| Title | Metal Sealing Packer Technology in Deep Boreholes |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Hegemann, Gerd Klee & Fritz Rummel |
| Year | 1999 |
| Conference | European Geothermal Conference |
| Keywords | Metal packer, borehole seal, casing anchoring, HDR |
| Abstract | Early hydraulic I hydrofrac tests at the HDR geothermal test sites Bad Urach and Soultzsous- Forets were characterized by severe technical problems due to conventional (rubberbased) packer technology in hostile downhole environment (high temperature, high gas- and salt content of the borehole fluids). Various metal packer systems have since been developed during the past years to overcome these problems: - Aluminum packers as part of a wreline hydrofrac straddle packer system to measure insitu stresses, consistlng of soft aluminum sleeves, which were successfully used down to approx. 3.5 km in the Soultz boreholes EPS-1 and GPK-1 and in the Urach-3 borehole. - Copper- and stamless-steel packer elements for permanent and reliable borehole sealing at nuclear waste storage sites. |