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At least 289 records · Page 16

Advanced Percussive Drilling Technology for Geothermal Exploration and Development

Percussive hammers are a promising advance in drilling technology for geothermal since they rely upon rock reduction mechanisms that are well-suited for use in the hard, brittle rock characteristic of geothermal formations. The project research approach and work plan includes a critical path to development of a high-temperature (HT) percussive hammer using a two phase approach. The work completed in Phase I of the project demonstrated the viability of percussive hammers and that solutions to technical challenges in design, material technology, and performance are likely to be resolved. Work completed in Phase II focused on testing the findings from Phase I and evaluating performance of the materials and designs at high operating temperatures. A high-operating temperature (HOT) drilling facility was designed, built, and used to test the performance of the DTH under extreme conditions. Results from the testing indicate that a high-temperature capable hammer can be developed and is a viable alternative for use in the driller’s toolbox.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Quasi-Determinate Model of Thermal Phenomena in Drilling Laminates

Assessment of thermal phenomena in the drilling of laminates is critical in printed-circuit production. A quasi-determinate model permits calculation of the expected temperature in the cutting zone during the drilling of small mounting sockets and pass-through holes, with consequent decrease in manufacturing waste.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Drill Embedded Nanosensors For Planetary Subsurface Exploration

We have developed a carbon nanotube (CNT) sensor for water vapor detection under Martian Conditions and the miniaturized electronics can be embedded in the drill bit for collecting sensor data and transmit it to a computer wirelessly.This capability will enable the real time measurement of ice during drilling. With this real time and in-situ measurement, subsurface ice detection can be easy, fast, precise and low cost.

Planetary exploration↗

Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill for High Temperature Application

Venus is one of the many significant scientific targets for NASA. New rock sampling tools with the ability to be operated at high temperatures of the order of 460 deg C are required for surface in-situ sampling/analysis missions. Piezoelectric materials such as LiNbO? crystals and Bismuth Titanate are potentially operational at the temperature range found on the surface of Venus. A study of the feasibility of producing piezoelectric drills for a temperature up to 500 deg C was conducted. The study includes investigation of the high temperature properties of piezoelectric crystals and ceramics with different formulas and doping. Several prototypes of Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corers (USDC) driven by transducers using the high temperate piezoelectric ceramics and single LiNbO? crystal were fabricated. The transducers were analyzed by scanning the impedance at room temperature and 500 deg C under both low and high voltages. The drilling performances were tested at temperature up to 500 deg C. Preliminary results were previously reported [Bao et al, 2009]. In this paper, the progress is presented and the future works for performance improvements are discussed.

Piezoelectric Drill↗

Radioactivity of Sediments at the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies Field Site

Introduction: During the 2018 Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) field activities, we conducted a survey of surface and subsurface sediment radioactivity. Our objective was to characterize the radiation environment of various near-surface sampling locations, as well as along the entire profile of a 2.60 m deep pit that had been dug near one of the ARADS rover drill site locations. This pit was used to collect samples that have been well characterized [2] for comparison to samples collected and analyzed by the rover.

ARADS↗

Faulting processes in active faults - Evidences from TCDP and SAFOD drill core samples

The microstructures, mineralogy and chemistry of representative samples collected from the cores of the San Andreas Fault drill hole (SAFOD) and the Taiwan Chelungpu-Fault Drilling project (TCDP) have been studied using optical microscopy, TEM, SEM, XRD and XRF analyses. SAFOD samples provide a transect across undeformed host rock, the fault damage zone and currently active deforming zones of the San Andreas Fault. TCDP samples are retrieved from the principal slip zone (PSZ) and from the surrounding damage zone of the Chelungpu Fault. Substantial differences exist in the clay mineralogy of SAFOD and TCDP fault gouge samples. Amorphous material has been observed in SAFOD as well as TCDP samples. In line with previous publications, we propose that melt, observed in TCDP black gouge samples, was produced by seismic slip (melt origin) whereas amorphous material in SAFOD samples was formed by comminution of grains (crush origin) rather than by melting. Dauphiné twins in quartz grains of SAFOD and TCDP samples may indicate high seismic stress. The differences in the crystallographic preferred orientation of calcite between SAFOD and TCDP samples are significant. Microstructures resulting from dissolution–precipitation processes were observed in both faults but are more frequently found in SAFOD samples than in TCDP fault rocks. As already described for many other fault zones clay-gouge fabrics are quite weak in SAFOD and TCDP samples. Clay-clast aggregates (CCAs), proposed to indicate frictional heating and thermal pressurization, occur in material taken from the PSZ of the Chelungpu Fault, as well as within and outside of the SAFOD deforming zones, indicating that these microstructures were formed over a wide range of slip rates.

