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HS Orka owns and operates 100 MW geothermal power plant at Reykjanes, Iceland. In August 2013 a two phase tracer test, one for the liquid phase and one for the steam phase, was carried out in Reykjanes geothermal field. The objective was... more
HS Orka owns and operates 100 MW geothermal power plant at Reykjanes, Iceland. In August 2013 a two phase tracer test, one for the liquid phase and one for the steam phase, was carried out in Reykjanes geothermal field. The objective was to explore hydrological properties and pathways in the geothermal system at Reykjanes. The chemical tracers chosen for this test were 2.7 naphtalene disulfonic acid (2.7 NDS) for the liquid phase and methanol for the steam phase. The two phase tracer was injected into an injection well located to the east of the main production field, directionally drilled and cased down to 719 m. Samples of both brine and condensate have been collected from the beginning from each of the production wells, frequently for the first month, then twice a week for one month and weekly after that. Achieved experience from the two phase tracer test, encourage a tracer test on a newly drilled well located on a proposed injection area, more than 1 km north east to the produc...
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The DEEPEGS demonstration well at Reykjanes, SW Iceland, was drilled to a depth of 4,659 m and cased with a production casing to almost 3,000 m depth. The well was angled towards the main up-flow zone of the Reykjanes high temperature... more
The DEEPEGS demonstration well at Reykjanes, SW Iceland, was drilled to a depth of 4,659 m and cased with a production casing to almost 3,000 m depth. The well was angled towards the main up-flow zone of the Reykjanes high temperature geothermal system. Based on alteration mineral assemblages, the bottom hole temperature is estimated to be approaching 600°C. The DEEPEGS project, supported by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, has the principal aim to demonstrate the feasibility of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) for delivering renewable energy for European citizens. The DEEPEGS project was meant to demonstrate advanced technologies in three types of geothermal reservoirs, a high enthalpy system at Reykjanes with temperatures up to 550°C, and in two deep hydrothermal reservoirs in southern France with temperatures up to 220°C. The Reykjanes demonstrator is just about to be flow tested at TRL level 6 in expected environment. The flow testing and pilot study is ex...
The major energy companies of Iceland initiated the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) to investigate the deeper levels of hydrothermal systems and determine if utilizing supercritical fluids could increase power production from such... more
The major energy companies of Iceland initiated the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) to investigate the deeper levels of hydrothermal systems and determine if utilizing supercritical fluids could increase power production from such wells by a factor of 5-10 relative to that from conventional geothermal wells. The primary objective of IDDP is to find >450°C supercritical geothermal fluids at drillable depths, and to study their physical and chemical nature and energy potential. Over the next decade this will require drilling a series of wells 4–5km deep. Such deep, hot wells present both technical challenges and opportunities for important scientific studies. Early in 2005 an Icelandic energy company will drill and flow test a 2.7 km deep well on the Reykjanes Peninsula at the southwest tip of Iceland, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge emerges from the ocean. In 2006 the IDDP plans to deepen this well to 4.0 km, obtain several spot cores, and then carry out a second flow test at th...
Enhanced/Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) generally requires well stimulation to enhance the injectivity to commercial levels. This stimulation step still constitutes a challenge to permit large-scale deployment of this renewable... more
Enhanced/Engineered Geothermal System (EGS) generally requires well stimulation to enhance the injectivity to commercial levels. This stimulation step still constitutes a challenge to permit large-scale deployment of this renewable energy. The present work is focused on thermal stimulation, which is often underestimated, and very little investigated. However, it may constitute a key effect especially in geothermal wells, for which temperature differences between the fluid and the formation are expected (either intentionally during dedicated stimulation, or less intentionally during drilling and operations). Thermal stimulation can lead to both thermal shearing and thermal fracturing. We model both processes, respectively through analytical and numerical modelling, applied to two EGS demonstrators in the frame of the H2020-DEEPEGS project. The first demonstrator, located in Iceland, is characterized by very high rock temperature, and is likely to encounter high thermal stimulation (b...
