breakout time, page-7

There really is virtually no chance of Hab 4 not being successful. The Hab 3 well was drilled in exactly the same place about 4 ½ years ago. This is just a repeat. They know precisely the nature of the geological structures that need to be passed through and how long it will take. Now, with direct experience, they know where to slow down or to drill with confidence. As the granites were approached they met the usual very hard quartzites that polish drill bits smooth and slows progress to a snail’s pace.

There wasn’t actually a drilling problem last time (Aug 07 to Jan 08). The Big Bang was due to the metal embrittlement of the casing combined with the linear thermal expansion stresses produced in the starting and stopping of hot fluid flows. If left free, the 4 km of casing would expand about 4m in length in hot state.

The target depth must be 4220 - 4250 m which means only 200 m to go in the granite and which will become the ‘open’ section of the well. Why couldn’t they tell us that? The fracture zone should be intersected at about 4180 m. After that point they can easily test for connection with Hab 1 via pressure pulse changes. Of course, it is flow testing that is the major question and this was also successfully measured between Hab 1 and Hab 3.

The well design of Hab 4 appears almost identical with that of Hab 3 except that this time the casing is a carefully selected alloy. (But again they didn’t say.)
The decision in 2006 to go to the larger diameter well bore was an important one.

a) The larger diameter provides a larger gripping surface area for the lining concrete to restrain thermal expansion.

b) The inflow rates at the well surface in the open section at the bottom are critically important. The sheet fractures even when stimulated are still very narrow and therefore limit the desired inrush of fluid immediately around the periphery of the well.

c) Multi level fractures will be induced by various means, one at a time. The special techniques apparatus is likely to require some extra working space.

d) It allows for greater flow rates vertically along the well through decreased impedance.

I find it hard to fathom why the CEO can’t be bothered to explain more precisely in announcements the reasons for what is done. That would generate genuine interest. Both people and media would discuss and feel like participating. How is it that this man refuses to provide even simple bits of information? Does he think all shareholders are mushrooms? Where does he think his future funding will come from? He does not have any more drill rigs he can sell off at fire sale prices. GDY is desperately short of funds if it is to complete its 25 MW geothermal plant. It had most of the funding in place a few years ago and has since squandered it by doing nothing.

The tiny 1 MW pilot plant that has been rusting in the desert for some years now was never intended to be much more than a publicity stunt, but now seems to be billed as a major advance in itself.

The fact that Origin walked away from negotiations of what to do next on 4 June indicates that GDY management were not prepared with Plan B and Plan C. Origin agreed to progress with the drilling of Hab 4. Would they then intend to do nothing with it? Of course not. Does it say something about GDY management?

Juke