Geothermal Power Plants, 3rd Edition

Chapter 3

Geothermal Well Drilling

“The well blew up like a volcano, everything came flying up – mud, tools, rocks, and steam. After things settled down, there was just clean steam. But the noise was loud enough to hear all over the valley.”

Glen Truitt, on the drilling of well No. 1 at The Geysers – 1922

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Site preparation and drilling equipment

3.3 Drilling operations

3.4 Safety precautions

References

Following an optimistic outcome in the exploration phase, the drilling process begins. As geothermal fields are often remote, significant site preparation is often necessary before drilling can begin. Roads will often need to be constructed to carry the necessary heavy equipment to the site. Rotary drilling is the standard ...