• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.111-120
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• 2016

In order to enhance the connectivity of fracture network as fluid path in enhanced/engineered geothermal system (EGS), the exact locating of hydraulic fractured zone is very important. Hydraulic fractures can be tracked by locating of microseismic events which are occurred during hydraulic fracture stimulation at each stage. However, since the subsurface velocity is changed due to hydraulic fracturing at each stage, in order to find out the exact location of microseismic events, we have to consider the velocity change due to hydraulic fracturing at previous stage when we perform the mapping of microseimic events at the next stage. In this study, we have modified 3D locating algorithm of microseismic data which was developed by Kim et al. (2015) and have developed 3D velocity update algorithm using occurred microseismic data. Eikonal equation which can efficiently calculate traveltime for complex velocity model at anywhere without shadow zone is used as forward engine in our inversion. Computational cost is dramatically reduced by using Fresnel volume approach to construct Jacobian matrix in velocity inversion. Through the numerical test which simulates the geothermal survey geometry, we demonstrated that the initial velocity model was updated by using microseismic data. In addition, we confirmed that relocation results of microseismic events by using updated velocity model became closer to true locations.

• Korea Journal of Geothermal Energy
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.20-26
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• 2012

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2011

Geothermal energy is believed to be an important source among the renewable energy sources to provide the base load electricity. Although there has been a drastic increase in the use of geothermal heat pump in Korea, there is no geothermal power plant in operation in Korea. Fortunately, the first EGS (Enhanced Geothermal System) Project in Korea has started in Dec 2010. This five year project is divided into two stages; two years for exploration and drilling of 3 km depth to confirm the minimum target temperature of 100 degrees, and another three years composed drilling 5 km doublet, hydraulic stimulation of geothermal reservoir with expected temperature of 180 degrees (40 kg/s) and construction of MW geothermal power plant in the surface. This EGS project would be a landmark effort that invited a consortium of industry, research institutes and university with expertises in the fields of geology, hydrogeology, geophysics, geomechanics and plant engineering.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.144-144
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• 2011

We have estimated power generation potential in Korea following the recently announced EGS protocol. According to the protocol, we calculated the theoretical potential first, which assumes 30 year operation, minimum temperature being surface temperature+$80^{\circ}C$, depth range being from 3 km to 10 km. In this new assessment the in-land area was digitized by 1' by 1' blocks, which is much finer than suggestion of the protocol (5'by 5'). Thus estimated theoretical potential reaches 6,975 GWe which is 92 times of the total power generation capacity in 2010. In the estimation of technical potential, we limited the depth range down to 6.5 km, assumed recovery factor as 0.14 and also counted for temperature drawdown factor of $10^{\circ}C$ following the protocol. Accessible in-land area excluding steep mountains, residence and industrial region, wet area and others covers 40.7% of total area. Finally, we could come up with 19.6 GWe for technical potential, which would be 56 GWe if we do not account for the temperature drawdown factor. These are important results in that we made the first potential assessment for geothermal power generation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.513-523
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• 2011

We estimated geothermal power generation potential in Korea through Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) technology following the recently proposed protocol which was endorsed by international organizations. Input thermal and physical data for estimation are density, specific heat and thermal conductivity measurements from 1,516 outcrop samples, 180 heat production, 352 heat flow, and 52 mean surface temperature data. Inland area was digitized into 34,742 grids of $1'{\times}1'$ size and temperature distribution and available heat were calculated for 1 km depth interval from 3 km down to 10 km. Thus estimated theoretical potential reached 6,975 GW which is 92 times total generation capacity of Korea in 2010. Technical potential down to 6.5 km and considering land accessibility, thermal recovery ratio of 0.14 and temperature drawdown factor of $10^{\circ}C$ was 19.6 GW. If we disregard temperature drawdown factor, which can be considered in estimating economic potential, the technical potential increases up to 56 GW.

• The Magazine of the Society of Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.65-71
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• 2011

2010년 지식경제부 재원으로 한국에너지기술평가원(KETEP)의 지원을 받아 착수한 MW급 지열발전 상용화 기술 개발 계획에 대해 소개하고자 한다.

• The Magazine of the Society of Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.43-48
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• 2011

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.573-573
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• 2009

