Eco Factor: Geothermal fluid to be pumped using supercritical CO2.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is funding nine trials that use supercritical CO2 – a pressurized form that is part gas and part liquid, to extract more geothermal energy. The idea dates back to the year 2000, when physicist Donald Brown thought of pumping geothermal fluid using supercritical CO2 instead of water.
The process should have yielded better results as being less viscous, supercritical CO2, should flow freely through rock. Now the DOE is funding $16 million in nine trials to examine if the process can deliver in the real world.
Via: CleanTechnica
