Hot Dry Rock CollectionMain MenuHot Dry Rock OverviewAt the Earth's CorePreliminary Study of the Nuclear SubterreneA Method of Extracting Heat from Dry Geothermal ReservoirsFenton Hill, New MexicoCandidate Sites for Future Hot Dry Rock Development in the United StatesHot Dry Rock: A Realistic Energy OptionMining the Earth’s Heat: Hot Dry Rock Geothermal EnergyCreditsJoshua Finnell57ae41618b76550ccf46776d4829c462ae03ca90Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Library
Hydraulic fracturing is used to interconnect two or more holes which penetrate a previously dry geothermal reservoir, and to produce within the reservoir a sufficiently large heat-transfer surface so that heat can be extracted from the reservoir at a usefully high rate by a fluid entering it through one hole and leaving it through another. Introduction of a fluid into the reservoir to remove heat from it and establishment of natural (unpumped) convective circulation through the reservoir to accomplish continuous heat removal are important and novel features of the method.
