The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), in partnership with the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), invites both high school and university (undergraduate & graduate) teams to explore the future of geothermal energy and visualize the world of geothermal energy by participating in the 2019 Geothermal Design Challenge™.
Teams of 2 or 3 members will research data, interpret information and create a data visualization portfolio that will tell a compelling story about geothermal energy.
As a member of the FORGE project team you are tasked with siting a new geothermal well that will help researchers better understand man-made geothermal systems. Using the data provided, recommend an ideal subsurface location to create a sustainable subsurface heat exchanger. This critical step in FORGE’s site development will be the foundation of future R&D and operational efforts at the initiative.
Using the data provided , recommend a location within the FORGE footprint where we can create an enhanced geothermal reservoir with minimal environmental consequences. The location must be in granite (granitoid) and be between 175º and 225º Celsius.
Where do you target your next production well to maximize geothermal reservoir performance?
There are standard methodologies to site geothermal wells, such as geological interpretation and geospatial analysis. However, other methods may offer opportunities and promise, like advanced data analytics and machine learning. This data visualization challenge could reveal opportunities that haven’t been explored yet.
We are looking for unique perspectives. In other words, your lack of experience with this data is actually a strength in this competition.
If you have any questions about the data or about geothermal energy and reservoirs, please reach out to the Challenge Team at Geothermalchallenge@inl.gov. In the meantime, take a look at the resources below!
High school (9–12) and university (both undergraduate and graduate) students (full or part-time) enrolled at an accredited U.S. academic institution at the time of submission are eligible to participate. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to participate in the 2019 Geothermal Design Challenge™.
Students are asked to form teams of no more than three members. All members must be eligible to participate in the same bracket (high school or university). Students are encouraged to find a team mentor.
You must register your team at Skild . Skild coordinates submissions and communication throughout the competition.
Teams can use any data visualization software they choose, or a variety of software (public or private license). Examples include:
You are not limited to only the above software examples.
The top 3 winning teams will be awarded as follows:
Teams will be judged based on the following criteria:
FORGE's mission is to enable cutting-edge research, drilling, and technology testing, as well as to allow scientists to identify a replicable, commercial pathway to EGS. In addition to the site itself, the FORGE effort includes robust instrumentation, data collection, and data dissemination to capture and share data and activities occurring at FORGE in real time. The innovative research, coupled with an equally innovative collaboration and management platform, is truly a first-of-its-kind endeavor.
All R&D activities at FORGE focus on strengthening our understanding of the key mechanisms controlling EGS success—specifically, how to initiate and sustain fracture networks in basement rock formations. This critical knowledge will be used to design and test a methodology for developing large-scale, economically sustainable heat exchange systems, paving the way for a rigorous and reproducible approach that will reduce industry development risk and facilitate EGS commercialization.
R&D activities may include, but are not limited to, innovative drilling techniques, reservoir stimulation techniques, and well connectivity and flow-testing efforts. The site will also require continuous monitoring of geophysical and geochemical signals.
Additionally, dynamic reservoir models will play an integral role in FORGE by allowing the site operator to synthesize, predict, and verify reservoir properties and performance. R&D activities will have open participation via competitive solicitations to the broader scientific and engineering community.
As advancements in EGS are made over the course of FORGE's operation, R&D priorities are likely to shift in response. FORGE is designed to be a dynamic, flexible effort that can adjust to and accommodate the newest and most compelling challenges in the energy frontier.
Do you have a question about the Geothermal Design Challenge™?
Send your question to
Geothermalchallenge@inl.gov.
Questions and answers will be posted below.
Answer: All team participants (registrants) must be U.S. citizens in order for the team to be eligible.
Answer: Borehole geophysics and log interpretation is a highly specialized field, and it can take considerable experience to fully interpret these data. Given the broad nature of your question, we cannot provide detailed guidance without effectively mentoring you, which would compromise our impartiality. We recommend reaching out to a faculty member or teacher who can advise you directly.
Answer: Yes. The “z (land surface)” column gives the elevation of the well top with respect to sea level.
