This paper reports on a continuing experimental effort to characterize the adsorption behavior of rocks from The Geysers steam field in California. We show adsorption results obtained for 36 rock samples. All of the adsorption isotherms plotted on the same graph exhibit an envelope of isotherms. The minimum and the maximum values of the slope (or rate of adsorption) and of the magnitude within this envelope of isotherms belonged to the UOC-1 (felsite) and NCPA B-5 (serpentine) samples. The values of surface area and porosity, and pore size distribution for 19 of the samples indicated a very weak correlation with adsorption. An interpretation of the pore size distributions and the liquid saturation isotherms suggests that the change in the slope and the magnitude of the adsorption isotherms within the envelope is controlled primarily by the physical adsorption mechanism instead of capillary condensation. Grain-size and framework grain to matrix ratio are found to be insufficient to characterize this adsorption behavior. An accurate identification of the mineralogy of the samples will be essential to complete this analysis.

The paper describes the plan of the town Altheim in Upper Austria to produce electricity by an Organic Rankine Cycle-turbogenerator in the field of utilization of low temperatured thermal water. The aim of the project is to improve the technical and economic situation of the geothermal plant.

Discharge of Sumikawa well S-4 in the fall of 1986 was accompanied by in situ boiling. In May of 1989, cold water was injected intermittently into well S-4. During both of these tests, a pressure response was observed in KY-1. In this paper, a new interpretation of the latter pressure interference data is presented. While interpretation of the 1989 test is straightforward, in situ boiling during the 1986 test creates substantial difficulties in assigning an “effective discharge rate”. Because of uncertainties in the “effective discharge rate” history for the 1986 test, the distances to the various reservoir boundaries are not well constrained.

Several methods have been presented in the literature for analyzing transient pressure data of fractured wells. We tested with some model studies based on the solutions to the 3D problem of multiple high-angle fractures (HAM) intersecting a wellbore. The model solutions representing transient pressure behavior of HAM fractures are defined in terms of 3D rectilinear coordinates. The HAM fracture model equations include the finite conductivity of the fractures, and our solutions reduce to previously published results for the special case of vertical fractures and/or infinite-conductivity fractures. A computer program, MULFRAC, has been provided to calculate the dimensionless drawdown at the wellbore. This paper shows the solutions of MULFRAC, some comparison of MULFRAC results with published special cases.

The solubility of boehmite, AlO(OH), has been measured as a function of pH (2 - 10, depending on ionic strength), temperature (100 - 250&deg;C) and ionic strength (0.03 - 1 molal, NaCl) in a hydrogen-electrode concentration cell, HECC, which provided in situ measurement of hydrogen ion molality. Samples of the solution were withdrawn after the pH reading stabilized for analysis of total aluminum content by ion chromatography. Acidic or basic titrant could then be metered into the cell to affect a change in the pH of the solution. The direction of approach to the equilibrium saturated state could be readily varied to ensure that the system was reversible thermodynamically. This represents our second application of direct pH measurement to high temperature solubility studies. The results at low ionic strength are compared with those from two recently-reported high-temperature studies of boehmite solubility, which relied on the conventional batch technique. Comparisons are also made with the low temperature (<90&deg;C) hydrolysis constants for aluminum garnered from solubility measurements with gibbsite as the stable phase. Based on these preliminary results, it is possible to draw some general conclusions concerning the relative importance of the aluminum species in solution and to reduce significantly the number …

This monthly technical progress report provided information on the following tasks: spacecraft integration and liaison; engineering support; safety analysis; qualified unicouple fabrication; ETG fabrication, assembly, and test; ground support equipment (GSE); RTG shipping and launch support; designs, reviews, and mission applications; project management, quality assurance, and reliability, and contractor acquired government owned (CAGO) property acquisition.

The experimental study of the water-rock interaction shows that the secondary mineral assemblage depends on the water composition. For example, granite-pure water interaction produces zeolites (relatively low-dense, Mg-poor minerals), whereas seawater yields chlorites (high-dense, Mg-rich minerals). The reactions have volumetric effects from several % to 20 % in magnitude. Volume deformations in the heterogeneous matrix cause uneven mechanical strains. Reactions with the effect of about 0,1 vol.% may cause strains of the order of 100-1000 bars being enough for destruction of rocks. Signs and magnitudes of local volume changes depend on the mineral composition of the secondary assemblage. Hence, one can provide either healing or cracking of primary fractures, as desired, by changing the composition of water in the water-felsic rock system where some elements (Mg, Fe) are in lack. The techniques of "chemical hydrofracturing" looks promising as applied to a granite HDR massif. One can regulate the permeability of fractured flow paths by changing in concord the composition and pressure of the injected water. This approach should promote efficient extraction of the petrothermal energy.

