At the Core – January 2022 Keep up to date on what is going on at Utah FORGE. Read about it in the...
Drill Cuttings
Small chips of rocks (e.g., <1/8 inch or <3 mm) obtained during drilling with a rotary bit that are continuously returned to the surface by the circulation of mud. Drill cuttings are the main source of geological and stratigraphic interpretation in the drilling of geothermal and oil-gas wells.
Geothermal Glossary
Word of the Week – Normal Fault
Normal Fault High angle fault that results from extensional stress and forms a steeply dipping planar structure. Slip movement during an earthquake is vertical and down dip. The down-dropped block is called the hanging wall and the uplifted block is called the...
Word of the Week – Packers and Plugs
Packers and Plugs Downhole devices emplaced into a well to seal zones and intervals so they can be pressurized by pumping fluid from the surface in order to stimulate fractures at a specified location. They are designed for temporary and permanent deployments,...
Word of the Week – PDC Drill Bit
PDC Drill Bit Polycrystalline diamond compact drill bits have been long used in oil and gas drilling, and only recently have they been used in geothermal drilling. The PDC cutters are known for their resistance to wear and impact, including hot crystalline rock. They...