Project showcase

Deep Geothermal Wells: Technical and Commercial Feasibility Study

Project goal

To explore the technical and commercial feasibility of developing and constructing deep geothermal wells

Client:

Start-up Geothermal Well Development Company

Asset:

Deep underground geothermal wells designed to produce hot water or electricity

The technical and commercial feasibility of using existing oil and gas drilling technology to efficiently develop and construct a deep “downhole heat exchanger” by connecting multilateral well bores with “feeder” and “producer” geothermal wells

Why were we contracted?

Lack of capacity to conduct this study in-house
There was a requirement to construct the geothermal wells using relief well drilling and electromagnetic ranging technology, which the client had no technical expertise on
There was a commercial driver to side-track multiple wells from a single well bore, which the client had no experience of
The location of the desired wells meant they had to be drilled through hard rocks, which are extremely challenging in terms of drilling rate and equipment endurance
Unable to analyze and identify all possible risks, due to lack of experience and expertise

What we did

Analysis and identification of suitable strategies for construction of geothermal wells
Analysis and identification of suitable technologies that would enable the wells to be drilled efficiently and effectively
Development of detailed recommendations for how to utilize relief well drilling tactics to connect the lateral boreholes being drilled to an existing well
Cost benefit analysis
Development of recommendations for cost effective, safe, and efficient development of geothermal wells
High level risk analysis

Deliverables

Feasibility report (findings and recommendations) detailing:

Summary of risks identified for the development of the geothermal wells
Relief well drilling strategy recommendations on how to optimize intersection tactics
Technical equipment recommendations required for the project (e.g., rig, rotating equipment, drill bits, mud, cement, casing, cuttings handling
Step by step process for well construction
Cost investment requirements

Benefits delivered

Successful Test Well

Provided technical recommendations and advice which was used to drill a vertical test well

Additional Funding Unlocked

The study enabled the client to acquire more funding to pursue the project

Assurance of Technical Do-ability

The project could be achieved utilizing existing technology, meaning the company did not need to invest additional funds into new technologies

Clear Investment Strategy

Ability to define the projected project costs and capture this in the future budget

Efficiency Gains

Recommended drill bits and rotating technology, designed to unlock efficiencies in the drilling process

Utilization of “Green” Energy Solutions

The study concluded that geothermal wells could be developed underneath the airport, allowing heat to be generated in a carbon friendly manner

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