IADC and SPE Student Chapters at the University of North Dakota co-hosted a Geothermal Drilling Conference in late March. The virtual event featured Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering, Mohammad Al Dushaishi.
Event Description: Geothermal energy is a form of thermal energy that extracts heat from the earth’s crust. Geothermal energy is renewable energy, which can be used for heating and electricity generation. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) offer a dramatic expansion of geothermal energy uses, where DOE projects over 100 GW of electric capacity, which is equivalent to 10% of the overall U.S. electrical capacity. While EGS has tremendous potential in leading energy transition toward a low carbon footprint, the high cost of geothermal drilling is one of the main barriers. Thus, a key success in geothermal drilling is economic feasibility. The main challenges leading to high drilling costs in geothermal wells are slow ROP and wellbore instability issues. This presentation will focus on the aspects of drilling optimization, where a system specifically designed for geothermal application is developed to reduce drilling costs. The presentation will consist of the system development, benefits, and its application.
This is the second event co-hosted by the two student chapters. The first was on the topic of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage and took place in January. IADC is pleased to see these events being organized by the students and the collaboration between the IADC and SPE chapters.
