Comments on: The Heat Beneath Your Feet

By: TC

TC — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:03:08 +0000

The drill bits may not be an issue anymore. There is a type of drill bit that was developed at SIU, funded by the Illinois Clean Coal Institute, that is 800 times more wear-resistant that tungsten carbide/cobalt bits. The test bits were manufactured at Robert Bosch Tool Co in Louisville, Ky. They are a mixture of nickel aluminum metal carbide and diamond powders. Even a 2400 C the diamonds do not decompose to graphite. These bits can easily cut through cast iron and granite. Time will tell if massive geothermal usage becomes practical.

By: Blair W.

Blair W. — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:55:39 +0000

Wow, this is a great read. I had never heard of this being actively done, though I figured at some point scientists would start tapping that resource. I think it’s great that this is an unlimited energy source, but I do have my concerns. I just have this image of the Earth being sucked dry and deflating like a balloon once we use up all of its natural resources. But, I do think it’s great that using this form of energy will be slightly better in the long run, in terms of creating less emissions/pollutants/etc. How green does everyone here try to live green? How many of you all out there use regular oil heat? If so, I think you all should read up on something called bioheat. It’s an alternative to regular oil heat. For one, it’s clean burning, made of sustainable resources like plant and vegetable oils, and is pain free when switching over. If you want to read up more about it, just go on to http://oilheatamerica.com/index.mv?screen=bioheat Also, I work with NORA to bring this info to you!

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:31:54 +0000

Strange, how all these fantastic technologies surface the moment a few futures’ speculators drive up the price of our favorite carcinogen, benzine molecule laced oil. Here’s hoping that the price of oil slowly moves upward to the point where newer, more diverse energy technologies, employing more, smarter, North American people emerge and dependency on foreign supplies no longer threatens the north American continent. we will win this one!

By: Thomas R Blakeslee

Thomas R Blakeslee — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:06:58 +0000

This is encouraging and depressing at the same time. 30 million is a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the billions spent to subsidize coal and oil. The US should be spending billions to develop EGS as quickly as possible. It is the only clean solution that can actually replace coal for generation of baseload power we can depend on. Since most of the action goes on underground, it has much less visual impact than wind and solar and it is solid and dependable. It takes 5 megawatts of solar capacity to generate the same number of kilowatt-hours per year as 1 megawatt of geothermal. It takes 3 MW of wind to do the same job because the ratings are for peak conditions. On a bad weather month both can fall to a fraction of their rated power. Geothermal is continual and dependable, often achieving 95% capacity factor. Geothermal plants are cheap in the long run because they require no fuel and produce no pollution. Heat inside the earth is continually replenished by atomic decay. We need a Manhattin Project approach to jump start geothermal development instead of wasting billions on unworkable programs like “clean coal” and hydrogen which can never work. We have already been injecting water into the earth to squeeze more oil out of depleted wells for decades. It works and doesn´t cause earthquake problems. The meekness of this approach is really pathetic when time is running out and all we do is keep cranking out filthy billion-dollar coal power plants.

By: Patrick Lynam

Patrick Lynam — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:57:59 +0000

…imagine being able to go to depths where even more heat would be available to generate the superheated steam required to generate the electricity our electric scooters, cars and Who knows what. One obstacle to overcome would be the drill bits which would wear out ever more quickly as the temperature at the bottom of the hole increased.
how many feet would a drill bit have to be able to drill in order to be considered economically acceptable? If a bore was drilled to the maximum economic depth, and at that point a different type of drill bit was used which would not be as quick as the first bit, but would gain that extra depth required to reach the balance point where super heated rock would provide enough heat to ‘power’ a heat exchanger efficiently enough to produce the required steam needed to generate electricity.
The heat source would last longer, and it would prevent earthquakes. The slower bit would use high pressure water to cut the hole. It would cut into the rock slowly enough to allow the smaller rock chips to be washed back to the surface. The trick would be to get enough volume of water to cut the rock, and still remain water. At the point where it becomes steam, it would be unable to wash the cuttings back to the surface. This drill bit would require a massive and continuous flow of water. Once the hole is drilled to the required depth, a ceramic probe laced with enough heat exchanging tubing would be put in place which would prevent the whole apparatus from melting. One further thing would be required…a way to lift that heat exchanger from depth in the event the heat exchanging medium stopped flowing for whatever reason. It would need to be able to be brought up the bore high enough to prevent melt down. Once the heat exchanging liquid is reintroduced, it could again be lowered back to the hotter depth.
Midnight musings.

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:33:14 +0000

concise and easy to read article with potentially groundbreaking info….unfortunately, it sounds like the oil giants that have the techno edge and $$$ will be most likely to get in on that proverbial ‘ground floor’…but, I guess you can’t blame Mother Nature for that, I mean, as you pointed out, it won’t be her fault.

By: sarah

sarah — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:00:48 +0000

Hot stuff Molika! love the roast beef sandwich analogy.