Can enormous heat deep in the world be harnessed to render energy for us on the surface ? A promising reputation from a geothermal borehole project that unexpectedly chance on magma – the same fiery , molten stone that spews from vent – suggests it could .
Above : One of Iceland ’s geothermal power plants | Photo by Gretar Ivarsson viaWikimedia Commons .
The Icelandic Deep Drilling Project , IDDP , has been drill shafts up to 5 klick deeply in an attempt to harness the heat in the volcanic bedrock far below the surface of Iceland .
But in 2009 their borehole at Krafla , northeast Iceland , gain only 2,100 m inscrutable before unexpectedly hit a air hole of magma intruding into the Earth ’s upper cheekiness from below , at searing temperature of 900 - 1000 ° ascorbic acid .
This borehole , IDDP-1 , was the first in a serial publication of wells drilled by the IDDP in Iceland look for available geothermal resources . Thespecial reportin this month ’s Geothermics journal details the engineering feats and scientific results that came from the determination not to the wad the hole with concrete , as in a premature fount in Hawaii in 2007 , but instead attempt to rein the incredible geothermic heating .
Wilfred Elders , prof emeritus of geology at the University of California , Riverside , co - author three of the inquiry papers in the Geothermics special issue with Icelandic colleagues .
“ drill into magma is a very rare occurrence , and this is only the second known instance anywhere in the human race , “ Elders said . The IDDP and Iceland ’s National Power Company , which mesh theKrafla geothermal big businessman plantnearby , decide to make a substantial investment to look into the hole further .
This meant cement a blade case into the well , bequeath a perforate section at the bottom airless to the magma . Heat was permit to slowly progress in the borehole , and finally superheated steam flowed up through the well for the next two years .
Elders said that the winner of the boring was “ amazing , to say the least ” , bestow : “ This could run to a revolution in the energy efficiency of gamy - temperature geothermal projects in the future . ”
The well funneled superheated , eminent - insistency steam for months at temperatures of over 450 ° C – a world phonograph record . In comparison , geothermal resources in the U.K. rarely reach higher than around 60 - 80 ° C .
The magma - heated steam was mensurate to be adequate to of generating 36MW of electrical power . While relatively mild compared to a distinctive 660MW coal - raise might place , this is considerably more than the 1 - 3MW of an intermediate wind turbine , and more than one-half of the Krafla plant ’s current 60MW end product .
Most importantly it establish that it could be done . “ Essentially , IDDP-1 is the world ’s first magma - enhanced geothermic system , the first to supply heat directly from molten magma , ” Elders allege . The borehole was being set up to drive home steam directly into the Krafla power industrial plant when a valve failed which required the borehole to be stoppered . senior added that although the borehole had to plugged , the object is to repair it or drill another well nearby .
Gillian Foulger , professor of geophysical science at Durham University , worked at the Kravla website in the eighties during a period of volcanic activity . “ A well at this depth ca n’t have been require to gain magma , but at the same time it ca n’t have been that surprising , ” she enunciate . “ At one point when I was there we had magma gushing out of one of the boreholes , ” she recollect .
Volcanic region such as Iceland are not active most of the fourth dimension , but can abruptly be activate by movement in the earth tens of kilometres below that replete Sir William Chambers above with magma . “ They can become very dynamic , raised in air pressure , and even coerce magma to the surface . But if it ’s not activated , then there ’s no reason to expect a violent blast , even if you drill into it , ” she said .
“ Having order that , with only one experimental account to go on , it would n’t be a adept estimation to practice like this in a volcanic area anywhere near a city , ” she bestow .
The team , she order , deserved credit for using the chance to do inquiry . “ Most citizenry confront with tapping into a magma chamber would pack their cup of tea and will , ” she say . “ But when life gives you stinker , you make lemonade . ”
urine and warmth = power | Via nea.is
In Iceland , around 90 % of home plate are heat up from geothermal source . According to the International Geothermal Association , 10,700MW of geothermal electrical energy was generated worldwide in 2010 . Typically , these enhanced orengineered geothermal systemsare created by pumping cold body of water into red-hot , dry rocks at deepness of between 4 - 5 km . The heated water is pumped up again as hot water or steam from product wells . The drift in late decades has been steady growth in geothermal power , with Iceland , the Philippines and El Salvador leading the way , producing between 25 - 30 % of their top executive from geothermic reservoir . Considerable sweat indue elsewhere – include Europe , Australia , the US and Japan – has typically had uneven solvent , and the cost is high .
With the deeper boreholes , the IDDP are face for a further award : supercritical urine ; at high temperature and under mellow atmospheric pressure deep underground , the water enters asupercritical state , when it is neither gas pedal nor liquid . In this body politic it carry far more push and , if harnessed correctly , can increase the power output signal above ground tenfold , from 5MW to 50MW .
Elders say : “ While the experiment at Krafla suffered various blow that pushed personnel and equipment to their limits , the process itself was very informative . As well as the published scientific articles we ’ve make comprehensive theme on the virtual deterrent example learned . “ The Icelandic National Power Company will put these towards improving their next oil production operations .
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This article was originally print atThe Conversation . Read theoriginal article here .
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