[arnihermann]

There has been some effort on going to really deep depths in IDDP (Icelandic Deep Drilling Project) - see https://iddp.is/about/

If I remember correctly, they were never able to hit their goals because of drilling down into magma chambers. The steam coming up was also of a different scale than regular geothermal steam, causing corrosion that has not been dealt with before.

As far as I know, the main problem is coming up with casing materials that can withstand the extreme corrosive environment at scale and at cost, and for IDDP that's one of the main focuses.

[14]

From what I saw on an earlier post about this technology is that the mm wave drilling technique actually causes the bedrock walls of the bore hole to turn to a type of glass and then no casing is needed. I will try and find the source on that.

[robbedpeter]

Vitrification of the rock is what it's labeled in the pictures and some of the notes I've seen.

[ncmncm]

Yeah, so drilling into magma chambers might not be the best approach.

Iceland sits on a big magma chamber, so they would need to proceed differently. Still, they have a lot of practical experience with utility-scale geothermal energy extraction the rest of us ought to learn from.

[karmajunkie]

Seems like hitting a magma chamber would simply shorten the depth you have to drill to, or am I missing something? Geology and drilling are decidedly outside my areas of expertise.

[ncmncm]

Liquid rock is much messier to deal with than hot, solid rock. In particular, it is often under pressure, and full of dissolved volatiles, and wants to force its way up your borehole and all over your equipment, personnel, and neighborhood.

[JohnHaugeland]

the germane point is we've tried just about every kind of land, at this point, and none of them play out.

could it work in 50 years? maybe. probably not.

it's not working in 7 years, which is the climate change timeline.

it's time to stop trying to chase new inventions, and just build 1970s nuclear.

[ncmncm]

Or abandon failed ideas like nukes, and build out what has proven overwhelmingly better on every axis.

A very respectable amount of utility power is generated geothermally, and has been for decades without mishap. What is new here is a drilling method. Power extraction from a hot borehole is mature tech.

[JohnHaugeland]

> Or abandon failed ideas like nukes

which produce 778 billion kwh in the united states

.

> A very respectable amount of utility power is generated geothermally

16 billion kwh

.

> and has been for decades without mishap.

More deaths have occurred from geothermal, total, than nuclear, despite that nuclear delivers 48x the power.

Guatemala City: 33.

Dieng: 41.

Fenton Hill: 12.

Sorik Marapi: 5.

Soultz-sous-Foretz: 19.

Calpine: three times. 1, 5, 4.

El Salvador: 12.

Sumatera: 6.

Leyte: two incidents: 5, 17.

Sarulla: 18.

Brisbane: 14.

Reykavik: 2.

It'll get worse. AltaRock had to be stopped twice for causing earthquakes. Strasbourg was permanently stopped. So was dover. Pohang's earthquakes put a city under lockdown and killed two people.

There exists no decade since the launch of geothermal power where at least 25 people didn't die. Nuclear has only had that count once.

[ncmncm]

I am sure you have also totted up all the accidents that occurred mining, refining, or transporting uranium. And, everybody poisoned by runoff from mine tailings leaching into their water supply. (Some American Indian tribes, for example, have lawsuits on over that.) And, deaths in construction accidents during plant construction, and in transporting the thousands of tons of concrete and steel. And, mining the limestone, manufacturing the concrete, and mining and making the steel.

Oh, you haven't? My mistake.

[14]

MMW systems can potentially‘case-while-drilling’using rock melt or can post-drill install rock melt liners for significant well cost savings over steel casing and cement. https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/02/f7/mmw_drill...