Janssen, C.↗

Transmyocardial drilling revascularization combined with heparinized bFGF-incorporating stent activates resident cardiac stem cells via SDF-1/CXCR4 axis

Objective: To investigate whether transmyocardial drilling revascularization combined with heparinized basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-incorporating degradable stent implantation (TMDRSI) can promote myocardial regeneration after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: A model of AMI was generated by ligating the mid-third of left anterior descending artery (LAD) of miniswine. After 6 h, the animals were divided into none-treatment (control) group (n = 6) and TMDRSI group (n = 6). For TMDRSI group, two channels with 3.5 mm in diameter were established by a self-made drill in the AMI region, into which a stent was implanted. Expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1{sub {alpha}} (SDF-1{sub {alpha}}) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), cardiac stem cell (CSC)-mediated myocardial regeneration, myocardial apoptosis, myocardial viability, and cardiac function were assessed at various time-points. Results: Six weeks after the operation, CSCs were found to have differentiated into cardiomyocytes to repair the infarcted myocardium, and all above indices showed much improvement in the TMDRSI group compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The new method has shown to be capable of promoting CSCs proliferation and differentiation into cardiomyocytes through activating the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis, while inhibiting myocardial apoptosis, thereby enhancing myocardial regeneration following AMI and improving cardiac function. This may provide a new strategy for myocardial regeneration following AMI. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects of TMDR and bFGF-stent on myocardial regeneration were studied in a pig model of AMI. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TMDR and bFGF-stent implantation activated CSCs via the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CSC-mediated myocardial regeneration improved cardiac function. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It may be a new therapeutic strategy for AMI.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Drilling Down I/O Bottlenecks with Cross-layer I/O Profile Exploration

I/O performance monitoring tools such as Darshan and Recorder collect I/O-related metrics on production systems and help understand the applications' behavior. However, some gaps prevent end-users from seeing the whole picture when it comes to detecting and drilling down to the root causes of I/O performance slowdowns and where those problems originate. These gaps arise from limitations in the available metrics, their collection strategy, and the lack of translation to actionable items that could advise on optimizations. This paper highlights such gaps and proposes solutions to drill down to the source code level to pinpoint the root causes of I/O bottlenecks scientific applications face by relying on cross-layer analysis combining multiple performance metrics related to I/O software layers. We demonstrate with two real applications how metrics collected in high-level libraries (which are closer to the data models used by an application), enhanced by source-code insights and natural language translations, can help streamline the understanding of I/O behavior and provide guidance to end-users, developers, and supercomputing facilities on how to improve I/O performance. Using this cross-layer analysis and the heuristic recommendations, we attained up to 6.9× speedup from run-as-is executions.

Ather, Hammad↗

Timescales of mafic magmatic fractionation documented by paleosecular variation in basaltic drill core, Snake River Plain volcanic province, Idaho, USA

Abstract The timescales over which fractional crystallization and recharge work in mafic volcano-plutonic provinces is subject to great uncertainty. Currently modeled processes are subject to the scale of measurement: monogenetic basaltic fields accumulate over hundreds of thousands of years, consistent with U-Th-Ra isotopic variations that imply 50% crystallization of basic magmas on timescales of 100,000 years or more, whereas crystal diffusion modeling implies phenocryst residence times of ~1–1000 years. Monogenetic basalts of the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho, USA, are up to 2 km thick and postdate passage over the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain hotspot. Detailed lithologic and geophysical logging of core from deep drill holes, along with chemical stratigraphy and high-resolution paleomagnetic inclination measurements, document individual eruptive units, compound lava flows, and basaltic flow groups that accumulated over 1–6 m.y. Hiatuses are commonly marked by loess or fluvial interbeds that vary from ~0.1 m thick to 20 m thick. Radiometric (40Ar-39Ar, detrital zircon U-Pb) and paleomagnetic timescale ages show that the deepest hole (Kimama drill hole, 1912 m total depth) accumulated over ~6 m.y. Cycles of fractional crystallization and recharge are recognized in the chemical stratigraphy as up-section shifts in major and trace elements; these fractionation cycles commonly represent 40%–50% fractionation. Individual fractionation cycles may comprise 20–40 eruptive units (8–17 lava flows) with little to no change in paleomagnetic inclination (0°–1°), whereas adjacent cycles may differ by several degrees from one another or reflect changes in polarity. Rates of paleosecular variation in Holocene lavas and sediments dated using 14C document significant shifts in magnetic inclination over short timescales, ranging from ~0.05° to 2°/decade, with an average of ~0.5°/decade and a minimum rate of 0.05°/decade. This implies that fractionation cycles with ≤1° variation in magnetic inclination formed on timescales of a few decades up to a few centuries (20–200 years). Thus, the lavas collectively represent only a few thousand years of eruptive activity, with major flow groups separated in time by tens to hundreds of thousands of years. We suggest that the rates defined by paleosecular variation capture the timescales of magmatic chamber evolution (fractionation/recharge) in the seismically imaged mid-crustal sill complex; in contrast, we suggest that crystal diffusion modeling captures the residence times in shallow subvolcanic magmatic chambers that underlie individual monogenetic volcanoes.

