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Tool created at Geosciences Measurement Facility Enables Unprecedented Look at Subsurface Rock Fractures1 min read

by Christina Procopiou on June 1, 2018

GC-Sustainable Earth Geothermal Systems Uncategorized

A new instrument developed at the Geosciences Measurement Facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will help scientists working to identify ways to improve enhanced geothermal systems technologies to expand access to clean energy.

Two of the instruments, called SIMFIP (Step-Rate Injection Method for Fracture In-Situ Properties), were installed in late May nearly 5,000 feet below ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. SURF has become an essential testing ground for the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Collab Project, a collaboration of eight national labs and six universities exploring the potential to improve enhanced geothermal systems technologies led by Berkeley Lab.

The installations mark an important milestone for EGS Collab Project researchers focused on improving the understanding and modeling of rock fractures in geothermal environments. SIMFIP is the first tool to allow researchers to measure the aperture of a rock fracture. With better information about how rocks behave in the Earth’s subsurface, EGS technologies stand a better chance of fulfilling their potential to provide enough energy to power 100 million American homes.

Watch this video about the making of SIMFIP at GMF.

News & Events

EESA Climate Experts Co-Author Study Predicting 100% Increase in Arctic Lightning2 min read

April 5, 2021

EESA climate scientists contributed to the stunning discovery that lightning strikes will increase by 100% this century above the Arctic Circle, where lightning is practically unheard of, due to climate warming. A paper published today in the journal Nature Climate Change describes how such an increase in lightning will drive further warming and wildfires across…

EESA Participates in International HotBENT Project1 min read

March 29, 2021

The alteration of bentonite buffer under high temperature is a critical research question for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Researchers at Berkeley Lab have actively participated with international colleagues in the “HotBENT” project, the centerpiece of which is long-term evaluation of bentonite buffer heated at 175-200 oC at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland.…

Study Finds Natural Organic Carbon Source Fuels Growth of Diverse, Distinct Bacteria from Groundwater1 min read

March 25, 2021

  Xiaoqin Wu, Sara Gushgari-Doyle, and Mon Oo Yee from Romy Chakraborty’s group in EESA’s Ecology Department and the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT have published a paper in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology describing a study they hope will advance cultivation and isolation strategies for recovering diverse, uncultivable, and novel microorganisms from Earth’s…

Nigel Quinn Receives ASCE’s Highest Honor1 min read

Nigel Quinn leads the HydroEcological Engineering Advanced Decision Support research group (HEADS) which specializes in the development of environmental decision support systems to improve understanding and find solutions to complex water resources and water quality problems in California and worldwide. In January, Nigel was awarded life membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This…

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