When the Hole Is Dry: The HDR Alternative in the Cascades

摘要

The Hot Dry Rock (HDR) method of heat extraction was developed by Los Alamos in silicic plutonic-metamorphic rocks of Precambrian age. Now that the method and mechanisms are better understood, other rock types are under consideration as potential HDR reservoirs. High heat flow over much of the Northwest indicates the potential for geothermal power and heat is great if ways to develop it could be found. Currently two conceptual models for HDR development in volcanic rocks are under development. Experiments planned for this summer should indicate how the rocks behave and how this behavior compares to existing models. (ERA citation 06:021972)