Innovative Exploration Techniques for Geothermal ...€¦ · Innovative Exploration Techniques for...

1 | US DOE Geothermal Program eere.energy.gov

Public Service of Colorado Ponnequin Wind Farm

Geothermal Technologies Program 2011

Innovative Exploration Techniques for

Geothermal Assessment at Jemez Pueblo,

New Mexico

Michael Albrecht

TBA Power

June 2011

This presentation does not contain any proprietary

confidential, or otherwise restricted information.


• Project Timeline:Start Date: 1/29/2010 (Assistance Agreement issued)

Target End Date: 8/1/2012

Project Phases: Phase I - Resource Evaluation

Phase II - Drilling

Phase III - Well Testing

• Project Budget:DOE Funding Level: $4,995,844

Overview


Collaborations

• Project Team:– Greg Kaufman, NRD Director and Principal Investigator– Michael Albrecht, Technical Project Manager – TBA Power, Inc.– Dr. Fraser Goff, Hydrogeochemistry & Geothermal Consultant– Dr. Shari Kelley, Geophysicist & Field Geologist – New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources– Robert Salaz, Graduate Geology Student- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology– Dr. Jamie Gardner, Geological Consultant– Dr. William Inskeep, Hydrogeochemistry Consultant – Montana State University– Dr. Peter Rose, University of Utah Energy & Geoscience Institute– Dr. Giday WoldeGabriel, Los Alamos National Laboratory– Dr. Lianjie Huang, Los Alamos National Laboratory– Dr. Paul Reimus, Los Alamos National Laboratory

• Subcontractors:– PASSCAL Instrument Center (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology)– Zonge International, Inc. - Seismic Vendor– Dewhurst Group, LLC - MT Vendor– Dr. Helmut Tenzer - Geothermal Risk Consultant (Germany)– Earl Berkheimer - Drilling Consultant– Geothermal Resource Group, Inc. - Drilling Consulting– TBA Power’s Team Wolverine - Geo-Support Service


Relevance/Impact of Research

• Challenges, barriers and knowledge gaps addressedPrior to the project no (drilling) reliable structural information as well as information about the location or extend of a commercially viable geothermal resource was available in this study area that is located in proximity to the Vallescaldera. The study area as well as its surrounding show manifestations of multiple geothermal episodes but no well exceeding 240 ft has ever been drilled for better geological classification. In a blind resource like scenario this project has to image and explore through the caldera outflow plume into depths of more than 3000 ft. Drilling west of the Indian Springs fault or east of it that alone, can determine the success of a commercial power generation project and represents a substantial drilling risk.

• Impact on the geothermal industry/marketThis project is the largest geothermal exploration project in New Mexico since Fenton Hill at nearby Valles caldera. Through its existence, this investigation promotes the geothermal industry in the State of New Mexico, puts the geothermal industry as a whole literally on the map for the state-wide transmission planning of New Mexico’s Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA), accumulates geothermal know how present in the state and serves as incubator for subsequent cooperation between the involved parties within the state and beyond.

• Innovative aspectsThis project validates the integration of high resolution seismic data acquisition and processing tailored to steep and complex structures like faults and fault zones into traditional geothermal exploration methods. Innovative single-well and interwell tracer and flowing electrical conductivity (FEC) logging provide insight into the nature of the resource and its conduits well beyond the wellbore. Those tests determine i.e. fracture surface areas and flow velocities in single-well tests.

• Impact on the Geothermal Technologies Program’s goa l(s)This project validates three new exploration methods. It is estimated that the project will confirm about 10 MWe of geothermal energy capacity.


Scientific/Technical Approach

• Scientific/technical approachTraditional methods like geologic mapping, hydrogeochemistry and mineralogical analysis are combined with enhanced seismic and large surface area covering 3D magnetotelluric. Once those data have been integrated a conceptual model is developed, wells are drilled and the innovative well testing methods are performed in addition to traditional logging tasks and flow testing.

• Project and project task designThe project implementation plan follows a logical and reasonable progression from geologic mapping, hydrogeochemistry and mineralogy to geophysical surveys to selecting a well site location to drilling to logging to the final phase of well testing. All new innovative methods are technically feasible because they are not in a basic research phase anymore but have been exposed to either other industries, underwent different stages of modeling or build on innovative research conducted in other DOE funded geothermal projects.

• Key issuesThe project addresses on how to resolve and image from the surface complex and steep structures like faults and fault zones within a potential resource and how to obtain cost effective information beyond the wellbore without drilling another well, what reduces investment risks. This applies especially to blind resource scenarios.

• Execution of project tasksThe tasks have been executed in time and budget according to technical expectations. The project was even able to add and manage additional tasks that have not been part of the original project plan, like the implementation of a seismic monitoring network. Up to now project delays have not been related to scientific/technical issues.


