Enhanced Geothermal Systems

1. Introduction
Enhanced, or engineered, geothermal systems (EGS) are a form of energy conversion system that
employs a transducer to generate electricity from the internal heat of the earth. In contrast to
conventional geothermal systems, which rely on natural rock permeability for heat extraction, an
EGS uses hydraulic stimulation for exploiting the energy gradient even in hot dry impermeable
rocks. This is achieved by creating well fractures in rock, pumping a high viscosity fluid under
pressure into the well, and increasing local permeability of the rock. EGS is a subject of
worldwide research, and if the technology can be successfully commercialized, it can be a
potential source of virtually limitless, clean, anywhere-available energy.
2. Principle of Operation
While the basic working principle of EGS is rock fracturing, several alternative methods exist for
achieving the actual well stimulation: thermal stimulation, acid stimulation, deep sedimentary
aquifer stimulation and reservoir creation (Grand and Bixley, 2011, p. 269). Figure 1 shows the
working principle of an EGS station. The wall is usually bored to a depth of several kilometers,
encased and fluid is pumped in to form a fracture network; the nature of this network depends on
the stresses incumbent on the rock mass. A fracture gradient exists due to a lower horizontal rock
stress than the lithostatic pressure, and when the downhole pressure is greater than this fracture
gradient, a network is formed. Snce rock stresses are horizontal almost throughout the earths
crust, the fractures almost always occur vertically except in Central Australia, which is under
compression, and hence fractures might extend horizontally due to vertical principal rock stress.
Instead of using a high viscosity fluid, thermal stimulation uses cold water at sufficiently low
pressure to avoid hydraulic fracturing, and utilizes thermal contraction of rock strata to create the

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

fracture network. This is a more economical method, and the fracture volume depends on both
the injected volume and the thermal gradient between the water and rock (Yoshioka et al., 2009).

Figure 1: Working principle of an EGS power generation station. Source:

http://energyinformative.org/how-enhanced-geothermal-systems-egs-work/

On the other hand, acid stimulation is used for very low permeability rock strata, or if the
wellbore was drilled with mud and has depositions. The pressure profile of the wellbore is tested
before and after injection, and the best candidate well from amongst several is chosen to ensure a
good flow (Barrios et al., 2007). Recently, existing deep sedimentary aquifers that are hot enough
for power generation through heating of water are being set up in Europe and China, and these
are being operated using conventional petroleum reservoir technology. A true EGS power
scheme, however, envisages artificial creation of both the reservoir and rock permeability, and
the aim of this technology is using well separated production and injection wells connected

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

through an existing or created fracture network. A large number of projects are studying this
concept, and the operational parameters of such plants are yet to be fully explored.
3. Potential of Contributing Towards Energy Needs
If the EGS technology can be stabilized and commercialized, it can potentially supply a limitless
amount of energy. Since it can tap into steep thermal gradients existing at or near continental
plate boundaries, it can also be made available practically anywhere in the world. Estimates of
heat recoverability range at depths from 3-10 Km. vary from as high as 90% (Williams, 2007) to
a more reasonable 40% depending on the reservoir volume, thermal gradient and rock
permeability. A study sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), and conducted by
geothermal experts from MIT, estimated that EGS plants might provide an estimated 100,000
MWe over a period of 50years; even using a recovery factor of only 2%, geothermal reservoirs
are expected to produce significantly more energy than this amount (USDOE Report, 2008).
However, geothermal reservoirs have not been operated over long periods, so the above figures
might vary, and the economic feasibility of operating power generation plants also need to be
studied in greater detail. Figure 2 below shows the EGS resources in the U.S., total as well as
estimated:

