POWER June 2017 - 12

2. A deep investigation. A consortium of Icelandic power companies and the Icelandic
government in January drilled a geothermal well that is 4,659 meters deep-deep enough to
reach fluids at supercritical conditions-at the Reykjanes geothermal field, which is a region characterized
by high volcanic activity and submarine hot springs. Courtesy: DEEPGS Geothermal
" By extending the available economic
reservoir downwards, we can extend the
lifetimes of existing producing fields, " it
added. Also, fewer turbines may be required
for a given power output as higher
enthalpy fluids have greater power conversion
efficiencies. And, as fewer wells
are needed for a given output, this could
technically increase the productivity of
a geothermal field without increasing its
environmental footprint, it noted.
For now, at least, the IDDP will focus its
efforts on the IDDP-3 project at Hellisheidi,
where work is slated to begin in 2020,
as soon as the IDDP secures funding.
SCE, GE Debut BatteryGas
Turbine Hybrid
System
Southern California Edison (SCE) put online
the world's first battery-gas turbine
hybrid system on March 30 in Norwalk,
Calif., pioneering a new direction in the
way power could be generated and stored.
The LM6000 Hybrid Electric Gas Turthe
project, which it says could present a
prime opportunity to investigate magma
properties in-situ.
The IDDP, meanwhile, has switched
gears and pushed on with its own mission,
choosing to explore Reykjanes (Figure 2)
near the southern tip of the Reykjanes
Peninsula, the second of three geothermal
fields it had initially deemed suitable in
its search for supercritical resources (the
third is Hellisheidi in southwest Iceland).
HS Orka, a power generator that operates
and sells power from the 75-MW Svartsengi
and 100-MW Reykjanesvirkjun goethermal
power plants, led drilling at Reykjanes
in close collaboration with IDDP partners
Landsvirkjun, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, the
National Energy Authority, and Norwegian
oil and gas firm Statoil.
HS Orka's Reykjanesvirkjun geothermal
plant sits in the Reykjanes geothermal
field, which is a unique field among
Icelandic geothermal systems because its
reservoir fluid is modified seawater and it
uses seawater to cool its steam condensers.
IDDP-2 took advantage of an existing
2,500-m-deep production well for the
plant and deepened it over several months
to 4,659 m, though it was cased only to a
depth of 3,000 m.
The team encountered a number of
hurdles as drilling progressed, including
weather delays and issues with hole stability
that required frequent reaming. It
was also forced to pause again and again
as the drilling assembly got stuck several
12
times. While those issues were ultimately
resolved,
the team's
biggest
roadblock
emerged when it completely lost circulation
below 3,060 m. " As cementing was
not successful, below 3180 m, drilling
continued without any return of drill cuttings
to the surface, " IDDP said.
On January 25, it reached its record
depth of 4,659 m, and IDDP declared
that " all initial targets were reached. "
Its goals, it said, were to drill deep to
extract drill cores, measure the temperature,
and search for permeability. " The
temperature at the bottom of the well
has already been measured at 427C, with
fluid pressure of 340 bars, drill cores
were retrieved, and the rocks appear to
be permeable at depth, " it added. " It's
clear that the bottom of the well reached
fluids at supercritical conditions so that
the main drilling phase objective of the
project has been achieved. "
The consortium recognizes the vast implications
of its achievement. " In [the]
future, our demonstration that it is possible
to drill into a supercritical zone could
have a large impact on the economics of
high-temperature geothermal resources
worldwide, " it said. The project also suggests
that development of supercritical
geothermal resources could be possible
in any young volcanic-hosted geothermal
system worldwide, such as at Kakkonda in
Japan, Larderello in Italy, Los Humeros in
Mexico, and The Geysers and Salton Sea
in the U.S.
www.powermag.com
POWER | June 2017
bine (Hybrid EGT, Figure 3) integrates
a 10-MW/4.3-MWh lithium-ion battery
energy storage system supplied by GE's
energy technology arm Current and an
existing 50-MW GE LM6000 aeroderivative
gas turbine. The turbine is " essentially a
ground-based version of GE's popular CF6
jet engine-the same engine that powers
many Boeing 747s, including Air Force
One, " GE noted.
3. Peaker battery. The first of two hybrid
electric gas turbines started operations
at Southern California Edison's (SCE's) Center
Peaker Plant in Norwalk, Calif., this March.
The system combines a 10-MW/4.3-MWh
battery system with a 50-MW GE LM6000
aeroderivative gas turbine. A similar system is
also under development in Rancho Cucamonga.
Courtesy: GE/SCE/Businesswire

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POWER June 2017

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