Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/1152269
A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 www.resourceworld.com 67 The two successful discoveries in the Great Basin by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology used a previously untried method for finding unknown, hidden geothermal resources, called blind systems, where no surface indications of hot water exist. With no exploration previ - ously in one of these areas and only minor previous exploration in the other, univer- sity geologists in the Bureau of Mines and Geology used a number of other surface and subsurface clues in their methodology developed as part of their Department of Energy-funded Play Fairway Project that has been underway since 2014. As part of their analysis, James Faulds, Director of the Bureau, and principal investigator on both the Play Fairway and machine-learning projects and his team, used a few basic machine-learning tech - niques, and now have plans to step up this effort with this newly funded project from the DOE. The project applies arti- ficial intelligence and machine learning techniques to geothermal exploration to identify previously unrecognized connec- tions between the various datasets. "This is like icing on the cake of our very suc- cessful geothermal Play Fairway Project," Faulds said. "This new project is aimed at facilitating additional discoveries of geothermal systems in Nevada using machine-learning methods and builds on our previous efforts on geothermal play fairways in the region. This machine- learning project is hopefully the first phase of a long-term, multi-phase program. This first phase is funded at $500,000." While the Play Fairway Project relied to some degree on expert opinion where machine training data might be used, this new grant will fund the introduction of an additional approximately 100 training sites and the addition of an industry part - ner with extensive applicable datasets. For this project, Faulds has assembled a team of scientists from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, USGS, and experts in machine learning from MIT and the oil industry. US Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, applauded the DOE for selecting the University's geothermal exploration technology project as one of 10 national projects chosen for funding. According to the senators, "This techno - logical investment will help to develop renewable energy technology to create a cleaner future for Nevada and our entire country." MARINE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES HELP KEEP BOAT LIGHTS ON Lithium-ion batteries have an intercalated (something inserted between layers) lith- ium compound as the electrode material. In a lithium-ion battery, lithium moves from the negative electrode to the positive one during discharge and then reverses the process when the battery is charging. Lithium-ion batteries have a number of important advantages over competing technologies. Among other things, they are lighter than traditional lead-based batteries. For many people, the weight savings is secondary to the efficiency edge that lithium technology holds. For exam - ple, a lithium-ion marine battery can store greater amounts of energy in less space than other kinds of batteries. With its high energy density, a lithium-ion marine battery is smaller and lighter than other marine bat- tery types. This can make it a good choice for smaller boats or speedboats. A lithium-ion boat battery can charge rapidly and has a longer lifespan than other types of batteries. It also loses rela - tively little energy when idle. Over the course of a month, an unused lithium-ion marine battery discharges about 1.5% of its energy. Compare this to a nickel-metal hydride battery, which can lose about 20% of its energy for each month it sits idle, a common situation for boats. Marine lithium-ion batteries are well suited for sailboats, some of which lack an electricity generating system but still are required by law to use marker lights when returning to dock at dusk. Some sail - boats have built-in motors with generators to keep their batteries charged. Even so, sailors don't want their motors running all the time – they want to sail. It's a worse problem for smaller family sailboats with outboard motors. Marine lithium ion bat - teries will keep the lights on a lot longer for those sailors. n Examples of marine lithium batteries. Source: RELiON Marine Lithium Batteries Group.