Geology↗

Shale drilling field notes, lithologic descriptions, and core photographs of wells PLM5, PLM8, GUM1, and GLS1 at the East River Watershed, Colorado

The purpose of this dataset is to maintain a record of the shale drilling field notes, lithologic descriptions, and core photographs taken at the PLM5 (Pumphouse Lower Montane Borehole #5), PLM8 (Pumphouse Lower Montane Borehole #8), GUM1 (Gothic Upper Montane Borehole #1), and GLS1 (GLS1 = Gothic Lower Subalpine Borehole #1) wells at the East River Watershed, Colorado during October 2018 through November 2019. The wells were created as part of data collection for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (WF SFA). This dataset consists of (1) detailed field notes and metadata (well locations, elevations, completion depths, and pressure transducer deployments) associated with drilling and coring activities accompanying the 2018 and 2019 installations of wells PLM5, PLM8, GUM1, and GLS1 and (2) high resolution photographs (*.png format) of all shale core recovered during the installations. Core photographs are labeled with location- and depth-specific names (e.g. PLM5_134-144ft), with the prefix (e.g. PLM5) indicating the well location and the suffix (e.g. 134-144ft) indicating the depth below ground surface of the recovered core. With the exception of core collected from well PLM5 from depths 0-59 feet, which were photographed by Tetsu Tokunaga in Berkeley, CA, all core was photographed by Kenneth H. Williams at the US Geological Survey core repository in Denver, Colorado, where all core samples are permanently archived.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Recovery Act. Sub-Soil Gas and Fluid Inclusion Exploration and Slim Well Drilling, Pumpernickel Valley, Nevada

Nevada Geothermal Power Company (NGP) was awarded DOE Award DE-EE0002834 in January 2010 to conduct sub-soil gas and fluid inclusion studies and slim well drilling at its Black Warrior Project (now known as North Valley) in Washoe and Churchill Counties, Nevada. The project was designed to apply highly detailed, precise, low-cost subsoil and down-hole gas geochemistry methods from the oil and gas industry to identify upflow zone drilling targets in an undeveloped geothermal prospect. NGP ran into multiple institutional barriers with the Black Warrior project relating to property access and extensive cultural survey requirement. NGP requested that the award be transferred to NGP’s Pumpernickel Valley project, due to the timing delay in obtaining permits, along with additional over-budget costs required. Project planning and permit applications were developed for both the original Black Warrior location and at Pumpernickel. This included obtaining proposals from contractors able to conduct required environmental and cultural surveying, designing the two-meter probe survey methodology and locations, and submitting Notices of Intent and liaising with the Bureau of Land Management to have the two-meter probe work approved. The award had an expiry date of April 30, 2013; however, due to the initial project delays at Black Warrior, and the move of the project from Black Warrior to Pumpernickel, NGP requested that the award deadline be extended. DOE was amenable to this, and worked with NGP to extend the deadline. However, following the loss of the Blue Mountain geothermal power plant in Nevada, NGP’s board of directors changed the company’s mandate to one of cash preservation. NGP was unable to move forward with field work on the Pumpernickel property, or any of its other properties, until additional funding was secured. NGP worked to bring in a project partner to form a joint venture on the property, or to buy the property. This was unsuccessful, and NGP notified the DOE on February 13, 2014 that it would not be able to complete the project objectives before the recovery act awards deadline and submitted a mutual termination request to the DOE which was accepted.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Michrohole Arrays Drilled with Advanced Abrasive Slurry Jet Technology to Efficiently Exploit Enhanced Geothermal Systems

This project had two major areas of research for Engineered/ Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) development - 1) study the potential benefits from using microholes (i.e., bores with diameters less than 10.16 centimeters/ 4 inches) and 2) study FLASH ASJ to drill/ install those microbores between a well and a fracture system. This included the methods and benefits of drilling vertical microholes for exploring the EGS reservoir and for installing multiple (forming an array of) laterals/ directional microholes for creating the in-reservoir heat exchange flow paths. Significant benefit was found in utilizing small microbore sized connecting bores for EGS efficiency and project life. FLASH ASJ was deemed too complicated to optimally work in such deep reservoirs at this time.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DE-FOA-EE0005502 Advanced Percussive Drilling Technology for Geothermal Exploration and Development Phase II Report.

