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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Overview of Reclamation's geothermal program in Imperial Valley, California

The Bureau of Reclamation is presently involved in a unique Geothermal Resource Development Program in Imperial Valley, California. The main purpose of the investigations is to determine the feasibility of providing a source of fresh water through desalting geothermal fluids stored in the aquifers underlying the valley. Significant progress in this research and development stage to date includes extensive geophysical investigations and the drilling of five geothermal wells on the Mesa anomaly. Four of the wells are for production and monitoring the anomaly, and one will be used for reinjection of waste brines from the desalting units. Two desalting units, a multistage flash unit and a vertical tube evaporator unit, have been erected at the East Mesa test site. The units have been operated on shakedown and continuous runs and have produced substantial quantities of high-quality water.

Fulcher, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geophysical, geochemical, and geological investigations of the Dunes geothermal system, Imperial Valley, California

The Dunes anomaly is a water-dominated geothermal system in the alluvium of the Salton Trough, lacking any surface expression. It was discovered by shallow-temperature gradient measurements. A 612-meter-deep test well encountered several temperature-gradient reversals, with a maximum of 105 C at 114 meters. The program involves surface geophysics, including electrical, gravity, and seismic methods, down-hole geophysics and petrophysics of core samples, isotopic and chemical studies of water samples, and petrological and geochemical studies of the cores and cuttings. The aim is (1) to determine the source and temperature history of the brines, (2) to understand the interaction between the brines and rocks, and (3) to determine the areal extent, nature, origin, and history of the geothermal system. These studies are designed to provide better definition of exploration targets for hidden geothermal anomalies and to contribute to improved techniques of exploration and resource assessment.

Elders, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Institutional and environmental problems in geothermal resource development

A number of regulatory and institutional impediments to the development of geothermal energy exist. None of these seem likely to prevent the development of this energy source, but in the aggregate they will pace its growth as certainly as the technological issues. The issues are associated with the encouragement of exploration and development, assuring a market for geothermal steam or hot water, and accomplishing the required research and development in a timely manner. The development of geothermal energy in the United States at a high level is apt to cause both favorable and unfavorable, though manageable, impacts in eight major areas, which are discussed.

Maslan, F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Preliminary results of geothermal desalting operations at the East Mesa test site Imperial Valley, California

The Bureau of Reclamation has erected at its Geothermal Resource Development site two experimental test vehicles for the purpose of desalting hot fluids of geothermal origin. Both plants have as a feed source geothermal well Mesa 6-1 drilled to a total depth of 8,030 feet and having a bottom hole temperature of 400 F. Formation fluid collected at the surface contained 24,800 mg/1 total dissolved solids. The dissolved solids consist mainly of sodium chloride. A multistage distillation (3-stage) plant has been operated intermittently for one year with no operational problems. Functioning at steady-state conditions with a liquid feed rate of 70 g/m and a temperature of 221 F, the final brine blowdown temperature was 169 F. Product water was produced at a rate of about 2 g/m; average total dissolved solids content of the product was 170 mg/1. A product quality of 27.5 mg/1 at a pH of 9.5 was produced from the first stage.

Suemoto, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geothermal reservoir engineering research

The Stanford University research program on the study of stimulation and reservoir engineering of geothermal resources commenced as an interdisciplinary program in September, 1972. The broad objectives of this program have been: (1) the development of experimental and computational data to evaluate the optimum performance of fracture-stimulated geothermal reservoirs; (2) the development of a geothermal reservoir model to evaluate important thermophysical, hydrodynamic, and chemical parameters based on fluid-energy-volume balances as part of standard reservoir engineering practice; and (3) the construction of a laboratory model of an explosion-produced chimney to obtain experimental data on the processes of in-place boiling, moving flash fronts, and two-phase flow in porous and fractured hydrothermal reservoirs.

Ramey, H. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geothermal steam condensate reinjection

Geothermal electric generating plants which use condensing turbines and generate and excess of condensed steam which must be disposed of are discussed. At the Geysers, California, the largest geothermal development in the world, this steam condensate has been reinjected into the steam reservoir since 1968. A total of 3,150,000,000 gallons of steam condensate has been reinjected since that time with no noticeable effect on the adjacent producing wells. Currently, 3,700,000 gallons/day from 412 MW of installed capacity are being injected into 5 wells. Reinjection has also proven to be a satisfactory method of disposing of geothermal condensate a Imperial Valley, California, and at the Valles Caldera, New Mexico.

Chasteen, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The detection of geothermal areas from Skylab thermal data

Skylab-4 X-5 thermal data of the geysers area was analyzed to determine the feasibility of using midday Skylab images to detect geothermal areas. The hottest ground areas indicated on the Skylab image corresponded to south-facing barren or sparsely vegetated slopes. A geothermal area approximately 15 by 30 m coincided with one of the hottest areas indicated by Skylab. This area could not be unambiguously distinguished from the other areas which are believed to be hotter than their surroundings as a result of their topography, and micrometeorological conditions. A simple modification of a previous thermal model was performed and the predicted temperatures for the hottest slopes using representative values was in general agreement with the observed data. It is concluded that data from a single midday Skylab pass cannot be used to locate geothermal areas.

Siegal, B. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Institutional and environmental aspects of geothermal energy development

Until recently, the majority of work in geothermal energy development has been devoted to technical considerations of resource identification and extraction technologies. The increasing interest in exploiting the variety of geothermal resources has prompted an examination of the institutional barriers to their introduction for commercial use. A significant effort was undertaken by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a part of a national study to identify existing constraints to geothermal development and possible remedial actions. These aspects included legislative and legal parameters plus environmental, social, and economic considerations.

Citron, O. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Development and evaluation of elastomeric materials for geothermal applications

A material for a casing packer for service for 24 hours in a geothermal environment was developed by synthesis of new elastomers and formulation of available materials. Formulation included use of commercial elastomer gumstocks and also crosslinking of plastic (high Tg) materials. Fibrous reinforcement of fluorocarbon rubbers was emphasized. Organic fiber reinforcement did not increase hot properties significantly. Glass fiber reinforcement gave significant increase in tensile properties. Elongation was reduced, and the glass-reinforced composition examined so far did not hold up well in the geothermal environment. Colloidal asbestos fibers were also investigated. A few experiments with polyphenyl ether gave material with low tensile and high compression set. Available high styrene SBR compositions were studied. Work to date suggests that new synthetic polymers will be required for service in geothermal environments.

Mueller, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Engineering aspects of geothermal development with emphasis on the Imperial Valley of California

This review was prepared in support of a geothermal planning activity of the County of Imperial. Engineering features of potential geothermal development are outlined. Acreage requirements for drilling and powerplants are estimated, as are the costs for wells, fluid transmission pipes, and generating stations. Rough scaling relationships are developed for cost factors as a function of reservoir temperature. Estimates are made for cooling water requirements, and possible sources of cooling water are discussed. Availability and suitability of agricultural wastewater for cooling are emphasized. The utility of geothermal resources for fresh water production in the Imperial Valley is considered.

Goldsmith, M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Environmental assessment of the proposed nonelectric application of geothermal resources at Desert Hot Springs, California

The paper presents an environmental analysis performed in evaluating various proposed geothermal demonstration projects at Desert Hot Springs. These are categorized in two ways: (1) indirect, or (2) direct uses. Among the former are greenhouses, industrial complexes, and car washes. The latter include aquaculture, a cascaded agribusiness system, and a mobile home park. Major categories of environmental impact covered are: (1) site, (2) construction of projects, and (3) the use of the geothermal source. Attention is also given to the disposal of the geothermal fluid after use. Finally, it is concluded that there are no major problems forseen for each project, and future objectives are discussed.

