Eavor-Loop Demonstration Project

Lead Proponent

Eavor Technologies Inc.

Project Objectives

Eavor-Lite™ is a full-scale demonstration of a multilateral closed-loop geothermal system. The system utilizes a novel well design and conduction-based thermodynamic process.

This demonstration project consists of two 1.7 km long multilateral horizontal wellbores connecting two 2.4 km deep vertical wellbores to create a U-tube shaped closed-loop geothermal system, to create a large subsurface heat exchanger or radiator. Because the Eavor-Loop™ is a closed-loop system, it does not require the same site-specific resource conditions as conventional geothermal such as aquifer presence and reservoir permeability. The project utilized sites that were not viable for conventional geothermal power and/or heat production. The three main technical objectives of the project were:

1. Drill and intersect a multilateral Eavor-Loop™ with two laterals
2. Seal the Eavor-Loop™ without steel casings (using Rock-Pipe™)
3. Validate the thermodynamic performance and demonstrate the thermosiphon effect

The intent of this project was to demonstrate the potential power production of the Eavor-Loop™ and technical feasibility of critical components of the system, enabling commercial scale-up of the technology.

Results

The Eavor-Lite™ project was able to achieve its key technical objectives of drilling, sealing, and validating the performance of the Eavor-Loop™. Drilling operations were successful, and tests were performed to maintain pressure and circulation operations with >95% uptime. Control and operation of the loop has been demonstrated and the site has been fully operational since 2019, producing heat without the use of a pump within 2% of the predicted thermodynamic performance. In the first two years of operation, Eavor-Lite™ has produced ~11,250MWh of thermal energy.

This project demonstrated that highly specialized horizontal drilling and hydraulic sealing techniques at commercial-scale depths are an effective alternative in comparison to traditional vertical drilling for geothermal energy production. With innovations such as Eavor-Loop™, closed-loop geothermal energy production is feasible in a larger total addressable market compared to conventional geothermal energy production, as it does not require the same site-specific resource conditions.

Completion of the Eavor-Lite™ project has proven technical feasibility of the Eavor-Loop™ technology, enabling pursuit of commercial-scale development. Once successfully commercialized, utility-scale amounts of heat and power generated from Eavor-Loop™ projects could be increasingly adopted and replicated, resulting in large reductions of GHG emissions from other sources of energy worldwide such as natural gas, diesel, and coal.

Environmental Benefits

In regular operations, Eavor-Loop™ generates zero GHG emissions, no air pollution, has no continuous water use, and has a small surface footprint making the technology suitable for applications where land scarcity is a factor, including urban jurisdictions. Eavor-Loop™ produces scalable and dispatchable power throughout the year that complements other forms of renewable energy. If commercialized, the Eavor-Loop™ could play a crucial role in meeting Canadian GHG reduction targets.

Benefits to Canada

Developing, drilling, and operating Eavor-Loop™ technology is a natural fit to utilize the existing skillset of the oil and gas sector and help workers transition into the clean energy industry. Closed-loop geothermal energy production overlaps heavily with current oil & gas resource extraction activities in western Canada: geoscience, engineering, trades people and major capital projects development are all skillsets which can be ported from oil & gas to the development and scale-up of Eavor-Loop™ technology.

This project provided significant economic benefits across Alberta. Eavor-Lite™ saw a $12.5MM direct investment in clean technology in the province. Approximately 150 people were employed during the planning and construction phase – most of whom were in geographic areas of high unemployment. Since project competition, Eavor has raised an additional CAD $61MM, mainly foreign investment that will be investment mainly in Alberta.

Eavor has prospective projects all over the world and intends to create a technology export industry for Canada, maintaining and improving Canada’s reputation as a global innovation center.

Next Steps

With a successful pilot operating since December 2019, one place within Canada where Eavor has expanded its operations is to the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nations community in the Yukon. Eavor-Loop™ technology is particularly promising for providing electricity (and potentially heat) to northern communities, which may be off-grid and rely on imported diesel to fuel local electricity generation.

Internationally, Eavor announced a partnership with Enex Power Germany in May 2020 to construct an Eavor-Loop™ heat and power project within Enex’s existing geothermal license area in Bavaria, Germany. The wells in the area were unable to deliver flowrates sufficient for economic development of conventional geothermal, but the site is well suited for the commercial development of Eavor-Loop™ technology and the production of electricity and commercial heat suitable for district heating and industrial processes.

Elsewhere around the world, Eavor continues to build its funnel of projects, working with utilities, developers, and governments to bring a commercial installation to fruition.