Hikmet Ucok
Union Oil Company of California
ABSTRACT
The geothermal borehole SP surveys are usually taken under non-isothermal conditions. Non-isothermal electrolytic systems are known to transform thermal energy into electrical energy. The effect of thermoelectricity generated under non-isothermal conditions on borehole SP surveys is investigated in the laboratory under simulated conditions. Laboratory experiments indicate that an appreciable amount of electromotive force is generated as a result of the temperature gradient in the system. However, it is found that thermoelectricity has no net effect on borehole SP measurement in sedimentary type geothermal reservoirs. This is because the decrease in liquid-junction potential and the increase in membrane potential, due to thermoelectricity, is equal in magnitude.