Deep Drilling Experience for Pohang Enhanced Geothermal Project in Korea

Abstract

Pohang EGS Project, a 5-year project that commenced from 2010 and funded by both the Korea Government and industry, is a research, development and demonstration project for the generation of MW scale electricity from a doublet system of wells greater than 4 km in Korea. The geothermal resource is Granitic rock below around 2,400 m from the surface under the Tertiary sedimentary basin. This paper introduces the deep drilling experience in Korea. The first well has been drilled 4,127 m and the second well is planning to drill in 2014. The designs of well, casing, mud, bit, BHA for the well drillings, drilling performance and the problems experienced will be presented. Furthermore, the performance of the directional drilling planned in 2014 will be reviewed.