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The Sulphurdale Geothermal Field is located in Beaver County Utah, within the boundaries of the Cove Fort--Sulphurdale Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA). During the past year, three wells drilled in Section 7, T-26-S, R-6-W, have produced dry steam from a fractured volcanic formation located at a depth of about 1100 feet. Two of these three wells are currently prepared to supply steam to a power plant, and one well has been plugged and abandoned. ThermaSource, Inc. was retained by Mother Earth Industries, the operator of the field, to conduct well tests and render an opinion as to the nature of the geothermal reserves and assess the commercial potential of these reserves. Because of the limited area that has been explored to date, there can be no assurance that the reserves estimate will prove accurate. Project economics are based on parameters believed to be accurate, but there is no assurance that such cash flow projections will be realized.

ABSTRACTRadiation damage has been studied in natural rock salt from various localities, including potential repository sites. In the 100 to 300 C range the damage consists of point defects, primarily F-centers, and colloidal metal sodium particles. With increasing dose the F-centers grow to a saturation level, reached at 107 –108 rad, that decreases with increasing temperature to a negligible level at 300 C. Colloid concentration vs. irradiation-time curves follow nucleation and growth curves accurately described by C tn, or C(dose)n, relations at large irradiation times. For fourteen samples,n = 1.85± 0.18 but the values of C vary by a factor of more than 103. The constant C is related to the sample strain, the impurity and void content, dose rate, and possibly other factors. The currently available data indicate that rock salt adjacent to radioactive waste canisters, at a temperature of 150 C, will contain between 0.01 and 10 mole percent of sodium metal when the total dose reaches 1010 rad.

The completion of the 5-MW Pilot Power Plant at the Raft River Geothermal Test Site, modification of the similar, binary cycle Prototype Power Plant, and the water treatment program that studies environmentally safe ways to inhibit corrosion and scaling in geothermal power plants and investigates corrosion resistant materials are summarized. Studies of binary geothermal cycles using mixed hydrocarbon working fluids are described as part of the continuing search for ways to produce low-cost electricity from moderate-temperature geothermal fluids. Progress is reported on studies of direct contact heat exchanger concepts, heat rejection systems, and primary heat exchangers with augmentation. As part of the now-ended series of aquaculture experiments, an unsuccessful attempt to incubate common carp embryos in geothermal waters is reported. An experiment in revegetating disturbed land at Raft River is mentioned and progress on DOE's new User Coupled Confirmation Drilling Program is described. An estimate is presented of the amount of hydrothermal energy that could be produced by the year 2000, with and without Federal assistance, for electric generation and direct applications such as industrial process heat. Progress is reported on the Marketing Assistance Program, through which technical information and assistance is provided potential users and developers of geothermal resources.more » Also reported is progress in DOE's Program Opportunity Notice (PON) Program demonstration projects and Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) Program study projects.« less

This document reports findings and recommendations as a result of a design assistance project with Fort Buchanan with the goals of developing a Water Management Plan (WMP). The WRMP developed during this task is an amalgam of the templates and guidelines from the Federal Energy Management Program and Army regulations.

This engineering and economic study is concerned with the question of using the natural heat of the earth, or geothermal energy, as an alternative to other energy sources such as oil and natural gas which are increasing in cost. This document represents a quarterly progress report on the effort directed to determine the availability of geothermal energy within the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana (Figure 1), and the feasibility of beneficial use of this resource including engineering, economic and environmental considerations. The project is being carried out by the Tribal Research office, Assinboine and Sioux Tribes, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Poplar, Montana under a contract to the United States Department of Energy. PRC TOUPS, the major subcontractor, is responsible for engineering and economic studies and the Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT) is providing support in the areas of environment and finance, the results of which will appear in the Final Report. The existence of potentially valuable geothermal resource within the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was first detected from an analysis of temperatures encountered in oil wells drilled in the area. This data, produced by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, pointed to a possible moderate to high temperaturemore » source near the town of Poplar, Montana, which is the location of the Tribal Headquarters for the Fort Peck Reservation. During the first phase of this project, additional data was collected to better characterize the nature of this geothermal resource and to analyze means of gaining access to it. As a result of this investigation, it has been learned that not only is there a potential geothermal resource in the region but that the producing oil wells north of the town of Poplar bring to the surface nearly 20,000 barrels a day (589 gal/min) of geothermal fluid in a temperature range of 185-200 F. Following oil separation, these fluids are disposed of by pumping into a deep groundwater aquifer. While beneficial uses may be found for these geothermal fluids, even higher temperatures (in excess of 260 F) may be found directly beneath the town of Poplar and the new residential development which is being planned in the area. This project is primarily concerned with the use of geothermal energy for space heating and domestic hot water for the town of Poplar (Figure 2 and Photograph 1) and a new residential development of 250 homes which is planned for an area approximately 4 miles east of Poplar along U.S. Route 2 (Figure 2 and Photograph 2). A number of alternative engineering design approaches have been evaluated, and the cost of these systems has been compared to existing and expected heating costs.« less

This report analyzes the capital and environmental cost of energy recovery from municipal sludge and feedlot manure. Literature on waste processing and energy conversion and interviews with manufacturers were used for baseline data for construction of theoretical models using three energy conversion processes: anaerobic digestion, incineration, and pyrolysis. Process characteristics, environmental impact data, and capital costs are presented in detail for each conversion system. The energy recovery systems described would probably be sited near large sources of sludge and manure, i.e., metropolitan sewage treatment plants and large feedlots in cattle-raising states. Although the systems would provide benefits in terms of waste disposal as well as energy production, they would also involve additional pollution of air and water. Analysis of potential siting patterns and pollution conflicts is needed before energy recovery systems using municipal sludge can be considered as feasible energy sources.

Objective was to develop a field-portable monitor for sensitive hazardous waste detection using active nitrogen energy transfer (ANET) excitation of atomic and molecular fluorescence (active nitrogen is made in a dielectric-barrier discharge in nitrogen). It should provide rapid field screening of hazardous waste sites to map areas of greatest contamination. Results indicate that ANET is very sensitive for monitoring heavy metals (Hg, Se) and hydrocarbons; furthermore, chlorinated hydrocarbons can be distinguished from nonchlorinated ones. Sensitivity is at ppB levels for sampling in air. ANET appears ideal for on-line monitoring of toxic heavy metal levels at building sites, hazardous waste land fills, in combustor flues, and of chlorinated hydrocarbon levels at building sites and hazardous waste dumps.

The objective of this program is to conduct a technology development program to advance the state-of-the-art in ceramic Oxygen Transport Membranes (OTM) to the level required to produce step change improvements in process economics, efficiency, and environmental benefits for commercial IGCC systems and other applications. The IGCC program is focused on addressing key issues in materials, processing, manufacturing, engineering and system development that will make the OTM a commercial reality. The objective of the OTM materials development task is to identify a suitable material that can be formed into a thin film to produce the target oxygen flux. This requires that the material have an adequate permeation rate, and thermo-mechanical and thermo-chemical properties such that the material is able to be supported on the desired substrate and sufficient mechanical strength to survive the stresses involved in operation. The objective of the composite OTM development task is to develop the architecture and fabrication techniques necessary to construct stable, high performance, thin film OTMs supported on suitable porous, load bearing substrates. The objective of the process development task of this program to demonstrate the program objectives on a single OTM tube under test conditions simulating those of the optimum process cycle for the power plant.