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Figure 2: Total estimated EGS Resource in the U.S., and various recoverable estimates
(conservative, midrange and upper limit). Source: MIT Report, 2007, p. 1-17.
4. Advantages and Disadvantages
EGS has a low foot-print, and virtually zero emission including greenhouse gases; it can provide
a constant base-load power with no storage requirements. While other advantages of enhanced
geothermal energy, as discussed before, are a virtually limitless source that is available all over
the world and that can be availed without polluting the environment or depleting natural
resources, there are some pitfalls of the technology also. The technological requirements are
complex, and creating an actual fracture network is difficult because of pre-existing fractures and
fluids. Power stations are expected to have a long gestation period compared to other clean
energy sources such as windmills, and local regulations can be an impediment to drilling. One of
the biggest potential drawbacks, however, might be the possibility of triggering earthquakes.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Seismic activity at low scale has been strongly correlated with many experimental EGS plants,
and in fact a project at Basel, Switzerland, had to be shut down in 2009 because of an earthquake
in 2006 measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale (Baisch and Martin, 2010).
5. Test Project History
Some of the earliest experiments with Hot Dry Rock (HDR) heat extraction studies were
conducted at Los Alamos, U.S.A., during the 1970s, but these were unsuccessful (Duchane and
Brown, 2002). Subsequently, an experimental HDR project was set up at Cornwall, U.K., and
several conclusions were drawn: hydraulic stimulation causes fractures not through tension, but
through shear; permeability can be improved and a fracture network can be created to form a
connected reservoir volume; and the pressure must be applied carefully to prevent runaway
growth and water loss. Another study was conducted jointly between the U.S. and West Germany
during 1981-1986 at New Mexico, and this was used as the basis of setting up a station at Hijiori,
Japan, for studying local geological conditions. The hydraulic fracturing experiments sought to
take advantage of a large thermal gradient because of recent volcanic activities, and they were
continued till 2002. Another test was conducted at Ogachi, Japan, from 1982 to 1995, and all
these experiments showed the importance of acoustic simulation and ground mapping to achieve
a good connection between injection and production wells. In Europe, U.K. Germany and France
were all interested in EGS technology, and a test project was set up at Soultz, France, in 1987. It
was continued till 2003, and the potential for seismic activities was studied; it was found that
using soft shut-ins after injection tended to reduce incidences of earthquakes. Another EGS
experiment was conducted at Cooper Basin, Australia, starting from 2002, to study to feasibility
of using high thermal gradient granitic formations to generate hundreds of MW of power. The
granitic basement, with its uniform properties, was found eminently suitable for the purpose.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Besides these, numerous other projects in the U.S., Europe and Australia are going on (MIT
Report, 2007).
6. Conclusion
EGS is an alternative source of energy with a huge potential. As conventional sources of energy
such as coal and oil get depleted, and nuclear energy seems to be risk-prone, alternative clean
sources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energies are being looked at with renewed
interest. It is expected that improvements in drilling technology, conversion systems, cracking
procedure and ground mapping will all lead to longer operating EGS plants that will prove
commercially and technically viable in the future.

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References
Baisch, S. and Martin, C. (2010). Seismic Risk Analysis of the Basel Geothermal (EGS) Project.
Retrieved from www.emsc-csem.org/Files/docs/esc2010/abstract/geothermal.pdf.
Barrios, L.A., Quijano, J., Guerra, E., Mayorga, H., Rodriguez, A. and Romero, R. (2007).
Injection improvements in low permeability and negative skin wells using mechanical
cleanout and chemical stimulation, Berlin geothermal field, El Salvador. Transactions,
Geothermal Resources Council, 31, 141-146.
Duchane, D. and Brown, D. (2002). Hot Dry Rock (HDR) geothermal energy research and
development at Fenton Hill, New Mexico. Geo-Heat Center Bulletin, 23(4), pp. 13-19.
Geothermal Technologies Program. (2008). An Evaluation of Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Technology. USDOE. Retrieved from
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/pdfs/evaluation_egs_tech_2008.pdf.
Grant, M. A. and Bixley, P. F. (2011). Geothermal Reservoir Engineering (2nd Ed.).
Massachusetts: Academic Press.
MIT, 2007. The Future of Geothermal Energy. Retrieved from
http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf.
Williams, C. F. (2007). Updated methods for estimating recovery factors for geothermal
resources. In proceedings, Thirty-Second Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering,
Stanford University, Stanford, California.

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Yoshioka, K. et al. (2009). Hydraulic Stimulation Techniques Applied to Injection Wells at the
Salak Geothermal Field, Indonesia. Society of Petroleum Engineers. doi: 10.2118/121184MS.