The U.S. hot dry rock project

Early attempts to hydraulically fracture and connect two wells drilled at the Hot Dry Rock (HDR) site at Fenton Hill in New Mexico produced a large volume of fractured rock, but no connection. Microearthquakes triggered by fracturing indicated that the stimulated rock zones grew in unexpected direct...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geothermics 1987, Vol.16 (4), p.331-339
Main Authors: Whetten, John T, Dennis, Bert R, Dreesen, Donald S, House, Leigh S, Murphy, Hugh D, Robinson, Bruce A, Smith, Morton C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Geothermal energy
Natural energy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Early attempts to hydraulically fracture and connect two wells drilled at the Hot Dry Rock (HDR) site at Fenton Hill in New Mexico produced a large volume of fractured rock, but no connection. Microearthquakes triggered by fracturing indicated that the stimulated rock zones grew in unexpected directions. Consequently one of the wells was sidetracked at a depth of 2.9 km. It was redrilled into the zones of most intense microseismic activity, and flow connections were achieved. Hydraulic communication was improved by supplemental stimulation using recently developed high temperature and high pressure open hole packers. Preliminary testing indicates a reservoir with heat production capability which greatly surpasses that attained in the earlier Phase I reservoir. Longer term testing in 1987 and 1988 will provide more complete information on reservoir behaviour.
ISSN:0375-6505
1879-3576
DOI:10.1016/0375-6505(87)90014-9