Geothermal Energy
At ERL, we are interested in a range of fundamental and applied research questions towards understanding how to locate, access and extract deep heat in Earth’s crust, for large-scale power generation. Geothermal energy from supercritical fluids (hotter than ~400 °C) could be 5–10 times more powerful than today’s conventional geothermal systems. But tapping into these extreme conditions is difficult — drilling, well stabilization and heat extraction are major challenges.
To overcome these, ERL has a range of projects underway. We collaborate with MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center on new millimeter-wave drilling technologies and glass casing materials that can survive the intense environment deep underground. We develop novel approaches integrating sensing, imaging, chemistry and mechanics in the lab and field, to understand the fundamental physics of fluid flow in deep reservoirs, necessary to extract thermal energy at an unprecedented scale.
At ERL, we are interested in a range of fundamental and applied research questions towards understanding how to locate, access and extract deep heat in Earth’s crust, for large scale power generation:
Drilling: Collaboration with MIT’s Plasma Science Fusion Center on millimeter wave drilling methods, promising technology for accessing depths in the crust well beyond the limits of mechanical drilling. ERL’s expertise in acoustic imaging and deformation processes will contribute to understanding these new drilling processes. We also develop glass casing materials that can survive the intense environment deep underground.
Rock physics for reservoir dynamics: The ability to extract heat by fluid flow will require new understanding of cracking processes at high pressure and temperature (>400 C). Projects include laboratory experiments, machine learning-based seismo-acoustic data analysis and theory/modeling.
Imaging: Locating deep hydrothermal systems, magma, hot dry rock bodies and other targets is constantly improving through sensor development, and data analysis and inversion methods, especially with rapidly advancing machine learning methods. Joint inversion of seismic and electromagnetic data is a promising direction.
Coupling to other processes for energy transition: Geothermal fluids always interact chemically with rocks, enhanced under high temperature conditions. Chemical reactions that govern a range of potentially important energy transition processes can be coupled to heat extraction, including in situ mineral extraction, hydrogen stimulation and carbon sequestration.
Image: Nesjavellir Geothermal Field, Iceland. Photo: B. Holtzman.
