| Title | Slimhole Drilling for Geothermal Exploration |
|---|---|
| Authors | John T. Finger, Ronald D. Jacobson, Charles E. Hickox and Roger R. Eaton |
| Year | 1995 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal, exploration, slimhole, core drilling, testing, simulation |
| Abstract | Sandia National Laboratories manages the US Department of Energy (DOE) program for slimhole drilling. The principal objective of this program is to expand proven geothermal reserves through increased exploration, made possible by lower-cost slimhole drilling. For this to be accepted as a valid exploration method, however, it is necessary to demonstrate that slimholes yield enough data to evaluate a geothermal reservoir, and that is the focus of Sandia's current research. This paper describes the drilling, logging, and flow testing of an exploratory slimhole in the Steamboat Hills geothermal field near Reno, Nevada, USA. |