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The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a research and development project that is investigating the possibility of greatly increasing the power output of geothermal wells by producing high-enthalpy supercritical geothermal fluid from... more
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a research and development project that is investigating the possibility of greatly increasing the power output of geothermal wells by producing high-enthalpy supercritical geothermal fluid from 4-5 km depths. The aim is to increase the power output per well by an order of magnitude. IDDP is a collaboration project of three energy companies - HS Orka hf (HS), Landsvirkjun (LV) and Reykjavik Energy (OR), and Orkustofnun (OS) (the National Energy Authority of Iceland) that was established in 2000 to investigate the feasibility of utilizing geothermal fluid at substantially higher temperatures and from deeper wells than currently used today. From the onset of the IDDP, international collaboration has been one of the trade mark of the project. Scientists from at least 15 countries have contributed to the science program in various ways by participating in workshops and by publishing articles in international journals. Since 2005 ICDP (Internat...
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ABSTRACT
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The main goal of this development and research program in Iceland is to investigate interaction of high-temperature, supercritical (400-600 o C) hydrothermal fluids with basaltic crust in Iceland, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge emerges from... more
The main goal of this development and research program in Iceland is to investigate interaction of high-temperature, supercritical (400-600 o C) hydrothermal fluids with basaltic crust in Iceland, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge emerges from the ocean. The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a long-term collaboration between a consortium of Icelandic power companies and the Icelandic government, together with two international partners, formed to investigate the economics of deeper, hotter, geothermal resources. The consortium agreed that the operators on the Reykjanes, Hellisheidi, and Krafla geothermal fields would each fund the drilling of a well 3 to 4 km deep and that the IDDP would fund the deepening these wells to >4 km deep, to reach temperatures >450 o C with the basic aim of exploring supercritical hydrothermal fluids as a possible energy source. Supercritical fluids have high enthalpy and greatly enhanced rates of mass transfer and chemical reaction. Drilling the f...
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The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) well IDDP-2 was drilled to 4,659 m in the seawaterrecharged and basalt-hosted Reykjanes geothermal system in Iceland. Spot drill cores were recovered between drilling depths of 3,648.00 m and... more
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) well IDDP-2 was drilled to 4,659 m in the seawaterrecharged and basalt-hosted Reykjanes geothermal system in Iceland. Spot drill cores were recovered between drilling depths of 3,648.00 m and 4,657.58 m. Temperature and pressure conditions at the base of IDDP-2 were over 426oC and 340 bar immediately following drilling, exceeding the critical point of seawater (406oC and 298 bar). The IDDP-2 cores are the first samples ever recovered from the supercritical roots of an active basalt-hosted hydrothermal system. We provide some preliminary hand sample descriptions, supplemented where possible by thin section petrography and mineral composition analyses for the IDDP-2 drill cores. The cores recovered between 3,648 m and the bottom of the hole at 4,659 m are from a sheeted dike complex and are generally pervasively altered. Despite the extensive alteration, veining is relatively minor and open space veins are very rare. Veins tend to be discontinu...
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The DEEPEGS Horizon 2020 Innovation action project “Deployment of deep enhanced geothermal systems for sustainable energy business” was selected for funding in 2015, and its official launch was in December 2015. The project’s total budget... more
The DEEPEGS Horizon 2020 Innovation action project “Deployment of deep enhanced geothermal systems for sustainable energy business” was selected for funding in 2015, and its official launch was in December 2015. The project’s total budget of 44 million Euro received an EU grant of about 20 million Euro for its four years duration, making this one of the larger publicly funded H2020 projects. The consortium of 10 partner organisations is from the geothermal industry, technical and oiland gas sectors, and research organisations coming from five European countries. The main objective was to test and demonstrate Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) technology in three different geothermal systems and geological settings with the goal of facilitating the transferability of the expected results to other deep geothermal sites throughout Europe and worldwide. The project has over its life cycle encountered several hurdles that have needed to be addressed by the consortium management. Number of ...
The Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal systems, located within the active rift zone of Iceland, are both sites that will be drilled to 4-5 km by the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). To effectively characterize geochemical and hydrologic... more
The Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal systems, located within the active rift zone of Iceland, are both sites that will be drilled to 4-5 km by the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). To effectively characterize geochemical and hydrologic processes occurring at these depths, it is essential to establish the source, composition and evolution of geothermal fluids. We use oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes in hydrothermal minerals to resolve the fluid history in these IDDP geothermal systems. Here we report the results from existing drillholes to depths of ≤ 3 km. The stable isotope composition of hydrothermal epidote in the Reykjanes geothermal system demonstrates a complex history of fluid source and fluid-rock interaction since at least the Pleistocene. The chlorine concentration of modern
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The IDDP-2 drilling project at Reykjanes, Iceland is a continuation of the ongoing Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). It was launched in the year 2000 and the IDDP-1 well was drilled during 2008-2009 in Krafla, North Iceland. A 5 km... more
The IDDP-2 drilling project at Reykjanes, Iceland is a continuation of the ongoing Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). It was launched in the year 2000 and the IDDP-1 well was drilled during 2008-2009 in Krafla, North Iceland. A 5 km deep well, IDDP-2, is proposed near the Reykjanes Power Plant in South-West Iceland. Expected enthalpy of superheated steam from the well is 2800 to 3100 kJ/kg, resulting in shut-off pressure of up to 250 bar and temperature of up to 480°C at the well head. The well head branch, mounted on the well head, consists of redundant valves, pipes and fittings designed to withstand these conditions with low risk of failure of critical components. The inside of these valves and fittings are coated with corrosion and erosion resistant stainless steel alloys. The branch is connected to two full flow lines and two test flow lines, the former being used for maximum well discharge, the latter for further studies of thermodynamics, fluid flow and chemistry of the we...
Drilling of a 5 km well in the geothermal field in Reykjanes, Iceland is under preparation. The brine at this depth is believed to be of seawater salinity as in the system above. By testing the steam and brine tapped directly from the... more
Drilling of a 5 km well in the geothermal field in Reykjanes, Iceland is under preparation. The brine at this depth is believed to be of seawater salinity as in the system above. By testing the steam and brine tapped directly from the Reykjanes wells in a high- pressure vessel heated to expected deep reservoir temperature, information will be gained about chemical properties of the fluids in the deep system and also about corrosiveness of the fluids. The vessel will be charged with brine and steam from the Reykjanes power plant in predetermined ratios and also with solids representing the rock composition in the deep system. Then the vessel will be heated to reach experimental conditions of 400 to 500 °C at a pressure of 300 bar. The phases will be liquid brine, dry superheated steam or a mixture of brine and steam, depending on vessel temperature. Samples will be collected of liquid and vapour phase for analysis. By controlling the pressure and temperature in the vessel, the chemic...
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Exceptionally high-grade surface alteration has been observed in hyaloclastite within the caldera of the active Vonarskard central volcano. This surface alteration includes the high-temperature mineral assemblage:... more
Exceptionally high-grade surface alteration has been observed in hyaloclastite within the caldera of the active Vonarskard central volcano. This surface alteration includes the high-temperature mineral assemblage: actinolite-epidote-wollastonite-quartz (act-ep-wo-qtz), which is assumed to be formed at temperatures above 300°C and pressures above 100 bars. Pits after recently cooled hot springs or mud pits, presumably of early Holocene age, are found within the outcrop, which covers an area of some 2.5 km 2 . No active geothermal surface manifestations are found within the outcrop itself, while vividly active fumaroles and boiling hot springs field occur in an area of 6 km 2 adjacent to the outcrop of the high-grade alteration. The active geothermal field, in the highlands above 950 m a.s.l., is unusual in being characterized by numerous colourful hot springs and permanently running warm streams, instead of the more normal fumarole type of fields, with seasonal variation in hot sprin...
