Combined Wellbore Construction High Temperature Tools and Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES)

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is presenting a new grant opportunity, referred to as DE-FOA-0003296. It's provided on behalf of the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) and is aimed towards the development and improvement of geothermal technologies.

The GTO is focusing on promoting research, development, and demonstration projects. These efforts will aid in validating new technology, reducing costs, and enhancing the performance of geothermal technologies. The financial success of these projects relies heavily on the improvement of necessary technologies and a thorough understanding of subsurface areas, including their geologic qualities, permeability, and other features.

The grant opportunity spans two separate areas, each with its unique goals and technical focus.

The first area is titled "High-Temperature Tools for Well Integrity Evaluation". The intent under this subject is to advance beyond the limitations of currently available off-the-shelf solutions from the oil and gas industry. It's understood that the specific requirements for geothermal systems are not met by technology designed for the temperatures encountered in the oil and gas industry. As novel methods and advances in casing and cementing are introduced, it's important to evaluate their effectiveness. This is especially challenging in the harsh conditions of geothermal borehole environments. The selected projects in this topic area will address these issues related to cement and casing evaluation tools for high-temperature and hostile geothermal wells.

The second area is titled "Utilization of Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES) Technology for Decarbonization of Industrial Processes". The focus here is to demonstrate the application of low-temperature RTES technology to industrial processes. These might include melting plastic, moisture removal, chemical treatment, and more. RTES leverages the substantial storage capacities of deep geological formations, geothermal gradients, and associated thermal insulation to store thermal energy for future use.

All activities funded through this grant opportunity will contribute to the Biden-Harris Administration's goals: achieving pollution-free electricity by 2035 and a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. The strategic objectives of this funding opportunity have been derived from DOE's Enhanced Geothermal Shot, its associated roadmap, and GTO's GeoVision Roadmap and Multi-Year Program Plan.