EERE Success Story—Geothermal Technology Breakthrough in Idaho: Building Upon Previous EGS Accomplishments (EERE/GTO)
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The
RRG-9 ST-1 wellhead fitted
with a
lubricator. (EERE/GTO)
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The
Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO)'s major long-term goal is to realize enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technologies’ vast potential through commercial, cost-competitive, EGS power production. In pursuit of this goal, GTO funds research and development (R&D) and field demonstrations to facilitate new, innovative technology deployment and validation to reduce costs and improve performance of these man-made geothermal reservoirs. To build upon previous EGS demonstrations successes, GTO and the
University of Utah are continuing to push EGS technologies forward with ground breaking accomplishments at the Raft River Geothermal Field in Idaho.
The
Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah is demonstrating stimulation techniques that connect a previously isolated injection well, RRG-9, to the existing power production wells. In effect, this makes existing geothermal reservoirs larger, and more electricity can be added to the grid.
As of June 2016, the team observed more than a 50-fold increase in well injectivity, from approximately 20 gallons per minute (gpm) to nearly 1,000 gpm at RRG-9. Regular fluid samples collected from nearby production wells indicate new, man-made connections between the RRG-9 and the existing reservoir.
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