Introduction and Geothermal Overview

John K. Prentice, TriplePoint Physics LLC, Boulder, CO

Geothermal energy represents one of the cleanest and most plentiful energy sources available for both
direct heating and for electric power generation. To date most geothermal electricity production has been
from permeable hydrothermal reservoirs where magmatic heated steam or very hot water is pumped to the
surface and used to turn a conventional steam turbine. However the introduction of organic Rankine binary
generators has recently made it possible to utilize much lower enthalpy reservoirs to generate geothermal
electricity, including hot water from existing oil and gas wells. This is leading to a rapid proliferation of
new geothermal installations worldwide. In addition, there is considerable excitement surrounding the
concept of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). In enhanced geothermal systems wells are drilled into
hot, impermeable bedrock and hydraulic fracturing is used to connect injection and recovery wells. Water
is then pumped into the reservoir to produce an engineered closed-loop geothermal system. Prototype EGS
power plants have been built worldwide including in Australia, the United States, and Europe. EGS is
exciting because the heat being tapped is due to radioactive decay in widely dispersed basement rock rather
than from geographically limited near surface magma bodies. This means EGS has the potential to be used
almost anywhere in the world and could make geothermal one of the largest sources of future electrical
power. However there are significant exploration and drilling challenges to be overcome in order to realize
the full potential of enhanced geothermal systems.

This presentation will provide an overview of geothermal energy with a focus on electric power generation.
Among the topics that will be covered are the different types of geothermal systems, a discussion of
geothermal power plants, and an overview of geothermal exploration and drilling technologies. The
similarities and differences between exploration and drilling technologies in geothermal and the oil and gas
industry will be emphasized.

4316 SEG Houston 2009 International Exposition and Annual Meeting
EDITED REFERENCES
Note: This reference list is a copy-edited version of the reference list submitted by the author. Reference lists for the 2009
SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts have been copy edited so that references provided with the online metadata for
each paper will achieve a high degree of linking to cited sources that appear on the Web.

REFERENCES
None.

4317 SEG Houston 2009 International Exposition and Annual Meeting