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Numerical Modeling of the Effects of Pore Characteristics on the Electric Breakdown of Rock for Plasma Pulse Geo Drilling

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  • Mohamed Ezzat

    (Geothermal Energy and Geofluids Group, Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
    Theoretical Physics Research Group, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt)

  • Benjamin M. Adams

    (Geothermal Energy and Geofluids Group, Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Martin O. Saar

    (Geothermal Energy and Geofluids Group, Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
    Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA)

  • Daniel Vogler

    (Geothermal Energy and Geofluids Group, Institute of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

Drilling costs can be 80% of geothermal project investment, so decreasing these deep drilling costs substantially reduces overall project costs, contributing to less expensive geothermal electricity or heat generation. Plasma Pulse Geo Drilling (PPGD) is a contactless drilling technique that uses high-voltage pulses to fracture the rock without mechanical abrasion, which may reduce drilling costs by up to 90% of conventional mechanical rotary drilling costs. However, further development of PPGD requires a better understanding of the underlying fundamental physics, specifically the dielectric breakdown of rocks with pore fluids subjected to high-voltage pulses. This paper presents a numerical model to investigate the effects of the pore characteristics (i.e., pore fluid, shape, size, and pressure) on the occurrence of the local electric breakdown (i.e., plasma formation in the pore fluid) inside the granite pores and thus on PPGD efficiency. Investigated are: (i) two pore fluids, consisting of air (gas) or liquid water; (ii) three pore shapes, i.e., ellipses, circles, and squares; (iii) pore sizes ranging from 10 to 150 μ m; (iv) pore pressures ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 MPa. The study shows how the investigated pore characteristics affect the local electric breakdown and, consequently, the PPGD process.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamed Ezzat & Benjamin M. Adams & Martin O. Saar & Daniel Vogler, 2021. "Numerical Modeling of the Effects of Pore Characteristics on the Electric Breakdown of Rock for Plasma Pulse Geo Drilling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2021:i:1:p:250-:d:714708
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Adams, Benjamin M. & Vogler, Daniel & Kuehn, Thomas H. & Bielicki, Jeffrey M. & Garapati, Nagasree & Saar, Martin O., 2021. "Heat depletion in sedimentary basins and its effect on the design and electric power output of CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG) systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 1393-1403.
    2. Adams, Benjamin M. & Kuehn, Thomas H. & Bielicki, Jeffrey M. & Randolph, Jimmy B. & Saar, Martin O., 2015. "A comparison of electric power output of CO2 Plume Geothermal (CPG) and brine geothermal systems for varying reservoir conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 365-377.
    3. Justin Ezekiel & Diya Kumbhat & Anozie Ebigbo & Benjamin M. Adams & Martin O. Saar, 2021. "Sensitivity of Reservoir and Operational Parameters on the Energy Extraction Performance of Combined CO 2 -EGR–CPG Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-21, September.
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