지열에너지는 지구가 생성될 당시부터 지구 내부에 존재하는 무한한 열에너지로 온실가스 배출이 적으며 태양광이나 풍력 등 다른 신재생 에너지와는 달리 일정한 에너지를 공급할 수 있는 항상성 에너지로 기저부하를 담당할 수 있다. 지열을 이용한 전력 생산은 1904년에 이탈리아 라데렐로에서 처음으로 시작되었으며, 현재까지 화산지대를 중심으로 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 2001년에서 2005년 사이에 전세계 지열발전용량은 약 13% 증가하였으며, 2005년을 기준으로 약 8,933MWe의 지열발전설비가 가동 중이다. 최근 들어 지하 심부까지 시추하여 지열저장소(geothermal reservoir)를 형성하고 이를 통해 지열에너지를 생산하는 새로운 시스템인 EGS(Enhanced Geothermal Systems)가 개발됨에 따라 비화산지대에서도 지열발전소를 건설하려는 움직임이 가속화되고 있다. EGS는 지하 심부의 불투수성 결정질 암반에 존재하는 지열에너지의 경제적인 생산뿐만 아니라 물을 주입하여 생산시키는 순환 방식을 이용하여 지열에너지 획득의 매개 역할을 하는 지열수의 고갈 문제를 해결하였다. 결정질 암반에서의 지열저장소의 형성은 암반 내에 분포하는 불연속면에서 주로 발생하며, 이를 위한 압력 조건은 현지 암반의 응력 분포 특성과 암반 및 불연속면의 물성에 좌우된다. 시추공을 통해 지하 심부의 암반에 수압이 가해지면 물의 주입으로 불연속면의 마찰력이 감소하며, 이로 인해 불연속면에 전단변형이 발생하게 된다. 전단변형은 불연속면을 열린 상태로 유지시켜 지열저장소를 형성하게 된다. 불연속면의 전단 변형시 발생하는 미소 탄성파는 시추공 주변에 설치한 모니터링 장비에서 측정되며, 모니터링 장비에 의해 측정된 미소 탄성파 발생 지점의 클러스터는 지열저장소의 공간적 분포 및 규모를 추정할 수 있는 자료가 된다. 현재 EGS를 이용한 지열발전 프로젝트는 프랑스 슐츠, 스위스 바젤, 호주 하바네로에서 대표적으로 진행 중이다. 슐츠는 현재 1.5MWe의 파일럿 플랜트를 가동 중이며, 하바네로는 파일럿 플랜트 건설 단계를 진행중이다. 스위스 바젤은 지열저장소를 형성시킬 목적으로 수행된 주입시험에서 발생된 문제에 대한 기술의 신뢰성을 확보할 목적으로 잠시 중단된 상태다. 제주도는 신생대에 분출하여 형성된 대표적인 한국의 화산지형으로 지열부존 가능성이 높을 것으로 예상되는 지역이다. 따라서 폐사는 지열에너지 부존 특성을 파악하기 위한 심부 물리 탐사 및 탐사정 시추가 실시될 예정이며 궁극적으로 국내 최초의 상용화된 지열발전소 건설을 목표로 하고 있다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.3-32
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• 2008

The potential deep geothermal resources span a wide range of heat sources from the earth, including not only the more easily developed, currently economic hydrothermal resources; but also the earth's deeper, stored thermal energy, which is present anywhere. At shallow depths of 3,000~10,000m, the coincidence of substantial amounts heat in hot rock, fluids that heat up while flowing through the rock and permeability of connected fractures can result in natural hot water reservoirs. Although conventional hydrothermal resources which contain sufficient fluids at high temperatures and geo-pressures are used effectively for both electric and nonelectric applications in the world, they are somewhat limited in their location and ultimate potential for supplying electricity. A large portion of the world's geothermal resource base consists of hot dry rock(HDR) with limited permeability and porosity, an inadquate recharge of fluids and/or insufficient water for heat transport. An alternative known as engineered or enhanced geothermal systems(EGS), to dependence on naturally occurring hydrothermal reservoirs involves human intervention to engineer hydrothermal reservoirs in hot rocks for commercial use. Therefore EGS resources are with enormous potential for primary energy recovery using an engineered heat mining technology, which is designed to extract and utilize the earth's stored inexthermal energy. Because EGS resources have a large potential for the long term, United States focused his effort to provide 100GW of 24-hour-a-day base load electric-generating capacity by 2050.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2012

Mongolia has three(3) geothermal zones and eight(8) hydrogeothermal systems/regions that are, fold-fault platform/uplift zone, concave-largest subsidence zone, and mixed intermediate-transitional zone. Average temperature, heat flow, and geothermal gradient of hot springs in Arhangai located to fold-fault platform/uplift zone are $55.8^{\circ}C$, 60~110 mW/m2 and $35{\sim}50^{\circ}C/km$ respectively and those of Khentii situated in same zone are $80.5^{\circ}C$, 40~50 mW/m2, and $35{\sim}50^{\circ}C/km$ separately. Temperature of hydrothermal water at depth of 3,000 m is expected to be about $173{\sim}213^{\circ}C$ based on average geothermal gradient of $35{\sim}50^{\circ}C/km$. Among eight systems, Arhangai and Khentii located in A type hydrothermal system, Khovsgol in B type, Mongol Altai plateau in C type, and Over Arhangai in D type are the most feasible areas to develop geothermal power generation by Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). Potential electric power generation by EGS is estimated about 2,760 kW at Tsenher, 1,752 kW at Tsagaan Sum, 2,928 kW at Khujir, 2,190 kW at Baga Shargaljuut, and 7,125 kW at Shargaljuut.