Responsive Smart Materials for Intelligent Enhanced Geothermal System Modulation

Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) offer a promising pathway for harvesting subsurface heat from previously unsuited regions of the planet. Their operational efficiency, however, is often compromised by the occurrence of “short circuits”, which arise from uneven permeability distributions within rock fracture networks. These short circuits can lead to preferential fluid flow through highly permeable regions, resulting in localized heat depletion, lower energy production efficiency, and even possible system failure. To mitigate this issue, this talk will report on responsive smart particulate material systems which are responsive to their subsurface geological environment and autonomously change their behavior to influence subsurface liquid flow patterns. The ultimate goal is to improve the efficiency and life expectancy of enhanced geothermal systems. These particle systems should be able to sense their environment, change their properties in ways that modulate the properties of subsurface fluid flow, and ultimately report on subsurface properties upon exit of the subsurface terrain. This talk will describe first experimental results on the synthesis and properties of such responsive smart particulate matter as well as initial results on their ability to modulate flow patterns in complex porous media.