Hot Dry Rock technology took a giant leap forward this year as the long-awaited long-term flow test (LTFT) of the Phase II HDR reservoir at Fenton Hill got underway. Energy was produced on a twenty-four hour a day basis for a continuous period of nearly four months of steady-state testing. Hot water was brought to the surface at 90-100 gallons per minute (gpm) with temperatures of 180[degrees]C (356[degrees]F) and higher. During that time, the HDR plant achieved an on-line record of 98.8%. Surface temperature measurements and temperature logging deep within the wellbore confirmed that no decline in the average temperature of fluid produced from the reservoir occurred. Tracer experiments indicated that flow paths within the reservoir were undergoing continuous change during the test. Remarkably, it appeared that longer flow paths carried a larger proportion of the flow as the test proceeded, while more direct fluid pathways disappeared or carried a significantly reduced flow. In sum, access to hot rock appeared to improve over the span of the test. Water losses during the test averaged 10-12% and showed a slow long-term decline. These results confirmed what had been previously discovered in static pressurization testing: Water consumption declines significantly during extended operation …

The Human Genome Initiative is a worldwide research effort with the goal of analyzing the structure of human DNA and determining the location of the estimated 100,000 human genes. In parallel with this effort, the DNA of a set of model organisms will be studied to provide the comparative information necessary for understanding the functioning of the human genome. The information generated by the human genome project is expected to be the source book for biomedical science in the 21st century and will by of immense benefit to the field of medicine. It will help us to understand and eventually treat many of the more than 4000 genetic diseases that affect mankind, as well as the many multifactorial diseases in which genetic predisposition plays an important role. A centrally coordinated project focused on specific objectives is believed to be the most efficient and least expensive way of obtaining this information. The basic data produced will be collected in electronic databases that will make the information readily accessible on convenient form to all who need it. This report describes the plans for the U.S. human genome project and updates those originally prepared by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) and the …