EDI Exploration Drilling International GmbH, a company specializing in innovative drilling and well technology, is currently extending the scope of its business to the field of geothermal energy, and is thus entering a further promising market segment with considerable potential for growth. The Haltern-based company has just conducted initial exploratory bores for a planned new construction project in southern Germany in which houses and apartment blocks are to be supplied sustainably with geothermal energy. This was announced by the board of EDI at the company’s head office in Münster.
Exploratory bores were first sunk for characterization of the geological subsoil and of the thermal gradients, in order for information to be obtained on the conductivity and storage capacity of the rock. EDI was responsible both for the hydrogeology of the project and for all boring work and analysis. Since water is not acceptable to the customer as a source of thermal energy, EDI recommends that geothermal probes be installed as the technical solution in order to meet the demand for thermal energy.
Growing market potential for sustainable energy sources such as geothermal energy
"Worldwide, geothermal energy is one of the most significant sustainable sources of energy, and is currently still in the infancy of its commercial development," says Christian Runge, Managing Director CMO of EDI Exploration Drilling International GmbH, with regard to the prospects for success of the company’s new area of business in the energy sector. "We see considerable market potential here, which – in view of the drastically rising prices for fossil sources of energy such as oil and gas – will continue to exhibit strong growth rates and leaps in innovation in the coming years."
EDI has developed a drilling system which enables drinking-water reserves and other underground fluid resources to be developed with considerably lower environmental impact and up to 40% more cheaply than by the use of conventional methods. EDI’s patented drilling process is unique in that it enables a single bore to be used to take any desired number of fluid samples at different depths in each discovered fluid-bearing horizon.
This permits screening within a very short time based upon specified measurement data which are appropriate to the task in hand. The possible parameters include electrical conductivity, temperature and pH value, and nitrate content, ammonium concentration and phosphate values. In addition, a pump test can be performed to determine the characteristics and yield of the aquifer. Geological parameters such as the coefficient of permeability and the transmissivity provide information immediately on the subsoil conditions at the bore point. As a result, a realistic appraisal of the anticipated success of the bore can be confirmed or possibly revised after only the first metres of the bore.
(Source: EDI Exploration Drilling International GmbH, Haltern)
