Friday, September 26, 2014

USA, Oregon:

Newberry EGS Demonstration Project

Update from the Field: Pumps in Place, Piping Assembled


The Newberry site has been busy with AltaRock staff and contractors assembling stimulation infrastructure over the last few weeks. We’re happy to report that the pumps are in place, generators have been wired in and piping has been welded up. All the equipment has been pressure tested and is up and running as planned.

Last night, we started to cool the well with low-flow cold water injection. After the wellbore is sufficiently cooled, we’ll install a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) fiber optic cable in the well. The cable provides real-time temperature data along the wellbore and is used in stimulation zone analysis.

Once the DTS cable is installed, a step-rate injectivity test will be performed. The step-rate test will establish a baseline permeability, to compare to the permeability enhancement due to multi-zone stimulation. After the baseline permeability is determined,  stimulation will begin.

Other ongoing site activities over the last few weeks have included groundwater monitoring, and geophysical survey projects overseen by Oregon State University.

A GRC Fieldtrip will visit the site of Altarock Energy’s Newberry Volcano Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Demonstration project today and tomorrow, departing from the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA Expo at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon, September 28 - October 1.

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