Geothermal resources have been classified into low, intermediate and high enthalpy resources by their reservoir temperatures. The temperature ranges used are arbitrary and there is not a general agreement. Geothermal resources should be classified by two independent thermodynamic properties of their fluids at the wellhead. They should reflect the fluids availability to do work. By setting the triple point of water as the sink condition, and normalising the fluids specific exergies by the maximum specific exergy of dry saturated steam, geothermal resources can be classified into high, medium, and low category resources by their specific exergy indices (SEI) of greater than 0.5, between 0.05 and 0.5, and less than 0.05. These correspond to geothermal fluids having exergies greater than that of dry saturated steam at 1 bar absolute, between saturated water and dry saturated steam at 1 bar absolute, and less than saturated water at 1 bar absolute respectively.

This paper describes the design, construction, and preliminary results of an experiment that studies imbibition displacement in two fracture blocks. Three core configurations were constructed. The configurations are a compact core, a two-block system with a 1 mm spacer between the blocks, and a two-block system with no spacer. The blocks are sealed in epoxy so that saturation measurements can be made throughout the displacement experiments using a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner. Preliminary results are presented from a water/air experiment. These results suggest that it is incorrect to assume negligible capillary continuity between matrix blocks as is often done.

The transition that the Department of Energy's geothemal research program is undergoing is discussed. This transitional period began last year and will continue at least through final implementation of the Department's reorganization and downsizing. Current and recently completed R&D programs are reviewed. New initiatives are outlined. The foci and direction of the Division's activities of particular interest to the geothermal research community are addressed.

We examine the role of conductive and convective heat transfer in the vaporization of liquid as it slowly invades a superheated permeable rock. For very slow migration, virtually all of the liquid vaporizes. As the liquid supply rate increases beyond the rate of heat transfer by thermal conduction, a decreasing fraction of the liquid can vaporize. Indeed, for sufficiently high flow rates, the fraction vaporizing depends solely on the superheat of the rock, and any heat transfer from the superheated region is negligible. These results complement earlier studies of vaporization under very high injection rates, in which case the dynamic vapour pressure reduces the mass fraction vaporizing to very small values.

It is a well known fact that a liquid flowing through a microporous media creates a potential difference between entry and exit of the sample. This phenomenon is known as streaming potential. In an other hand, when a potential difference is applied through an impregnate rock sample, a flow is induced, this is called electroosmosis effect. In this paper, we examine electroosmosis experiments made in a percolation cell in which two gold electrodes are placed in the inner and in the outer chamber. The temperature, the pressure and potential difference, the flow, the current and the chemical composition of water in chambers may be recorded. Experiment consist to the application of electric field through the sample and to observe the evolution of the flow, the electrical current and the chemical dissolution.

A solid waste is classified as hazardous if it contains sufficient leachable components to contaminate the groundwater and the environment if disposed in a landfill. Scale, sludge and drilling mud from three geothermal fields (Bulalo, Phlippines; Cerro Prieto, Mexico; and Dixie Valley, USA) containing regulated elements at levels above the earth‘s crustal abundance were studied for their leachability. Cr, As, Cu, Zn and Pb were detected at levels which could impair groundwater quality if leaching occurred. Several procedures were used to assess the likely risk posed by the residues : protocol leaching tests (Canadian LEP and US TCLP), toxicity testing, accelerated weathering test, and a preliminary acid mine drainage potential test. Whole rock analysis, X-ray diffraction, and radioactivity counting were also performed to characterize the samples. Toxi-chromotest and SOS-chromotest results were negative for all samples. Leachng tests indicated that all of them could be classified as nonhazardous wastes. Only one of the six showed a low-level radioactivity based on its high Pb-210 activity. Initial tests for acidification potential gave positive results for three out of six samples whle none of the regulated elements were found in the leachate after accelerated weathering experiment for three months.

