Geothermal Resource Exploration

The session will comprise the latest works on geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys, including exploratory drilling, in geothermal areas across the globe. Further, it will be a platform for examples of conventional and state-of-the-art tools and techniques for geothermal exploration. The inputs from such works will help the developers mitigate early-stage project risk by precisely locating the drilling targets for geothermal resources.

Technological, Engineering, and Geological Advances in Super-Hot Geothermal

Superhot rock energy can be produced from natural or engineered reservoirs that maintain supercritical conditions in the subsurface (i.e., >374°C and >22.1 MPa for pure water). In superhot geothermal energy extraction, superheated steam and/or supercritical fluids are produced from hydrothermal or petrothermal resources.  Proposed completion methods and technologies that could unlock hydrothermal or petrothermal superhot geothermal plays are conventional (e.g. Larderello, Nesjavellir), engineered (e.g., the “Beyond Brittle” Engineered Geothermal System project in Japan), closed loop geothermal (e.g., the GreenLoop Advanced Geothermal System demonstration at The Geysers), and hybrid.  These technologies each play to different strengths, and, with adequate global investment, they offer innovative ways to extract high-energy-density, low-carbon, always available energy. By driving down costs and making large-scale geothermal power available nearly anywhere, Superhot Rock energy has the potential to disrupt and revolutionize the energy system.  Globally, there are many locations around the world where super hot geothermal could be explored.  We welcome studies from a range of earth science, drilling and engineering disciplines to build a multi-disciplined session which track technological, engineering and geological advances in the following areas: 

(i) exploration, characterization, mapping and modelling of superhot resources 
(ii) drilling and completion of wells in high pressure and temperature regimes
(iii) novel materials and tools for high-temperature and high-pressure conditions 
(iv) reservoir creation and management 
(v) topsides and power creation 
(vi) novel and hybrid power conversion systems for Superhot rock energy
(vii) geochemistry and corrosion

• 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM: Geothermal Development in Republic of Djibouti, a Country Update.| Kayad Ahmed
• 10:20 AM - 10:40 AM: Integrated conceptual model of sedimentary basin-hosted geothermal fields in Imperial Valley, CA | Gabrielle Ramirez
• 10:40 AM - 11:00 AM: Geothermal potential of the Kigluaik Mountains, western Alaska: structural controls, multicomponent geothermometry, and low-temperature thermochronology | Jason Craig
• 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM: Approximate Bayesian Computation for Uncertainty Quantification of Geothermal Reservoir Models | Michael Gravatt
• 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM: Shear-Velocity Profiling of Kilometer-Deep Basins in Nevada with One Day of Passive Recording | John Louie
• 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM: Multigeophysical Inversion for Geothermal Exploration | Ketil Hokstad