Blade has been active in geothermal well engineering since at least 2004. During this period, Blade has successfully performed several projects for clients around the world. A listing of some of Blade’s project experience is provided below. Blade has made several fundamental contributions to geothermal well engineering, and has disseminated knowledge and understanding of these advances to the wider industry through papers, presentations, and training courses. Today, Blade enjoys a well-earned reputation as the leaders in geothermal well engineering and well integrity management. Blade’s “Advanced Geothermal Well Design” course is the only such course available in the industry.
During Blade’s active involvement in geothermal energy, Blade has:
- Provided (and continue to provide) comprehensive well engineering services and operations support to several clients worldwide, including EDC, PGPC, Chevron, Utah FORGE, GreenFire, CalEnergy, Geodynamics, GSL, and Geotek. Blade’s experience encompasses hydrothermal, EGS, Closed Loop Geothermal, Co-production, innovative well completions for late life geothermal, and superhot / supercritical geothermal.
- Made fundamental and pioneering contributions in well design, lifetime well integrity, failure analyses, cementing, and drilling (including application of UBD/MPD to geothermal wells). Several papers, invited presentations, and patents testify to this contribution.
- Pioneered the development and use of strain-based and low cycle fatigue approaches in the design of geothermal well tubulars and connections, incorporating corrosion analysis and materials selection.
- Through three recent papers, published a complete strain-based design and materials selection approach for lifetime well integrity design of geothermal wells, and to address the most common failure mechanisms in geothermal wells.
- Developed an FEA based approach to evaluate connections and provide a basis for proper connection selection.
- Developed unique experimental methods and apparatus to perform materials and fatigue testing that are critical for proper geothermal well design.
- Pioneered the application of reverse circulation cementing for geothermal wells (in the Habanero field).
- Developed the concept of “Thermodynamic Assurance” of EGS developments.
- Developed a novel well architecture for co-production of geothermal energy for oil and gas wells (patented).
- Developed novel down hole heat exchanger concepts and equipment for EGS (two patents).
- As member of the NewGen consortium, continue to contribute to the development of Super-Hot Rock geothermal energy as a viable and sustainable alternative to other forms of energy production.