Geotechnologies

With our business area Geotechnologies with the Competence Centres "Reservoir Geophysics", "Deep Drilling and Completion", "Innovative Drilling Methods" and "Geomechanics and Geohazards", we conduct research into technical systems for the exploration, exploitation and development of underground reservoirs and storage systems and the technologies required for this. In close cooperation with industry and research institutions, we develop innovative thermal, hydraulic and mechanical drilling methods and bring them to industrial application. We also develop reservoir and risk models based on seismic exploration, laboratory tests or borehole geophysical measurements. The analyses are supplemented by field tests, production and injection tests on the hydraulic properties of the reservoirs. In our geotechnical centre, tests are carried out on borehole materials, reservoir rocks and fluids to optimise their use. Our drilling engineers develop innovative drilling systems using the Fraunhofer Drilling Simulator and Fraunhofer-IEG-owned drilling rigs and coordinate planning, approval and execution work for deep drilling projects. We also implement condition monitoring procedures using acoustic sensor technology and mathematical codes for the self-learning control of drilling, reservoir and energy engineering processes. For specific projects, we characterise reservoirs and reservoir rocks in the field, in boreholes and in the laboratory and access extensive data from our rock databases for reservoir modelling.