Geothermal well drilling

Abstract

Drilling of geothermal wells is a complex process that entails breaking the ground and lifting the rock cuttings from the resulting hole. The ultimate geothermal drilling objective is to access the resource for exploitation. However, during resource development and exploitation, drilling is used to confirm existence of the resource, obtain data for resource assessment, provide adequate steam fuel for the power plant and resolve well production complications. Tri-cone tungsten carbide insert bits are very often used in geothermal drilling. Mobile and conventional land rigs are predominantly used in the geothermal drilling industry. The rigs are selected to technically fit the job at the lowest cost possible. The wells are made useful by casing them. Several casing string are used for each well. They are cemented to bond them to formation.