Semifinalists announced for US DOE Geothermal Geophone Prize
Semifinalists of the Geothermal Geophone Prize (source: US DOE)
Carlo Cariaga
5 Dec 2022
Ten semifinalists have been chosen for the Geothermal Geophone Prize, a competition that aims to spur innovation in seismic sensors for geothermal environments.
The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) under the U.S. Department of Energy has announced the ten semi-finalists of the Geothermal Geophone Prize. Each semifinalist team will receive a USD 75,000 cash prize plus USD 75,000 in vouchers to use with an industry expert or national laboratory to advance their project.
The list of semi-finalist teams and their corresponding projects are as follows:
- Avalon – Chirped Laser Geophone for Geothermal Boreholes
- GE – GE MEMS Downhole Geophone
- GeoPhotonics – Optical MEMS and Geothermal Seismology
- Harold Snyder’s Team – Geothermal 3-Axis Accelerometer Microseismic Tool
- Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems, Inc.: The GeoSense Solution
- MagiQ Technologies, Inc.: ThermaView Optical Seismic for Smart Geothermal
- NXTANT: NXTANT
- OzIC High-Temperature Seismology: High-Temperature LVDT-based Geophone
- PSG: Photonic Seismometer for Geothermal Applications
- Ultra-High Temperature Seismic Tool: Ultra-High Temperature Seismic Tool
In Phase 1 of the prize, teams identified and developed initial concepts for high-temperature, downhole seismic sensors. In Phase 2, which opens December 3, teams will advance their concepts and demonstrate the promise of their designs. New teams are eligible to join Phase 2 without having competed in Phase 1. All semifinalists are advised to register for the Phase 2 Informational Webinar.
Announced on April 2022, the new Geothermal Geophone Prize provides USD 3.65 million in total incentives to the nation’s innovators and entrepreneurs to rapidly discover, develop, and deliver new high-temperature seismic sensor solutions.
Downhole sensors collect data about geothermal reservoirs and subsurface conditions, which is essential to develop successful and efficient human-made enhanced geothermal systems. More rugged sensors are needed in the geothermal industry because traditional seismic monitoring tools cannot withstand the high temperatures, high rock strengths, and corrosive working fluids in geothermal wells.
Through a three-phase competition, the Geothermal Geophone Prize will help spur innovation in seismic sensors for use in geothermal environments, which will support the expansion of geothermal deployment, including the goals of GTO’s Enhanced Geothermal Shot.
The Geophone Prize is part of the American-Made Challenges (AMC) program. Other geothermal prizes in the AMC include the Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize, currently in Phase 3, and the recent Geothermal Manufacturing Prize, for which winners were selected in August.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