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The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a long-term program to improve the economics of geothermal energy by producing supercritical hydrous fluids from drillable depths. Supercritical fluids have higher enthalpy than steam produced... more
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a long-term program to improve the economics of geothermal energy by producing supercritical hydrous fluids from drillable depths. Supercritical fluids have higher enthalpy than steam produced from two-phase systems. Large changes in physical properties near the critical point can lead to extremely high flow rates. Studying supercritical fluids will require drilling wells and sampling fluids and rocks to depths of 3.5 to 5 km and at temperatures of 450-600°C. Although drilling such deep wells is expensive, the power outputs from supercritical wells should be considerably enhanced. Iceland is a very favorable environment for this study. It is the largest landmass straddling a mid-ocean ridge, where active rifting provides the permeability and volcanism provides the heat sources for a major geothermal industry. Very high heat flows within these rifts indicate that supercritical temperatures exist at drillable depths. Seismic activity continu...
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The Öxarfjördur lowlands in NE-Iceland are characterized by sediments from a glacial river and by fissure swarms from active central volcanoes further inland. A major graben is associated with the recently active Krafla fissure swarm in... more
The Öxarfjördur lowlands in NE-Iceland are characterized by sediments from a glacial river and by fissure swarms from active central volcanoes further inland. A major graben is associated with the recently active Krafla fissure swarm in the central part of the area, where the sediments may be up to 1000 m thick. Rather insignificant surface geothermal activity in the form of warm springs and warm ground is encountered at a few locations within the fissure swarm. A systematic geothermal exploration in the eighties and the nineties has confirmed the existence of high-temperature geothermal activity within the Krafla fissure swarm. Resistivity soundings have outlined an area of at least 10 km 2 with a very low resistivity, 1-5 Ωm. The low resistivity surrounds a high-resistivity body which is associated with alteration minerals forming at or above 250°C. Another low-resistivity area is seen near the coast. Geochemical analysis and calculations based on mixing models indicate temperatur...
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The Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal systems, located within the active rift zone of Iceland, are both sites that will be drilled to 4-5 km by the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). To effectively characterize geochemical and hydrologic... more
The Reykjanes and Krafla geothermal systems, located within the active rift zone of Iceland, are both sites that will be drilled to 4-5 km by the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP). To effectively characterize geochemical and hydrologic processes occurring at these depths, it is essential to establish the source, composition and evolution of geothermal fluids. We use oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes in hydrothermal minerals to resolve the fluid history in these IDDP geothermal systems. Here we report the results from existing drillholes to depths of ≤ 3 km. The stable isotope composition of hydrothermal epidote in the Reykjanes geothermal system demonstrates a complex history of fluid source and fluid-rock interaction since at least the Pleistocene. The chlorine concentration of modern Reykjanes geothermal fluids indicate that they are hydrothermally modified seawater. However, measured hydrogen isotope values of these fluids are as low as -23‰. δD values of hydrothermal epidot...
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The IDDP was founded in 2000 by an Icelandic energy consortium, Hitaveita Sudurnesja Ltd., Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita Reykjavikur and Orkustofnun. The steering committee of IDDP is composed of representatives from these companies and called... more
The IDDP was founded in 2000 by an Icelandic energy consortium, Hitaveita Sudurnesja Ltd., Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita Reykjavikur and Orkustofnun. The steering committee of IDDP is composed of representatives from these companies and called DeepVision. The principal aim of DeepVision is to enhance the economics of high temperature geothermal resources. IDDP expects to drill and test a series of more than 4-5 km deep boreholes that are expected to produce supercritical fluids from the Krafla, Nesjavellir and Reykjanes fields in Iceland. The expected outcome is whether more efficient utilization of heat will cause increased productivity of single wells at a competitive cost.