Answer: The spatial data indicate where the temperature was estimated or measured. “z” represents elevation, not depth, so it can be positive or negative depending on the reference level.
Answer: Even with only core photographs, you can look for fractures, grain size and type, and overall rock character. Core photos can also help corroborate interpretations from geophysical well logs.
Answer: We intentionally left this somewhat open so participants can be creative and take their projects as far as they wish. You do not have to propose a full injector–producer pair, but thinking through such a pair would be a valuable learning exercise and will not count against you in judging.
Answer: They could be, but it is up to you to make and justify that recommendation.
Answer: Yes. There must be a hydraulic connection between wellbores that can provide sustained recovery of heat from the rocks.
Answer: Not necessarily. The injection well will definitely be stimulated, but other wells may be as well, depending on your design.
Answer: Yes. You should recommend the distance between wells as part of your proposed design.
Answer: This is the first year we are running a data visualization contest, so we do not have prior examples. Please refer to the reference materials in the “Resources” section of the website: https://utahforge.com/studentcomp/ .
Answer: Teams are encouraged to use a mentor, but mentors do not need to be part of the FORGE team. Your mentor can be any person you consider appropriate to help with your project.
Answer: Temperature isotherms were provided for 175–225 °C. In general, we plan to remain within the depths corresponding to those temperatures.
Answer: No. The FORGE site is in Utah, not Colorado.
Answer: This is the first project of this kind sponsored by the Geothermal Technologies Office. You can find other competitions sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/education/competitions .
Answer: The “dip” is the deviation of the well path from vertical. A dip of 90° means the well is vertical; a dip of 0° means the well is horizontal. The azimuth is the compass direction (0–360°, clockwise) in which the well is dipping. For example, a horizontal well going east would have a dip of 0° and an azimuth of 90°. For more information, see: Leapfrog desurveying options .
Answer: Faults can extend above the ground surface and can be cropped to the surface as needed. All x, y, and z values are in meters. The FORGE outline shapefile is set to an arbitrary elevation; the important information is the x–y position.
Answer: Yes, you are eligible to participate in the 2019 Geothermal Design Challenge™. However, please do not contact EGI staff with questions. All questions must be sent to Geothermalchallenge@inl.gov for consideration.
Answer: For the most part, focus on the technical aspects and the “art of the possible” — be creative. If you propose something very unusual, it may be helpful to include brief information on feasibility (e.g., cost or permitting), but it is not the primary focus.
Answer: You may assume the current test well (58-32), and any other well you propose, are fully usable within standard industry pressures expected during stimulation activities.
Answer: No. We have not conducted tracer tests yet. Some tests are planned, but they will take place after the contest concludes.
Answer: That is for you to decide. “Reasonable” is relative and should be justified by your analysis and arguments. You should explain why your assumptions and outcomes are reasonable.
Answer: We are looking for more than a single bar chart or line graph. Use software to build a dashboard or portfolio of visualizations that tell a cohesive story. A good source of examples is the Tableau Public Gallery: https://public.tableau.com/en-us/s/gallery . For instance, Boeing’s global market outlook uses several coordinated visualizations to tell a story: Boeing Current Market Outlook .
Answer: Yes. Having a team mentor is encouraged. Mentors do not need to register for the competition.
Answer: You may use other publicly available data, but you must cite all outside data in your submission. Remember that the challenge focuses on siting a new well at the FORGE site in Milford, Utah. Please send any additional data links you plan to use to Geothermalchallenge@inl.gov so we can verify their accuracy.
Answer: Yes. You are encouraged to find and use published articles about FORGE.
Answer: You can find the full geologic map and legend here: https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1034 .
Answer: Yes. Unity and Three.js are open-source frameworks and you are free to use them. We have not developed special visualization libraries for this competition in either framework, so you will be building from standard tools. Just be sure your final visualizations follow the competition guidelines: https://utahforge.com/studentcomp/ .
Answer: You may use other publicly available data, but you must cite any external sources. The focus of the challenge remains siting a new well at the FORGE site in Milford, Utah.
Answer: Students are eligible if they are U.S. citizens and are attending accredited U.S. universities at the time of the competition.