Accomplishments, Results and Progress

Woodward & Ruetschilling (1976), Witcher (2004)

Geological interpretation before the project starte d in April 2010



Conceptual Geothermal Model 12 months later

outflow plume dominated system deep convection dominated system

North South

West East



How did we get there?

Data Integration & Innovative Enhanced Seismic Data Acquisition and Analysis

Geological MappingHydrogeochemistryMineralogical Analysis3D MagnetotelluricEnhanced seismic data acquisition and imaging



Data Integration & Innovative Enhanced Seismic Data Acquisition and Analysis



Current Seismic Analysis and Progress

Elastic-wave reverse-time migration with a wavefield-separation imaging condition

From model to reality



Proposed spud in point at the drilling target area: N 35° 35´04.55“; W 106° 43`57.88“


Project Management/Coordination

Variances from original plans/schedule and correcti ve action(s) taken

• LANL contracting process during project initiation

For nearly 9 months after the assistance agreement has been issued LANL team members were not allowed to work on the project. The project managed in Phase I to change schedules based on dependencies, modify workflows and generate focus in Q2 and Q3 of 2011 to bring team member dependencies back in sync. The duration of the drilling planning phase in Phase II has been increased to absorb the need for team based data integration and the generation of seismic deliverables needed for the final drilling location decision and strategy. The increase is going to be corrected through a shortened drilling completion time. Since LANL can charge the project the project is in spend plan.

• ARRA related administrative processesThe duration of ARRA related administrative approval and modification processes is corrected by original design of the project plan; the project plan has been designed as a 2 year project, leaving 1 year variance buffer for cases like that. Yet, the continued cooperation of the DOE is needed to secure productive project schedules and continued ARRA employment.

Coordination & IntegrationThe project maintains an open door policy towards everyone interested in working with the team or maintaining a dialogue. The project accumulates most geothermal know-how present in the State of New Mexico and attracts interest from inside and outside the program. Some of the work builds on innovative research out of other program projects. Different departments of the State of New Mexico and renewable energy centers from outside New Mexico are very interested in the work conducted in this project.


Data Sharing

4/6/2011Participation in the DOE-GDR Introduction to Data Submission Webinar 4/25/2011Submission of Introductory Survey to the DOE-GDR Data Team containing general project information, data types and formats(see supporting documents)4/25/20111-on-1 follow up meeting with DOE-GDR Data Team5/3/2011DOE-GDR Data Team provides FTP upload site5/9/2011Project starts uploading data

Current action items:DOE-GDR Data Team to provide META-Data Builder (under development) to the projectDOE-GDR Data Team to provide Data Manager (under development) to the projectThe project communicates seismic data storage processes with the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

This project has a digital data policy. All data are expected to be processed, stored and communicated on a digital level using state of the art mapping and visualization software as well as web technology.GIS & WebGIS & Web


Jobs

• On average 6+ permanent full-time jobs have been created.

• 4 to 9 members of the Pueblo of Jemez found not only permanent full-time employment but are now also International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) certified and college educated Geo-Technicians within TBA Power’s tribal service unit called “Team Wolverine”. The are double certified as Geothermal Installer and Geothermal Driller. The expectation according to original project plan was to create for tribal members 6 to 8 full-time positions for 3 to 4 months only.


Directions

• Contrary to the originally projected drilling depth of 3000 ft, we now plan due to the exploration results to drill 5000 to 6000 ft deep (vertical depth).

• Synthetic seismic data should be generated using the dominating fault zones and the commercially developed velocity model as input model. Processing those synthetic seismic data for all seismic algorithms at hand (time migration, Kirchhoff migration, commercial wave-equation migration, LANL wave-equation migration, and LANL’s wavefield separation migration) will result in well proven, true statements about the different algorithm’s imaging characteristics and help interpret potential fault location shifts in the wavefieldseparation migration.

• Strategic resource utilization and exploitation risk management have been added to the exploration project to better and strategically react on findings coming out of the drilling of the first exploration well. This will lower the investment risk into the project.

• Coring and cutting analysis as part of the first exploration well will generate geological truth that will support the seismic algorithm evaluation through synthetic data generation.

• Well testing including VSP, innovative tracer and flowing electrical conductivity (FEC) testing and traditional logging as outlined in the project plan (see supporting documents) will generate in 2011 additional insight into the nature of the resource and its conduits well beyond the wellbore.

• Once all data are analyzed that have been gathered through and after the drilling of the first exploration well, a production size well will be drilled in 2012 following another gateway decision. Tracer tests as well as other basic well and fluid chemistry and flow tests will be conducted in the production well.


Transmission Planning in NM

Under the leadership of New Mexico’s Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA), following Senate Memorial 44, the current and future transmission needs of the State have been. All stake holders were involved and provided their input in this very public process. A process many States can follow to support the development of all renewable energies.

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