Iceland drills 4.7 km down into volcano to tap clean energy

[rangerrebew]

Iceland drills 4.7 km down into volcano to tap clean energy
May 5, 2017 by Jeremie Richard, Gaël Branchereau
 
It's named after a Nordic god and drills deep into the heart of a volcano: "Thor" is a rig that symbolises Iceland's leading-edge efforts to produce powerful clean energy.

If successful, the experimental project could produce up to 10 times more energy than an existing conventional gas or oil well, by generating electricity from the heat stored inside the earth: in this case, volcanic areas.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-iceland-drills-km-volcano-energy.html#jCp

[Joe Wooten]

The article does not give enough details. Is it direct cycle or indirect cycle? Both have their engineering and operational difficulties, the major one being treating the mineral buildup on the turbines (direct cycle) and the heat exchangers (both cycles). Direct cycle installations usually have to keep spare rotors/inner casings/control valves for quick replacements, and both have to have spare heat exchangers. Geothermal is a maintenance intensive, more so than a gas fired or nuclear plant.

Also, hydrocarbon free economy? GIVE ME A BREAK!! What are the morons who advocate this going to do for lubricating oils, chemicals, and plastics? Another example of their idiocy.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

'Clean' energy?

I worked geothermal for a couple of years.

The water that is produced in geothermal wells is some of the most vile stuff one could ever see - loaded with contaminants including metals that are highly dangerous to have in drinking water.

Getting rid of that material was always one of the biggest challenges we ever faced.

Water produced along with hydrocarbons is clean and easy to treat compared to that nasty stuff.

[Cripplecreek]

Iceland has been using geothermal forever. Its readily available to them.

They would be idiots if they didn't use it.

[Wingnut]

MIGA with MAGMA!