Geothermal Institute


Short courses

Our comprehensive suite of short courses provides a 'real-world' experience to your training.

The Geothermal Institute offers a comprehensive suite of courses that have been developed by expert faculty in the geothermal field. They provide an ideal learning opportunity for professionals to extend their future potential and gain technical and specialist skills.

Our courses provide a practical learning experience, and bring a ‘real-world’ experience to your training.

We currently deliver our short courses for individuals at the Geothermal Institute in Auckland. We can also make arrangements to deliver training for groups or organisations in New Zealand and overseas. If you are looking to tailor a course for your organisation you may be interested in our customised courses.

Contact us to talk about which course would be right for you.
 

Geothermal Reservoir Engineering

Teaching staff: Sadiq Zarrouk, Senior Lecturer (Geothermal Engineering)

Course duration: 4 days
 

Overview

The course is centred on lectures and exercises covering Geothermal Reservoir Engineering and includes the latest industry developments. Participants will have the opportunity to apply their learning to a series of practical exercises. These will provide a basis for cementing the concepts and acquiring problem-solving techniques.
 

Topics Covered

Day 1

  • Worldwide geothermal development and types of geothermal systems.
  • Geothermal power systems (steam field and power station equipment).
  • Thermodynamics and properties of water and steam tables.

Day 2

  • Fundamentals of geothermal reservoir engineering.
  • Geothermal Resources Assessment & stored heat calculations.

Day 3

  • Geothermal drilling & measurements while drilling.
  • Completion tests & down-hole measurements.

Day 4

  • Flow measurements in geothermal wells.
  • Scaling and corrosion in geothermal development.
  • Stimulation of geothermal wells.

Participant benefits

Students will develop an understanding of the geothermal reservoir engineering framework, geothermal reservoir assessment, development, and utilisation.

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Role of a Geoscientist

Teaching staff: Bridget Lynne, Lecturer 

Course duration: 3 days
 

Topics Covered

Topics covered:

  • Introduction to geothermal systems
  • Geothermal conceptual models
  • Why we study rocks
  • Hydrothermal fluids: The good, the bad and the ugly
  • Role of a geologist
  • Role of a geochemist
  • Role of a geophysicist
  • Role of an environmental scientist
  • Reinjection issues: Fluid - rock interaction
  • Sustainability from a geoscientists perspective
  • Geoscience-Engineering Interface
  • Geothermal Field Work: Reading the signs around you
  • Practical exercises: 
    • Basic geological mapping exercise
    • Basic water chemistry exercise 
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Sustainability from a Geoscience Perspective

Teaching staff: Bridget Lynne, Lecturer 

Course duration: 1 day

This is an introductory level, one day short course that outlines sustainability issues common to all geothermal systems.

Topics Covered

Topics covered:

  • Sustainability of geothermal systems
  • Reinjection Issues
  • Scaling in wells
  • Fluid-rock interaction and hydrothermal alteration
  • Sustainability and environmental considerations

 

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Environmental Impacts: Natural or Induced

Teaching staff: Bridget Lynne, Lecturer 

Course duration:    1 day course (lectures) with 2 day field trip (optional)

 

Topics covered:

  • Environmental impacts of geothermal development
  • Deciding on the use of your resource and how it relates to the environment
  • Best practice in community participation
  • Changes to surface features: the first signs of changes in the reservoir
  • Case studies of natural and induced changes in geothermal fields

Field trip (optional) to TVZ to see some natural features and how they change over time. Some changes are natural while others are induced

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Hydrothermal Alteration

Teaching staff: Bridget Lynne, Lecturer 

Course duration: 2 days
 

Course covers a wide range of hydrothermal alteration topics.

Topics Covered

  • Introduction to hydrothermal alteration
  • Conditions affecting alteration minerals
  • Temperature indicating minerals
  • Boiling and minerals
  • Hydrothermal alteration and permeability
  • Hydrothermal alteration and fluid composition
  • Replacement versus deposition of minerals
  • Case studies
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Geothermal Surface Activity

Teaching staff: Bridget Lynne, Lecturer 

Course duration:    4 day course (lectures/labs) with 3 day field trip (optional)

 

Topics covered:

  • Why do we have different thermal features?
  • Understanding the significance of different surface features.
  • Hydrothermal Fluids: The good, the bad and the ugly.
  • Hot spring rocks: Their recognition and importance for geothermal exploration.
    • Sinter textures and diagenesis
    • Dating hot spring rocks
  • Field work in active geothermal systems: reading the signs around us.
  • Changes to surface activity: the first indication of changes at depth.
  • Hands-on laboratory exercises.
  • Case studies
  • Tracking heat flow migration pathways at the near-surface.
  • Mapping thermal areas, fractures and vent orientation and connectivity using Ground Penetrating Radar.
  • Using siliceous sinters as exploration tools.

Field trip (optional) to TVZ to see some natural features and how they change over time. Some changes are natural while others are induced

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