Rosenberg, L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Geothermal direct heat use: Market potential/penetration analysis for Federal Region 9

A preliminary study was made of the potential for geothermal direct heat use in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada (Federal Region 9). An analysis was made of each state to: (1) define the resource, based on the latest available data; (2) assess the potential market growth for geothermal energy; and (3) estimate the market penetration, projected to 2020. Findings of the study include the following: (1) Potentially economical hydrothermal resources exist in all four states of the Region: however, the resource data base is largely incomplete, particularly for low to moderate temperature resources. (2) In terms of beneficial heat, the total hydrothermal resource identified so far for the four states is on the order of 43 Quads, including an estimated 34 Quads of high temperature resources which are suitable for direct as well as electrical applications. (3) In California, Hawaii, and Nevada, the industrial market sector has somewhat greater potential for penetration than the residential/commercial sector. In Arizona, however, the situation is reversed, due to the collocation of two major metropolitan areas (Phoenix and Tucson) with potential geothermal resources.

Powell, W.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Compact, Deep-Penetrating Geothermal Heat Flow Instrumentation for Lunar Landers

Geothermal heat flow is obtained as a product of the two separate measurements of geothermal gradient in, and thermal conductivity of, the vertical soi/rock/regolith interval penetrated by the instrument. Heat flow measurements are a high priority for the geophysical network missions to the Moon recommended by the latest Decadal Survey [I] and previously the International Lunar Network [2]. The two lunar-landing missions planned later this decade by JAXA [3] and ESA [4] also consider geothermal measurements a priority.

Nagihara, S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Proceedings of the Conference on Research for the Development of Geothermal Energy Resources

The proceedings of a conference on the development of geothermal energy resources are presented. The purpose of the conference was to acquaint potential user groups with the Federal and National Science Foundation geothermal programs and the method by which the users and other interested members can participate in the program. Among the subjects discussed are: (1) resources exploration and assessment, (2) environmental, legal, and institutional research, (3) resource utilization projects, and (4) advanced research and technology.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1974

Measuring ground movement in geothermal areas of Imperial Valley, California

Significant ground movement may accompany the extraction of large quantities of fluids from the subsurface. In Imperial Valley, California, one of the potential hazards of geothermal development is the threat of both subsidence and horizontal movement of the land surface. Regional and local survey nets are being monitored to detect and measure possible ground movement caused by future geothermal developments. Precise measurement of surface and subsurface changes will be required to differentiate man-induced changes from natural processes in this tectonically active region.

Lofgren, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Imperial Valley's proposal to develop a guide for geothermal development within its county

A plan to develop the geothermal resources of the Imperial Valley of California is presented. The plan consists of development policies and includes text and graphics setting forth the objectives, principles, standards, and proposals. The plan allows developers to know the goals of the surrounding community and provides a method for decision making to be used by county representatives. A summary impact statement for the geothermal development aspects is provided.

Pierson, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The total flow concept for geothermal energy conversion

A geothermal development project has been initiated at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) to emphasize development of methods for recovery and conversion of the energy in geothermal deposits of hot brines. Temperatures of these waters vary from 150 C to more than 300 C with dissolved solids content ranging from less than 0.1% to over 25% by weight. Of particular interest are the deposits of high-temperature/high-salinity brines, as well as less saline brines, known to occur in the Salton Trough of California. Development of this resource will depend on resolution of the technical problems of brine handling, scale and precipitation control, and corrosion/erosion resistant systems for efficient conversion of thermal to electrical energy. Research experience to date has shown these problems to be severe. Hence, the LLL program emphasizes development of an entirely different approach called the Total Flow concept.

Austin, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

San Diego Gas and Electric Company Imperial Valley geothermal activities

San Diego Gas and Electric and its wholly owned subsidiary New Albion Resources Co. have been affiliated with Magma Power Company, Magma Energy Inc. and Chevron Oil Company for the last 2-1/2 years in carrying out geothermal research and development in the private lands of the Imperial Valley. The steps undertaken in the program are reviewed and the sequence that must be considered by companies considering geothermal research and development is emphasized. Activities at the south end of the Salton Sea and in the Heber area of Imperial Valley are leading toward development of demonstration facilities within the near future. The current status of the project is reported.

Hinrichs, T. C.↗