33 JANUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Colloids Could Help Solve A Geothermal Dilemma Adapted from Information by Cornell University Swelling colloids could be used to fix flow pathways in underground geothermal systems, a problem which has stalled investment in geothermal energy. The technique of swelling colloids was originally developed at Cornell for biomedical applications. The idea to use them in geothermal systems is backed by a $3.45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and brings together engineers, chemists, materials scientists, and geophysicists. The colloidal suspensions will be tested in the field by Cornell students and researchers on a subsurface well system at the Altona Field Laboratory in Altona, New York, before further field testing is conducted in partnership with energy technology company Cyrq Energy and the City of Boise Department of Public Works, which operates the largest municipal geothermal district heating system in the country. “By far, the overall cost of a geothermal project is dominated by thermal energy output of the reservoir as determined by the temperature and flow rates of the injection and production wells in the field,” said Professor Jeff Tester, principal investigator for the grant. For commercial development, it is necessary to understand and control fluid flow within a geothermal reservoir to reduce financial risks. For example, a problem can be encountered if the water’s underground flow path within the reservoir short circuits and does not travel through optimal rock channels. If water begins to cool the channels too quickly, the geothermal system can fail to produce sufficiently hot water. “What geothermal operators end up doing is either reducing the flow that they put through the system so they can extend the lifetime, or they have to drill new wells entirely,” added Tester. Researchers proposed a solution involving temperature-responsive colloids which can grow up to 100 times larger once they encounter a specifically programed temperature. The swelling colloids would enter a geothermal system, expand within cooled short-circuiting channels to block the pathways, and redistribute water toward hotter flow paths. Because temperature-responsive colloids would also shrink in size once short-circuiting channels exceed the threshold temperature, the process of blocking and redirecting the flow path is naturally reversible, effectively extending the well’s lifetime a second time. “If successful, our methodology will extend the thermal lifetime of a given injector-producer well pair,” saidAdam Hawkins, postdoctoral researcher and coprincipal investigator. “From a commercial perspective, this will substantially improve the economics as it will reduce the need to drill additional wells to sustain production.” Science behind swelling colloids was developed by Professor Ulrich Wiesner, the coprincipal investigator who demonstrated he could synthesize colloidal systems to be tailored over a wide range of sizes, topologies, and functionalities for applications such as bioimaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. “We realized that my group’s expertise in navigating complex biological environments for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics should be translatable to the complex environments underground,” explained Wiesner. “With the help of this grant and our excellent interdisciplinary team, it will be very exciting to explore how far we can push these analogies.” The project’s ultimate goal is to decrease financial risks of deep geothermal systems in a safe, transparent, and environmentally friendly manner. Colloids are particles of a substance mixed into something else. For example, when a tiny amount of air is mixed into cream, the result is whipped cream, a new colloidal substance. Clouds, milk, and paint are also examples of colloids. GEO Our Editorial Focus for March is Geotechnical, Foundations, and Pilings. The deadline for article submissions is January 15th. Send your information to bonnie@ worldwidedrillingresource.com
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