Redrilling of Well EE-3 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory HDR Project
- Key words
- Drilling; Hot Dry Rock; New Mexico; Fenton Hill; Drilling Medium; Case Histories; Deviation; Density; Temperature; Drill Strings; Casing Failure; Granite; Gradient
- Location
- Fenton Hill, New Mexico; Valles Caldera, New Mexico
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1987
- Session
- Drilling; Directional drilling; HRD/EGS; Drill bits
- Language
- English
Abstract
The successful sidetracking of well EE-3 and the drilling of well EE-3A proved that detailed planning an by adjusting techniques based on previous experience at Fenton Hill, drilling can be accomplished with reduced risk. The primary drilling problems associated with drilling of hot, crystalline basement rock, are (a) abrasiveness between the downhole tools and formations and (b) a crooked wellbore path. These were essentially eliminated by a specially designed drilling fluid and careful pre planning of the directional drilling operations. These improvements have taken much of the risk out of drilling at the Fenton Hill Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Geothermal Test Site. The sidetracking of EE-3 and drilling of EE-3A were undertaken to complete the hydraulic connection between boreholes. Drilling through fractured regions indicated by the dense zones of microseismic activity increase the probability of success. EE-3 was sidetracked at 9,373' and predrilled to a depth of 13,182'.
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