DESCRAMBLE

  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 640573.  

Title

Drilling in supercritical geothermal condition

Concept

The aim of the “Drilling in dEep, Super-CRitical AMBients of continentaL Europe: DESCRAMBLE"" project is to develop novel drilling technologies for a proof-of-concept test of reaching deep geothermal resources and to contribute to a low-carbon European society. To achieve this target the first drilling in the world in an intra-continental site at a middle-crustal level will be performed. The test site is an existing dry well in Larderello, Italy, already drilled to a depth of 2.2 km and temperature of 350 °C, which will be further drilled to 3-3.5 km to reach super-critical conditions unexpectedly experienced, and not controlled, in a nearby well in 1979.

The project will be organized into two main phases: (1) Drilling in super-critical conditions, including drilling components, well materials, design and control; (2) Geo-Scientific activities for predicting and controlling critical conditions, which considers petrological, physical and chemical characterization, simulation and monitoring, including high temperature and pressure tools.

Participants

• Enel Green Power S.P.A., Italy (Coordinator)
• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
• Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
• Technische Universität Bergakadmie Freiberg, Germany
• Sintef Petroleum AS, Norway (Participation ended)
• Sintef AS, Norway
• Stiftelsen Sintef, Norway (Participation ended)