Why can't we drill into the earth's mantle for electricity?

"Down there" is really hot and if we can just go far enough to get over 100 degrees worth of heat then we can generate steam and all the world's problems will be solved? It can't be that hard?

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Reply 1

ed-

Well they do have geothermal power stations that pump water down as far as possible, allow it to come back up as steam to propel turbines.
But they can only do it where it's hot quite high up (near geysers and things) because drill technology isn't advanced enough yet.

Reply 2

whyumadtho

It is too deep and hot for modern technology to handle.

Reply 3

S.R

Original post by whyumadtho

It is too deep and hot for modern technology to handle.

Yeah but can't they cool the drill with liquid helium or something?

Reply 4

The Mr Z

Original post by S.R

"Down there" is really hot and if we can just go far enough to get over 100 degrees worth of heat then we can generate steam and all the world's problems will be solved? It can't be that hard?

Most materials available to mankind will melt at the temperatures on the edge of the mantle. Those that don't will corrode incredibly fast, meaning any infrastructure (pipes etc) we put down there will be destroyed within a matter of weeks. Most damagingly, the steam will readily react with any metal (except platinum group metals, which are some of the ones that will melt, and cost several hundred million dollars per tonne anyway) leading to your exhaust gas containing an explosive quantity of Hydrogen, which will then of course catch fire when it comes into contact with the surface atmosphere.

There's also the issue of the high-pressure lava down there that you're effectively drilling down to. Tunnels that connect to high-pressure lava are better known as Volcanoes.

Original post by S.R

Yeah but can't they cool the drill with liquid helium or something?

Vaporising the liquid helium into gaseous helium inside a cooling pipe, causing a dramatic increase in pressure and, shortly, an explosion.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

truechristian91

Original post by S.R

Yeah but can't they cool the drill with liquid helium or something?

theoretically but there is a real shortage of liquid helium at the moment and is needed in so many vital areas of life, MRI scanners to name one, that it would take a real viable plan before that could even be considered

Reply 6

Felix Felicis

I actually think I drop IQ points every time you post a new thread...

Reply 7

Cringe

Yeah we might as well use all the earths oceans to make a massive generator too.

Reply 8

nyan~

Original post by Felix Felicis

I actually think I drop IQ points every time you post a new thread...

He's permabanned now :nopity:

Reply 9

Arbolus

Original post by S.R

"Down there" is really hot and if we can just go far enough to get over 100 degrees worth of heat then we can generate steam and all the world's problems will be solved? It can't be that hard?

It's too far. Above the continental crust we'd have to drill at least 30 km deep, and above the oceanic crust it would be at least 5 km plus the depth of the ocean itself. The deepest hole that's ever been drilled by mankind is ~ 12 km deep through continental crust, and it took 22 years to get that far.

Reply 10

Felix Felicis

Original post by nyan~

He's permabanned now :nopity:

Reply 11

AspiringGenius

Doesn't geothermal energy do something similar? :smile: