Radiator-Enhanced Geothermal System: A New Concept for Energy Extraction

Explore a groundbreaking concept for geothermal energy extraction in this 25-minute conference talk from the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting. Delve into the innovative Radiator-Enhanced Geothermal System (RAD-EGS), designed to overcome the limitations of traditional Enhanced Geothermal Systems in hot dry rock. Learn about the system's unique design, inspired by internal combustion engine radiators, which creates vertically extensive heat exchanger vanes in hot sedimentary aquifers. Discover the proposed "crows-foot" lateral drilling pattern and propellant fracing techniques used to construct this system. Examine the role of Tomographic Fracture Imaging in controlling permeability field changes and understand how regional background flow and induced upward coolant flow contribute to delaying system cool-down. Gain insights into preliminary heat transfer calculations suggesting the RAD-EGS's potential for commercial electricity production over several decades.