Enhanced Geothermal Systems Creation and Production
An Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) is a man-made reservoir, created where there is hot rock but insufficient or little natural permeability or fluid saturation. In an EGS, fluid is injected into the subsurface under carefully controlled conditions, which cause pre-existing fractures to re-open, creating permeability. Increased permeability allows fluid to circulate throughout the now-fractured rock and to transport heat to the surface where electricity can be generated. While advanced EGS technologies are young and still under development, EGS has been successfully realized on a pilot scale in Europe and now at two DOE-funded demonstration projects in the United States.
EGS offers the opportunity to access an enormous, domestic, clean energy resource. It emits little to no greenhouse gases. Most geothermal power plants use a closed-loop binary cycle power plant and have no greenhouse gas emissions other than water vapor that may be used for cooling. This energy source could facilitate geothermal development outside of traditional hydrothermal areas in the western U.S., thereby extending geothermal energy production nationwide. EGS can supply baseload energy with limited to no intermittency, eliminating the need for energy storage technologies.
This course reviews EGS reservoir creation, wellfield development and completion, and system operation. It reviews drilling methods, including their current limitations, and identifies important technological improvements that must be developed for EGS to become viable.
Once you complete your course review, you need to take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of ten (10) questions to earn 2 PDH credits.
Learning Objectives
This course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Heat Transfer Features of EGS
- Wholly Drilled Heat Exchanger
- Water Requirements for EGS
- Induced Seismicity
Download the Course to review and begin earning your PDH credits.
We provide technical courses for PDH credits that meet Board requirements for Professional Engineers, Geologists and Land Surveyors. This courses is guaranteed to be accepted in AK, AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY. Before purchasing this course, please confirm that your state Board is listed above.
