Two stages power generation test of the hot dry rock exploration and production demonstration project in the Gonghe Basin,northeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau,China

The Hot Dry Rock(HDR)is considered as a clean and renewable energy,poised to significantly contribute to the global energy decarbonization agenda.Many HDR projects worldwide have accumulated valuable experience in efficient drilling and completion,reservoir construction,and fracture simulation.In 2019,China Geological Survey(CGS)initiated a demonstration project of HDR exploration and production in the Gonghe Basin,aiming to overcome the setbacks faced by HDR projects.Over the ensuing four years,the Gonghe HDR project achieved the first power generation in 2021,followed by the second power generation test in 2022.After establishing the primary well group in the initial phase,two directional wells and one branch well were drilled.Noteworthy progress was made in successfully constructing the targeted reservoir,realizing inter-well connectivity,power generation and grid connection,implementing of the real-time micro-seismic monitoring.A closed-loop technical validation of the HDR exploration and production was completed.However,many technical challenges remain in the process of HDR industrialization,such as reservoir fracture network characterization,efficient drilling and completion,multiple fracturing treatment,continuous injection and production,as well as mitigation of induced seismicity and numerical simulation technology.

The first power generation test of hot dry rock resources exploration and production demonstration project in the Gonghe Basin,Qinghai Province,China

Hot dry rock(HDR)is a kind of clean energy with significant potential.Since the 1970s,the United States,Japan,France,Australia,and other countries have attempted to conduct several HDR development research projects to extract thermal energy by breaking through key technologies.However,up to now,the development of HDR is still in the research,development,and demonstration stage.An HDR exploration borehole(with 236℃ at a depth of 3705 m)was drilled into Triassic granite in the Gonghe Basin in northwest China in 2017.Subsequently,China Geological Survey(CGS)launched the HDR resources exploration and production demonstration project in 2019.After three years of efforts,a sequence of significant technological breakthroughs have been made,including the genetic model of deep heat sources,directional drilling and well completion in high-temperature hard rock,large-scale reservoir stimulation,reservoir characterization,and productivity evaluation,reservoir connectivity and flow circulation,efficient thermoelectric conversion,monitoring,and geological risk assessment,etc.Then the whole-process technological system for HDR exploration and production has been preliminarily established accordingly.The first power generation test was completed in November 2021.The results of this project will provide scientific support for HDR development and utilization in the future.

Pressure shift mediated anoikis of endothelial cells in the flow field in vitro

Dramatic changes of pressure in the local circulation flow field would lead to alterations in biorheological characteristics of Endothelial cells(ECs), and futher resulted in the apoptosis induced by loss of anchorage, a form of cell death known as anoikis. In this study, we set levels of pressure(negative and positive pressure) loaded ECs groups and non-activated cultured ECs ,single shear stress loaded ECs as control group to demonstrate the effects of pressure shift on cell morphogenesis and adhesion. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of pressure shift on ECs proli- feration and apoptosis to elucidate the influences of pressure shift on vitality of ECs. We present these data here to suggest that the negative pressure might be another important factor beyond velocity and shear stress in biomechanical impairment on ECs, then to trigger the apoptosis with the extracellular matrix (ECM) detachment (anoikis). As the negative pressure is thought to play a role in the anoikis process, these results have implications for both the path- ogenesis and therapeutics investigations of stenostic vessel diseases and the future vascular tissue engineering.