By February 1995 the European HDR project at Soultz was operating 6 boreholes: 2 deep hydraulic test wells (GPK-1, 3590 m & GPK-2, 3876 m) and 4 seismic observation wells with depths between 1500 and 2200 m. In 1993 the first section of a deep underground exchanger had been created through massive stimulation (injection of some 45000 m&sup3; of water). Between November 1994 until January 1995 a second deep well, GPK-2, was drilled at the periphery of this exchanger. A complex test programme involving the stimulation of GPK-2 (connecting it to the existing exchanger) and various circulation experiments with different production techniques (flash throttled and unthrottled, submersible pump) and varying injection rates was performed between June and August 1995.

A recent 6-day flow experiment conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Fenton Hill Hot Dry Rock (HDR) test site in north-central New Mexico has verified that an HDR reservoir has the capability for a significant, and very rapid, increase in power output upon demand. The objective of this cyclic load-following experiment was to investigate the performance of the reservoir in a nominal high-backpressure (2200 psi) baseload operating condition upon which was superimposed greatly increased power production for a 4-hour period each day. In practice, this enhanced production was accomplished by dropping the production well backpressure from the preexisting level of 2200 psi down to about 500 psi to rapidly drain the fluid stored in the pressure-dilated joints surrounding the production well. During the last cycle of this six-cycle test, the mean production conditions were 146.6 gpm for 4 hours at a temperature of 189°C followed by 92.4 gpm for 20 hours at a temperature of 183°C. These flow and temperature values indicate a flow enhancement of 59%, and a power enhancement of 65% during the high-production period. The time required to increase the reservoir power output from the baseload to the peaking rate was about 2 minutes.

An upgraded KrF{sup {asterisk}} (248 nm) system producing a pulse energy of {approximately} 400 mJ, a pulse width of {approximately} 220 fs, and focal intensities above 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2}, has been constructed, tested, operated, and used in experimental studies. The spatial morphology of channeled radiation in plasmas has been measured with a spatial resolution of {approximately} 30 {mu}m and damage studies of fused silica indicate that femtosecond (200 - 300 fs) 248 nm radiation has a damage limit not exceeding {approximately} 50 GW/cm{sup 2}, an unfavorably low level. 2 figs.

The Fiji Department of Energy (DOE) has a comprehensive resource assessment programme which assesses and promotes the use of local renewable energy resources where they are economically viable. DOE is currently involved in the investigation of the extent of geothermal resources for future energy planning and supply purposes. The aim is to determine (a) whether exploitable geothermal fields exist in the Savusavu or Labasa areas. the two geothermal fields with the greatest potential, (b) the cost of exploiting these fields for electricity generation/process heat on Vanua Levu. (c) the comparative cost per mega-watt-hour (MWh) of geothermal electricity generation with other generating options on Vanua Levu, and. (d) to promote the development of the geothermal resource by inviting BOO/BOOT schemes. Results to date have indicated that prospects for using geothermal resource for generating electricity lies in Savusavu only - whereas the Labasa resource can only provide process heat. All geophysical surveys have been completed and the next stage is deep drilling to verify the theoretical findings and subsequent development.

The Tiwi geothermal field is located in southern Luzon on the northeast flank of Mt. Malinao, an andesitic volcano that was active 0.5 to 0.06 Ma. Matalibong-25 (Mat-25) was drilled through the Tiwi reservoir to investigate lithologic and fracture controls on reservoir permeability and to monitor reservoir pressure. Continuous core was collected from 2586.5 to 8000 feet (789 to 2439 meters) with greater than 95% recovery. The reservoir rocks observed in Mat-25 consist mainly of andesitic and basaltic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks above 6600 feet depth (2012 meters) and andesitic sediments below, with a transition from subaerial to subaqueous (marine) deposition at 5250 feet (1601 meters). The rocks in the reservoir interval are strongly altered and veined. Common secondary minerals include chlorite, illite, quartz, calcite, pyrite, epidote, anhydrite, adularia and wairakite. An ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar age obtained on adularia from a quartz-adularia-cemented breccia at a depth of 6066 feet (2012 meters) indicates that the hydrothermal system has been active for at least 320,000 years. Fractures observed in the core were classified as either veins (sealed) or open fractures, with the latter assumed to represent fluid entries in the geothermal system. Since the core was not oriented, only fracture frequency and dip angle …

The problem of free convection in a thin porous contour, placed in uniform impermeable massif is considered. The approximate analitical solution of conjugate problem is obtained. The critical Rayleigh number is determined, by exceeding of which the steady fluid circulation in an annulus is established. The computations of abnormal heat flow near surface are carried out, stipulated by thermoconvection in a contour.

