Three slim holes were drilled at the Steamboat Hills Geothermal Field in northwestern Nevada about 15 km south of Reno. The slim holes were drilled to investigate the geologic conditions, thermal regime and productive characteristics of the geothermal system. They were completed through a geologic sequence consisting of alluvium cemented by geothermal fluids, volcaniclastic materials, and granodiorite. Numerous fractures, mostly sealed, were encountered throughout the drilled depth; however, several open fractures in the granodiorite, dipping between 65 and 90î, had apertures up to 13 mm in width. The depths of the slim holes vary from 262 to 277 m with open-hole diameters of 76 mm. Pressure and temperature logs gave bottom-hole temperatures ranging from 163 to 166î C. During injection testing, downhole pressures were measured using capillary tubing with a surface quartz transducer while temperatures were measured with a Kuster temperature tool located below the capillary tubing pressure chamber. No pressure increase was measured at reservoir depths in any of the three slim holes while injecting 11 kg/s of 29OC water indicating a very high permeability in the geothermal reservoir. These injection test results suggested that productive geothermal fluids could be found at depths sufficient for well pumping equipment and at temperatures needed for electrical power production using binary-type conversion technology.

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