Extensive Coring in the Deep Hot Geothermal Wells
- Key words
- Drilling; USA; California; Salton Sea; Logging; Catches; Rotary; Directional Drilling; Bits; Hole Problems; Sepiolite Muds; Diamonds; Primary Problems; Hole Size; Logs; Polycrystalline Bits
- Location
- Salton Sea, California; Imperial Valley; Fenton Hill, New Mexico; Valles Caldera, New Mexico
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1986
- Session
- Core sampling; Directional drilling; Drill bits
- Language
- English
Abstract
Recent scientific projects have required extensive intermittent coring in the deep, hot geothermal areas. Two projects are the Salton Sea Scientific Drilling Project (SSSDP) and the Southeastern edge of the Hot Dry Rock Project (HDR) under development in North Central New Mexico at Fenton Hill west of Los Alamos, New Mexico. This coring in full size well bores has demonstrated that coring under the conditions which exist in geothermal formations are extremely difficult, time consuming and costly. The coring techniques applied to these projects use the best available technology from the petroleum industry and some newly improved developments. Efforts to improve recovery and efficiently were made by varying coring methods by changing core head types along with operations changes of rotary speeds, weight on core had and circulation rates. Primary problems limiting the coring operations were core "jamming" in the barrel and in the catcher and slow penetration rates.
Copyright 1986, Geothermal Resources Council. Readers who download papers from this site should honour the copyright of the original authors, and may not copy or distribute the work further without the permission of the original publisher.