www.panaxgeothermal.com.au
Panax Geothermal is a pure geothermal company with access to some of the worlds most promising geothermal assets. As climate change projections worsen, Panax Geothermal is well positioned to commercialise sustainable sources of base-load energy, powered from the Earth.
The long term vision of Panax is to become a major participant in the geothermal industry, both nationally and internationally. The scope of its geothermal interests will be broad, including both conventional geothermal resources (volcanic related) as well as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) such as hot fractured rock (HFR) geothermal systems.
Panax Geothermal to continue Salamander-1 clean-up flow tests
Panax Geothermal (ASX: PAX) has reported that clean-up flow tests at the Salamander-1 well in South Australia are continuing intermittently.
Preliminary results of downhole logging during well flow have indicated that flow rates to date may be negatively affected by “filter cake”, being remnants of drill mud partially blocking off the connection between the reservoir zones and the well bore.
The filter cake was designed to be removed as part of the well bore clean-up before rig release. The company has now been advised to repeat this treatment, i.e. using a weak acid (15% acetic = vinegar) to dissolve any remnant calcium carbonate, a component of the drilling mud.
The company said the recently observed sudden increase in the bottom hole temperature of Salamander-1, from 156°C to 171.4°C during “surging” of the well, is likely to be an example of a sudden local breakthrough between reservoir rocks and the well bore near the bottom of the well.
Bertus de Graaf, managing director, said this repeat well bore clean-up programme is scheduled to commence later this month and will not delay the well productivity tests, scheduled for June, 2010.