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The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a long-term program to improve the efficiency and economics of geothermal energy by harnessing Deep Unconventional Geothermal Resources (DUGR). Its aim is to produce electricity from natural... more
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a long-term program to improve the efficiency and economics of geothermal energy by harnessing Deep Unconventional Geothermal Resources (DUGR). Its aim is to produce electricity from natural supercritical hydrous fluids from drillable depths. Producing supercritical fluids will require drilling wells and sampling fluids and rocks to depths of 3.5 to 5 km, and at temperatures of 450-600°C. The long-term plan is to drill and test a series of such deep boreholes in Iceland at the Krafla, the Hengill, and the Reykjanes high temperature geothermal systems. Beneath these three developed drill fields temperatures should exceed 550-650°C, and the occurrence of frequent seismic activity below 5 km, indicates that the rocks are brittle and therefore likely to be permeable. Modeling indicates that if the wellhead enthalpy is to exceed that of conventionally produced geothermal steam, the reservoir temperature must be higher than 450°C. A deep well pr...
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One scientific goal of the IDDP is to understand high-temperature reaction zones such as those that feed hydrothermal fluids to active mid-ocean ridge black smoker vents. Smoker fluids emerge from a reservoir of composition, pressure and... more
One scientific goal of the IDDP is to understand high-temperature reaction zones such as those that feed hydrothermal fluids to active mid-ocean ridge black smoker vents. Smoker fluids emerge from a reservoir of composition, pressure and temperature resembling those expected in a supercritical IDDP well in the Reykjanes geothermal system. We have reconstructed black smoker fluids based on published analyses,
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ABSTRACT The Iceland deep drilling project (IDDP) is a long-term research and development program aimed to improve the efficiency and economics of geothermal power generation by harnessing deep natural supercritical hydrous fluids... more
ABSTRACT The Iceland deep drilling project (IDDP) is a long-term research and development program aimed to improve the efficiency and economics of geothermal power generation by harnessing deep natural supercritical hydrous fluids obtained at drillable depths. Producing supercritical fluids will require drilling wells and sampling fluids and rocks to depths of 3.5 to 5 km, and at temperatures of 450-600degC. The current plan is to drill and test a series of such deep boreholes in Iceland; at the Krafla, the Hengill, and the Reykjanes high temperature geothermal fields. Investigations have indicated that the hydrothermal system extends beyond the three already developed target zones, to depths where temperatures should exceed 550-650degC. Occurrence of frequent seismic activity below 5 km indicates brittle and permeable rocks. A deep well producing 0.67 m3/sec steam (~2400 m3/h) from a reservoir with a temperature significantly above 450degC could yield enough high-enthalpy steam to generate 40-50 MW of electric power. This exceeds by an order of magnitude the power typically obtained from conventional geothermal wells. Being able to harness such unconventional geothermal resources is of great importance for many areas in the world where green sustainable energy is needed.
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The science program of the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) requires as much core as possible in the transition zone to supercritical and inside the supercritical zone…
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No abstract available. doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.4.04.2007
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The Reykjanes geothermal system is a seawater-recharged hydrothermal system that appears to be analogous to seafloor hydrothermal systems in terms of host rock type and low water/rock alteration. The similarities make the Reykjanes system... more
The Reykjanes geothermal system is a seawater-recharged hydrothermal system that appears to be analogous to seafloor hydrothermal systems in terms of host rock type and low water/rock alteration. The similarities make the Reykjanes system a useful proxy for seafloor vents. ...
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The light lithophile (Li, Be and B) and halogen (F, Cl) elements are powerful tracers of fluid transfer due to their mobility during high temperature hydrothermal processes and metamorphic devolatilisation. Moreover, although a great deal... more
The light lithophile (Li, Be and B) and halogen (F, Cl) elements are powerful tracers of fluid transfer due to their mobility during high temperature hydrothermal processes and metamorphic devolatilisation. Moreover, although a great deal of studies have been carried out on these elements in whole rock and minerals of altered rocks from divergent and convergent plate margins, an inventory