A CASE STUDY ON DESIGN APPROPRIATE GEOTHERMAL DRILLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEFINED LAND AREAS

Republic of Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. Djibouti’s location at the junction of three main active geological structures, and the presence of numerous surface geothermal manifestations with hot springs and fumaroles, gives the country the potential to develop geothermal energy.

The actual case of European countries in terms of energy dependence on Russia shows and demonstrates how difficult is it to depend on other nations or countries for its own energy consumption. Similarly, Djibouti Currently depends on imported hydropower from Ethiopia to meet roughly two-thirds of its domestic energy needs.

In fact, geothermal energy is more costly than oil and gas at current prices, owing to the relatively low energy capacity of geothermal water and steam. In general, high numbers of large-diameter wells must be drilled in order to obtain sufficient water and steam for heating or electrical production.

Furthermore, the drilling process is complex as it may be rotate about breaking the ground and lifting the rock cuttings from the resulting hole. The ultimate geothermal drilling objective is to access the resource for exploitation. However, during resource development and exploitation, drilling is used to confirm existence of the resource, obtain data for resource assessment, provide adequate steam fuel for the power plant and resolve well production complications.

Our study aims to discover the best geothermal drilling suitable for Djibouti lands. In this sense first, we will present the characteristics of the land of Djibouti and its potential. Then we will explain the fundamentals of drilling technologie. And at the end, we will conclude by trying to highlight the drilling technologies that correspond to the region of Djibouti.