Summary Description of Research Activities

Abstract

The basic goal of the University of Colorado Geothermal Research Program has been to assess, characterize and model the myriad of physical processes occurring in the geothermal environment. While developing an understanding of the fundamental nature of these phenomena we can construct a comprehensive model of the structure of a given geothermal system. Such a result should prove useful in the interpretation of surface geophysical measurements and for the general development of a geothermal field. Our studies spanning the range from heat and mass transfer process in hydrothermal convection anomalies to the possible appearance of dilatancy due to large rates of liquid withdrawal, are carried out by a diverse group of engineers, geophysicists geologists, seismologists and experts in computation. Much of the effort has been carried out with the cooperation of the geothermal group at Systems, Science and Software, La Jolla, California.

The following summary of activities provides an extremely brief description of the ongoing research programs, their purpose and when appropriate, the results obtained.