Imagine trying to find a hidden water pipe deep underground without digging a hundred holes. This project creates a high-tech 'X-ray' for the earth using a special radar probe and sound waves. It helps energy companies see exactly where to drill so they don't waste money on dry holes.
Geothermal exploration is currently too expensive and risky due to 'shortsighted' prospection and high drilling failure rates. Companies lack the high-resolution data needed to place wells accurately.
A novel georadar probe, passive surface-imaging methods, and digital rock physics models for reservoir understanding.
If you are a developer dealing with high pre-drilling exploration costs — this project developed a novel georadar probe and passive imaging that reduces the risk of drilling in the wrong spot. This ensures more accurate wellbore placement and better reservoir performance.
If you are a service provider dealing with low-resolution subsurface data — this project developed digital rock physics models and microseismicity monitoring. This allows you to offer high-resolution reservoir characterization to your clients.
If you are a public authority dealing with community opposition to geothermal projects — this project developed inclusive tools for public engagement and probabilistic modelling. This helps you communicate risks clearly to citizens and policymakers.
It minimizes pre-drilling costs by using passive surface-based imaging and a novel georadar probe to identify optimal locations before expensive drilling begins. Based on available project data, it also reduces the costs of characterization during the drilling phase.
The project is currently in the research and development phase, with 13 deliverables submitted and 25 remaining. Based on available project data, it is moving toward industrial application through a consortium that includes 5 industry partners.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the project is coordinated by Fraunhofer, which typically manages industrial technology transfer.
It uses uncertainty quantification and probabilistic modelling to provide a risk analysis for wellbore placement. This allows for informed deviated drilling to maximize energy extraction.
The project runs from 2024-06-01 to 2028-05-31. It is currently in its first periodic reporting phase.
The consortium is strongly geared toward commercial application, featuring an industry ratio of 45% with 5 industrial partners, including 5 SMEs. Led by Fraunhofer, the group spans 6 countries (CH, DE, IT, LU, NL, SE) and balances academic research (5 universities) with practical engineering, ensuring the resulting tools are viable for the energy market.
Contact Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung EV
Contact us to track the remaining 25 deliverables for the GeoHEAT georadar probe.
