8/13/2019 Geothermics Report
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Geothermics 49 (2014) 1
Contents lists available atScienceDirect
Geothermics
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m
/ l o c a t e / g e o t h e r m i c s
Preface
Iceland Deep Drilling Project: The first well, IDDP-1, drilled
into magma
The Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) is a research
anddevel-opment project, largely fundedby a consortium of Icelandic
energycompanies,that is investigating the possibility of greatly
increasingthe energy resources of Iceland by producing deep,
high-enthalpy,supercritical geothermal fluids. If successful, it
may be possibleto increase the power outputs of suitable geothermal
wells byan order of magnitude, without increasing their
environmentalfoot prints. This special issue of Geothermics brings
together 15
papers that report on (i) the concept of the IDDP, (ii) the
first wellthat attempted to drill to 4.5km depth into the
supercritical zonebelieved to exist in the Krafla volcanic caldera
in NE Iceland, (iii)how the well was completed at only 2.1km depth
after rhyolitemagmawas encountered at only 2.1km depth,(iv) the
widerappli-cations of the IDDP concept to other parts of the world,
and (v) theplans for drilling the next IDDP well in the Reykjanes
geothermalfield, in SW Iceland.
In one sense the first phase of the IDDP could be considered
afailure as drilling planned for a depth of 4.5 km, had to be
termi-nated at only 2.1km depth when >900C magma flowed into
it.However this unexpected result proved to be a case of
serendip-ity. The well was completed to produce from the >500 C
contactzone of the intrusion. Subsequently during a two year-long
flow
test it became the worlds hottest producing geothermal well,
witha well head temperature of more than 450 C, flowing dry
super-heatedsteamat high pressures(40140 bar). However theflow
testwas terminated when it was found that the wellhead
mastervalveshad suffered mechanical failure under these extreme
conditions.
Currently the well is kept quenched by cold water injection
whilenew master valves are being procured.
While the future development of the shallow molten
igneousintrusion at Krafla as an energy resource is being actively
debated,the focus of the IDDP on supercritical geothermal systems
isshifting attention to drilling a deep well on the Reykjanes
Penin-
sula in 20142015. This geothermal system, located where
theMid-Atlantic Ridge comes on land, differs from other
geothermalsystems in Iceland in that itshydrothermal fluid is
modified seawa-ter. The proposed 45km deep well will explore for
supercriticalconditions beneath the existing producing geothermal
field, withthe aim of greatly enhancing its resource potential. At
the sametime an extensive geophysical exploration program of the
Reyk-
janes Peninsula will be carried out by project IMAGE, an
initiativefunded by the European Commission. Since its inception
the IDDPindustrial consortium has been open to participation of
interestedscientistsand the drilling program has providednumerous
excitingadd-on science opportunities. At Krafla we were able to
study thecoupling of the hydrothermal systemwith a magmatic heat
source.At Reykjanes we will investigate the structure of a
mid-ocean ridge
and the roots of a hydrothermal system similar to those that
arethe heat sources of black smoker hydrothermal vents.The guest
editors of this special issue are grateful to the IDDP
consortium of HS Orka Hf, Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita
Reykjavkur,Orkustofnun, Statoil,andAlcoathat funded the
engineeringaspectsof the program, andto theU.S. National
ScienceFoundation andtheInternational Continental Scientific
Drilling Program that togethermade the add-on science program of
the IDDP possible.
Guest Editor
Wilfred A. EldersGuest Editor
Gumundur . FrileifssonGuest Editor
Bjarni PlssonE-mail address:[email protected]
(W.A. Elders)
Available online 19 September 2013
0375-6505/$ see front matter 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2013.08.012
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