Development of a new borehole probe for thermal conductivity scanning

Knowledge about the thermal conductivity of rock is essential for accurate design of geothermal plants. Thermal conductivity can be measured in situ, with low precision and coarse spatial resolution, or in a laboratory, where samples are subject to altered conditions and represent only limited sections of the borehole. We have developed and evaluated a new technology involving fast, high-resolution, and high-precision scanning of in-situ thermal conductivity within boreholes. The prototype demonstrated the feasibility of the technology for shallow geothermic wells, with an accuracy of 10%.