Magma-Tap : The ultimate geothermal energy program

Abstract

The objective of the Direct Magma Tap Research Program now under way at Sandia Laboratories is to investigate the feasibility of extracting energy directly from deeply buried circulating magma sources. With temperatures of the order of 1000 C temperature, these buried sources represent great amounts of high-quality energy. A fully closed heat exchanger system inserted directly into the source would allow extraction of this energy with minimal environmental impact. Major problem areas being studied include source location and configuration, in situ magma characteristics, material compatibilities, tapping methods, and energy extraction equipment.