Numerical simulations have shown that the use of supercritical CO2 instead of water as a heat transfer fluid yields significantly greater heat extraction rates for geothermal energy. If this technology is implemented successfully, it could increase geothermal energy production and offset atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases. However, the impact of geochemical reactions between acidic waters in equilibrium with supercritical CO2 and the reservoir rock have not been evaluated. At issue are enhanced rock-water interactions that may reduce reservoir porosity and permeability and may exacerbate downstream scaling. The publications included in this submission aim to assess the geochemical impact of CO2 on geothermal energy production by analyzing the geochemistry of existing geothermal fields with elevated natural CO2, to measure realistic rock-water rates for geothermal systems using laboratory and field-based experiments, and to develop reactive transport models using the filed-based rates to simulate production scale impacts.
Static and dynamic elastic properties (Young's modulus, Shear Modulus, P-wave Modulus, and Poisson's Ratio) of amphibolites and rhyolites from the TV4100 and TH4100 boreholes at the Sanford Underground Research Laboratory (SURF). Elastic properties include Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, shear modulus, and p-wave modulus. Raw data from the experiments and slides describing the experimental procedure and a summary of results are included, along with a readme file with additional definitions and information.
Electrical resistivity model of Newberry Volcano in the central Oregon Cascades. Model created by inverting magnetotelluric (MT) data with the ModEM inversion software. All support files used in the inversion are present. Model is centered at 43.7261, -121.3156.
The Snake River volcanic province (SRP) overlies a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle; it represents one of the highest heat flow provinces in North America. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate geothermal potential in three distinct settings: (1) Kimama site: inferred high sub-aquifer geothermal gradient associated with the intrusion of mafic magmas, (2) Kimberly site: a valley-margin setting where surface heat flow may be driven by the up-flow of hot fluids along buried caldera ring-fault complexes, and (3) Mountain Home site: a more traditional fault-bounded basin with thick sedimentary cover. In-depth studies continue at all three sites, complemented by high-resolution gravity, magnetic, and seismic surveys, and by downhole geophysical logging.
This submission includes all magnetotelluric (MT) transfer functions acquired during the 2014 EGS stimulation at Newberry Volcano in central Oregon as well as previously acquired MT data for the overall volcano. Plots of all data are provided (including forward response from a model used in a publication now in review in G-cubed). Also included is a kmz file giving all station locations.
This submission includes maps of the spatial distribution of basaltic, and felsic rocks in the Oregon Cascades. It also includes a final Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) model, with the heat and permeability composite risk segments (CRS) supplied separately. Metadata for each raster dataset can be found within the zip files, in the TIF images
Within this submission are multiple .tif images with accompanying metadata of magnetotelluric conductor occurrence, fault critical stress composite risk segment (CRS), permeability CRS, Quaternary mafic extrusions, Quaternary fault density, and Quaternary rhyolite maps. Each of these contributed to a final play fairway analysis (PFA) for the SE Great Basin study area.
The goal of our project was to test innovative exploration technologies using existing and new data, and to ground-truth these technologies using slim-hole core technology. The slim-hole core allowed us to understand subsurface stratigraphy and alteration in detail, and to correlate lithologies observed in core with surface based geophysical studies. Compiled data included geologic maps, volcanic vent distribution, structural maps, existing well logs and temperature gradient logs, groundwater temperatures, and geophysical surveys (resistivity, magnetics, gravity). New data included high-resolution gravity and magnetic surveys, high-resolution seismic surveys, three slimhole test wells, borehole wireline logs, lithology logs, water chemistry, alteration mineralogy, fracture distribution, and new thermal gradient measurements. Drill holes are located at Kimama, Kimberly, and Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
Well data for the USGS-142 well located in eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho. This data collection includes lithology reports, borehole logs, and photos of rhyolite core samples. This collection of data has been assembled as part of the site characterization data used to develop the conceptual geologic model for the Snake River Plain site in Idaho, as part of phase 1 of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) initiative. They were assembled by the Snake River Geothermal Consortium (SRGC), a team of collaborators that includes members from national laboratories, universities, industry, and federal agencies, lead by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
Borehole W1 is a NQ core hole drilled at our test site in Socorro. The rock is rhyolite. Borehole W1 which was used to test gas-gas explosive mixtures is 55 feet deep with casing (pinkish in the drawing) set to 35 feet. The model is a representation of the borehole and the holes we cored around the central borehole after the test. The brown colored core holes showed dye when we filled W1 with water and slightly pressurized it. This indicates there was some path between W1 and the colored core hole. The core holes are shown to their TD in the drawing. The green plane is a fracture plane which we believe is the result of the explosions of the gas mixture in W1. Data resource is a 2D .pdf Solid Works Drawing of borehole W1.
This submission contains documents that describe the USU Camas-1 test well, drilled in Camas Prairie, Idaho, in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The purpose of this well is to validate exploration methodologies of the Snake River Plain (SRP) Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) project.