Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling
Wells for Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) typically occur in conditions presenting significant challenges for conventional rotary and percussive drilling technologies: granitic rocks that reduce drilling speeds and cause substantial equipment wear. Thermal spallation drilling, in which rock is fragmented by high temperature rather than mechanical means, offers a potential solution to these problems. However, much of the knowledge surrounding this drilling technique is empirical - based on laboratory experiments that may or may not represent field conditions. This paper outlines a new numerical modeling effort investigating the grain-scale processes governing thermal spallation drilling. Several factors affect spall production at the mesoscale, including grain size and size distribution, surface temperatures and material heterogeneity. To investigate the relative influence of these factors, we have conducted a series of simulations using GEODYN - a parallel Eulerian solid and fluid dynamics code. In this paper, we describe a two-dimensional model used to simulate the grain-scale processes and present preliminary results from this modeling effort.
Citation Formats
TY - DATA
AB - Wells for Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) typically occur in conditions presenting significant challenges for conventional rotary and percussive drilling technologies: granitic rocks that reduce drilling speeds and cause substantial equipment wear. Thermal spallation drilling, in which rock is fragmented by high temperature rather than mechanical means, offers a potential solution to these problems. However, much of the knowledge surrounding this drilling technique is empirical - based on laboratory experiments that may or may not represent field conditions. This paper outlines a new numerical modeling effort investigating the grain-scale processes governing thermal spallation drilling. Several factors affect spall production at the mesoscale, including grain size and size distribution, surface temperatures and material heterogeneity. To investigate the relative influence of these factors, we have conducted a series of simulations using GEODYN - a parallel Eulerian solid and fluid dynamics code. In this paper, we describe a two-dimensional model used to simulate the grain-scale processes and present preliminary results from this modeling effort.
AU - Walsh, Stuart D.C.
A2 - Lomov, Ilya
A3 - Roberts, Jeffery J.
DB - Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI)
DP - Open EI | National Renewable Energy Laboratory
DO -
KW - geothermal
KW - geomechanical modeling
KW - thermal spallation drilling
KW - engineered geothermal systems
KW - egs
KW - geodyn
KW - numerical modeling
LA - English
DA - 2011/08/24
PY - 2011
PB - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
T1 - Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling
UR - https://data.openei.org/submissions/6529
ER -
Walsh, Stuart D.C., et al. Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 24 August, 2011, GDR. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174.
Walsh, S., Lomov, I., & Roberts, J. (2011). Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling. [Data set]. GDR. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174
Walsh, Stuart D.C., Ilya Lomov, and Jeffery J. Roberts. Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, August, 24, 2011. Distributed by GDR. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174
@misc{OEDI_Dataset_6529,
title = {Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling},
author = {Walsh, Stuart D.C. and Lomov, Ilya and Roberts, Jeffery J.},
abstractNote = {Wells for Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) typically occur in conditions presenting significant challenges for conventional rotary and percussive drilling technologies: granitic rocks that reduce drilling speeds and cause substantial equipment wear. Thermal spallation drilling, in which rock is fragmented by high temperature rather than mechanical means, offers a potential solution to these problems. However, much of the knowledge surrounding this drilling technique is empirical - based on laboratory experiments that may or may not represent field conditions. This paper outlines a new numerical modeling effort investigating the grain-scale processes governing thermal spallation drilling. Several factors affect spall production at the mesoscale, including grain size and size distribution, surface temperatures and material heterogeneity. To investigate the relative influence of these factors, we have conducted a series of simulations using GEODYN - a parallel Eulerian solid and fluid dynamics code. In this paper, we describe a two-dimensional model used to simulate the grain-scale processes and present preliminary results from this modeling effort.},
url = {https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174},
year = {2011},
howpublished = {GDR, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174},
note = {Accessed: 2025-05-02}
}
Details
Data from Aug 24, 2011
Last updated May 23, 2017
Submitted Feb 13, 2013
Organization
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Contact
Stuart D.C. Walsh
Authors
Original Source
https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/174Research Areas
Keywords
geothermal, geomechanical modeling, thermal spallation drilling, engineered geothermal systems, egs, geodyn, numerical modelingDOE Project Details
Project Name Geomechanical Modeling for Thermal Spallation Drilling
Project Lead Greg Stillman
Project Number LLNL FY11 AOP2