geothermal Energy, the potential Geothermal reservoir properties need to be evaluated for suitability. One approach is to evaluate the ratio of porosity to permeability and compare it to other locations and applications. This illustration shows some good examples of rock lithologies […]

Geothermal Plays – Conduction Dominated

Fortunately with low and medium enthalpy power generation solutions, thousands of additional locations would have potential for Geothermal Energy developments subject to normal exploration. Conduction dominated plays include deep aquifers (hydrothermal) or hot dry rock (petrothermal) heated by locally elevated near normal heat flow. Once again there may not be […]

Geothermal Plays – Convection Dominated

Continuing the series, here is Part 2 of 7 about Convection Dominated Geothermal plays. In this case there is an upflow of fluids transporting heat from depth to shallower reservoirs (or the surface). Probably more well known than some other plays since the majority of operating Geothermal power plants are […]

Geothermal Plays – Introduction

First in a series of 7 Posts about Geothermal Plays. Better understanding of a location’s geology can lead to appreciation of the potential for accessing Geothermal Energy. Technologies and tools have advanced rapidly to open up the technical and economic potential for Geothermal Energy across many more locations. Exploring for […]

Geothermal Energy Exploration – 3

Based on a series of exploration steps, systematically derisking each subsequent step, the final step would be to drill deep exploration / pilot wells. The preceding geophysical surveys, geological analyses, and thermal boreholes would have provided enough data to obtain funding and finance to drill these wells. The “Go-No Go” […]

Geothermal Energy Exploration – 2

Thank you for all the interest in this series of posts. Depending on good results from the initial Geophysical field surveys (described in the Part 1 flyer), one of the next steps would be to obtain geothermal gradient information from shallow boreholes (up to 600m deep in some locations). A […]