So if I understand correctly, you create a network of fractures that connect to two boreholes and you pump water into one and out the other. Won’t the fractures erode significantly over time? Do we know what happens when we continuously erode a network of fractures deep underground? And won’t the amount of water that’s required to stay pressurized get larger and larger as the fractures erode?
> One concern in the Project Red test was that 10%-20% of the fluid pumped did not return to the surface. That number is much better than many legacy enhanced geothermal projects but needs improvement. Costs increase and site locations narrow to those with excess cheap water. It could also increase induced seismicity risk over time.
> The latest results released for Cape Station do not include the fluid loss number, so we don't know if it improved. Options remain even if it didn't, like reducing fluid throughput. That would hurt productivity, but further gains from drilling and completion intensification could compensate.
They fracture the granite and prop it open with sand or other materials, it doesn't really erode the same as surface granite, which is extremely slow to erode as is.