Percussive hammers are a promising advance in drilling technology for geothermal since they rely upon rock reduction mechanisms that are well-suited for use in the hard, brittle rock characteristic of geothermal formations. The project research approach and work plan includes a critical path to development of a high-temperature (HT) percussive hammer using a two- phase approach. The work completed in Phase I of the project demonstrated the viability of percussive hammers and that solutions to technical challenges in design, material technology, and performance are likely to be resolved. Work completed in Phase II focused on testing the findings from Phase I and evaluating performance of the materials and designs at high- operating temperatures. A high-operating temperature (HOT) drilling facility was designed, built, and used to test the performance of the DTH under extreme conditions. Results from the testing indicate that a high-temperature capable hammer can be developed and is a viable alternative for user in the driller's toolbox.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Laser Drilling Development Trial Final Report CRADA No. TSB-1538-98

This project performed various laser drilling tests to demonstrate femtosecond laser drilling of fuel injector nozzles with minimal recast, minimal heat affected zone and no collateral damage. LLNL had extensive experience in ultra short-pulse laser systems and developed specialized hardware for these applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deep Borehole Laboratory and Borehole Testing Strategy: Generic Drilling and Testing Plan

This report presents a generic (i.e., site-independent) preliminary plan for drilling, testing, sampling, and analyzing data for a deep characterization borehole drilled into crystalline basement for the purposes of assessing the suitability of a site for deep borehole disposal (DBD). This research was performed as part of the deep borehole field test (DBFT). Based on revised U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) priorities in mid-2017, the DBFT and other research related to a DBD option was discontinued; ongoing work and documentation were closed out by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2017. This report was initiated as part of the DBFT and documented as an incomplete draft at the end of FY 2017. The report was finalized by Sandia National Laboratories in FY2018 without DOE funding, subsequent to the termination of the DBFT, and published in FY2019. This report presents a possible sampling, testing, and analysis campaign that could be carried out as part of a future project to quantify geochemical, geomechanical, geothermal, and geohydrologic conditions encountered at depths up to 5 km in crystalline basement.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Optimizing the LSST Observing Strategy for Dark Energy Science: DESC Recommendations for the Deep Drilling Fields and other Special Programs

We review the measurements of dark energy enabled by observations of the Deep Drilling Fields and the optimization of survey design for cosmological measurements. This white paper is the result of efforts by the LSST DESC Observing Strategy Task Force (OSTF), which represents the entire collaboration, and aims to make recommendations on observing strategy for the DDFs that will benefit all cosmological analyses with LSST. It is accompanied by the DESC-WFD white paper (Lochner et al.). We argue for altering the nominal deep drilling plan to have $>6$ month seasons, interweaving $gri$ and $zy$ observations every 3 days with 2, 4, 8, 25, 4 visits in $grizy$, respectively. These recommendations are guided by metrics optimizing constraints on dark energy and mitigation of systematic uncertainties, including specific requirements on total number of visits after Y1 and Y10 for photometric redshifts (photo-$z$) and weak lensing systematics. We specify the precise locations for the previously-chosen LSST deep fields (ELAIS-S1, XMM-LSS, CDF-S, and COSMOS) and recommend Akari Deep Field South as the planned fifth deep field in order to synergize with Euclid and WFIRST. Our recommended DDF strategy uses $6.2\%$ of the LSST survey time. We briefly discuss synergy with white papers from other collaborations, as well as additional mini-surveys and Target-of-Opportunity programs that lead to better measurements of dark energy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Drill and Complete CO 2 Observation Wells (SECARB Work Product 5.2.2.b)

The following report contains details on the drilling and completion of the new wells D-9-8#2 and D-9-9#2, as well as the recompletion work for the previously temporarily abandoned D-4-13 and D-4-14 wells. Each of the four wells will be used for observation activities for the SECARB Phase III Anthropogenic Test. A drilling and completion narrative and an as built description of the well including drawings and material specifications for the D-9- 8#2 and D-9-9#2 are outlined in this report. An outline of the recompletion procedure for the D-4-13 and D-4-14 wells is also included.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