How about this for energy.

[arkain101]

How about we tap into magma, volcanic shafts or depths, and use this heat and power to create electricity.

You could easily set up a steam powered generator system.

If one was to drill a large hole to a plausible location to magma, and allow water to flow down into there and or something of this means and using the pressure, or high tech materials that can withstand the tempetures and run fluids through this to induce pressure.

Has there been and ideas on this subject for energy generation?

[Boerseun]

This form of 'free' energy is already being exploited in the Northern countries. Matter of fact, Iceland gets 100% of its energy from geothermal sources.

What you propose, however, to drill down towards the mantle in countries where thermal vents isn't as accessable as in Iceland's case, would probably be close to impossible with modern technology.

Imagine: Where would you find a drillbit able to drill a 40km hole to reach the part of the crust hot enough to let water flash into usable steam to drive turbines? In principle it could work, but keeping pressure in mind, the moment you tap into the upper mantle, your hypothetical drillbit will come flying out at one hell of a speed, closely followed by a few splutters of hot pebbles. Your shaft will be so long and thin, that it will quickly fill with lava that will simply set as solid rock, plugging your hole, forcing you to go and buy a new drillbit, and dig another hole - just not as deep, this time...

[arkain101]

I happen to be in the drilling industry as a drillrig operator and labourer.

In my humble opinion such a drilling operation is quite possible. Finding the right location where one could drill some 5-10 km's into a volcanic shaft, then doing tempeture assesments and core extraction one could then determine how close to the heat source one was with the drill and from that point move into different means of going deeper.. However I will let this rest..

I agree it would be dangerous and a little unpredictable.

I find it interesting that people have put this idea into use.. good stuff.

[ryan2006]

tampering with the earths underyling energy supply is out of the question since it stops the earth from rotating hence no more climate no more crops no more food understand?

[GAHD]

Somehow I don't thnk so Ryan, I'd like to see a shaft drilled below sea level into an area where the rock is starting to become plastique from heat, then drill a vent shaft that goes up to surface level and put turbines in the escape vent, then from all of that open the floodgates and watch superheated water and salt permiate the air . maby if it's big enough it'll saturate the area with water and produce perpetual rain! or create hurricanes! Ok, maby thelast two arn't so good...
Unless you add windmills and raincatchers, then use dams to harness the gravity pulling the water down.

[arkain101]

I was thinking, find a volcano, drill into the mountain at an angle find the Magma. Dig a rather large tunnle towards it. Set up another larger drill to insert High tempeture material piping which is insterted directly into the hot area. Fluid would be super heated there to work a rather long and large piston or somthing of that matter.

[Boerseun]

Originally Posted by arkain101

I was thinking, find a volcano, drill into the mountain at an angle find the Magma. Dig a rather large tunnle towards it. Set up another larger drill to insert High tempeture material piping which is insterted directly into the hot area. Fluid would be super heated there to work a rather long and large piston or somthing of that matter.

Magma has this irritating tendency to exploit any fissure or crack in order to relieve pressure. In other words, if you drill into the mountain, your tunnel will just serve as another pressure-relief pipe, and molten lava will promptly gush out of your tunnel, destroying any plant and equipment you've installed there.

[arkain101]

o_0 lol, yah I realize that if you are drilling into a pressurized cavern. It would take alot of planning and design but you could figure something out. There are several places where lava simply bubbles around at the surface.

You also dont even need to actually breach the rock that seperates the magma and you. The rock and ground near maga shafts is very hot. You could get away with drilling a bit of a resivoir down in the vacinity, in the right location, then fill this shaft with water which would have no choice but to constantly boil and release mass amounts of pressure out of your release hole.

Sounds like a dangerous operation.. I dont know enough about geology to really get into it.

Anywho, maybe one day eh..