Quantitative bulk analysis of fluid inclusion volatiles measures the composition of trapped geothermal liquids and vapor. Fluid-inclusion gas-analyses may identify fluid boiling and mixing, and the analyses can be used as a fluid tracer. Fluid boiling is indicated by excess gaseous species. Linear arrays of data points on gas ratio diagrams indicate fluid mixing. Nitrogen-argon ratios are used to discriminate atmospheric fiom magmatic volatiles. Crustal components in geothermal fluids are best indicated by concentrations of methane and helium. Methane strongly correlates with other organic compounds, and N₂-Ar-CH₄ plots are similar to N₂-Ar-He diagrams. Alkene to alkane ratios of C_2-7 organic species indicate the oxidation state of geothermal fluids. The Geysers inclusion analyses are an example of how inclusion fluids may be used to understand the paleo hydrology of a geothermal system.

The energy balance of active lithosphere zones is to a large extent determined by nonstationary interaction of mechanical (elastic and hydrodynamic), thermal, electromagnetic, and gravitational geophysical fields. Seismic disturbances of electromagnetic and temperature fields, repeatedly observed before earthquakes are a striking manifestation of this interaction (Sec. 1). Technological processes of exploitation of hydrothermal deposits are determined by the interaction of hydrodynamical and temperature field (Sec. 2). These “fast” interactions (with the characteristic time scale from seconds to years) take place against the background of “slow” thermomechanical interactions (time scale of Myears), the latter determining the formation of regional geothermal fields (Sec. 3).

The Tatapani Geothermal field, located on the Son-Narmada mega lineament is one of the most intense geothermal manifestation, with hot spring temperature of 98&deg;c. in Central India. 21 Exploratory and thermal gradient boreholes followed by 5 production wells for proposed 300 KWe binary cycle power plant, have revealed specific reservoir parameters of shallow geothermal reservoir of 110&deg;c in upper 350 m of geothermal system and their possible continuation to deeper reservoir of anticipated temperature of 160 &plusmn; 10&deg;c. Testing of five production wells done by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation concurrently with drilling at different depths and also on completion of drilling, have established feeder zones of thermal water at depth of 175-200 m, 280-300 m, maximum temperature of 112.5&deg;c and bottom hole pressure of 42 kg/cm&sup2;. Further interpretation of temperature and pressure profiles, injection test, well head discharges and chemical analysis data has revealed thermal characteristics of individual production wells and overall configuration of .thermal production zones with their permeability, temperature, and discharge characteristics in the shallow thermal reservoir area. Well testing data and interpretation of reservoir parameters therefrom, for upper 350 m part of geothermal system and possible model of deeper geothermal reservoir at Tatapani have been presented …

Geothermal reservoir technology research projects managed at the Department of Energy Idaho Falls Operations office (DOE-ID) account for a large portion of the Department of Energy funding for reservoir technology research (approximately 7 million dollars in FY-95). DOE-ID managed projects include industry coupled geothermal exploration drilling, cooperative research projects initiated through the Geothermal Technology Organization (GTO), and other geothermal reservoir technology research projects. A solicitation for cost-shared industry coupled drilling has been completed and one zward has been made in FY-95. Another solicitation for industry coupled drilling may be conducted in the spring of 1996. A separate geothermal research technology research, development and demonstration solicitation will result in multiple year awards over the next 2 years. The goals of these solicitations are to ensure competition for federal money and to get the Government and the geothermal industry the most useful information for their research dollars.

The paper presents a pre-feasibility type study of a proposed heat pump assisted geothermal heating system for an average hotel in Felix Spa, Romania. After a brief presentation of the geothermal reservoir, the paper gives the methodology and the results of the technical and economical calculations. The technical and economical viability of the proposed system is discussed in detail in the final part of the paper.