Understand more before you drill.
VEXRAD provides pre-drill geothermal subsurface intelligence using Atomic Dielectric Resonance (ADR) and Virtual Boreholes — adding depth-resolved evidence to reservoir targeting before committing capital to a physical well.
The expensive question comes before the well: what is actually beneath this location?
Geothermal projects need more than heat. Developers need confidence in depth, lithology, structure, reservoir intervals and — depending on the play type — fluid pathways and permeability. Conventional geoscience provides essential regional and structural information, but uncertainty can remain at the precise location where a multi-million-pound drilling decision must be made.
Depth matters
Target depth drives drilling design, cost and risk. Small geological uncertainties can become material commercial uncertainties at kilometres of depth.
Reservoir quality matters
Heat alone does not make a productive well. Lithology, reservoir thickness, structures, fluids and permeability all influence the outcome.
Drilling is the ground truth
The objective is not to eliminate drilling. It is to add another independent evidence layer before selecting the next well location.
Surface-acquired measurements. Depth-resolved interpretation.
ADR is VEXRAD’s coherent pulsed electromagnetic sensing technology. Measurements acquired at surface are processed across energy, frequency, dielectric and related response parameters to create a depth-referenced profile of changing subsurface properties.
Measure from surface
Acquire ADR responses non-invasively at selected geothermal target locations before drilling.
Process multiple parameters
Analyse changes in the ADR response and integrate calibration data where wells or independent geoscience are available.
Create a Virtual Borehole
Produce a depth-resolved interpretation designed around the geological questions that affect the drill decision.
A borehole before the borehole.
VEXRAD’s Virtual Borehole is designed to characterise subsurface changes from the surface and present them against depth. With appropriate calibration and evidence, outputs can support interpretation of lithology, formation boundaries, reservoir sands, structures, thermal proxies and candidate intervals for further investigation.
It does not guarantee permeability, flow rate or commercial well performance. Those require physical testing. The purpose is to improve the information available before steel goes into the ground.
Geothermal exploration technology should be judged against drilled outcomes.
VEXRAD’s geothermal evidence includes deep projects where ADR-derived Virtual Boreholes have been compared with independent well logs and drilling outcomes. VEXRAD reports results according to the evidence they actually earn.
“The physical borehole has the final word. The Virtual Borehole is there to make the decision before it better informed.”Review the validation evidence
Complement seismic, MT, gravity, geology and wells — don’t replace them.
The strongest geothermal workflow combines independent information. VEXRAD is intended to add a location-specific, depth-resolved measurement layer alongside established geological and geophysical methods.
ADR can help investigate
- Lithology and formation boundaries
- Reservoir interval depth and thickness indicators
- Structures and subsurface changes
- Sandstone or other target lithologies where calibrated
- Thermal or fluid-related proxy responses where evidence supports them
- Ranking candidate well locations
- Correlation between multiple Virtual Boreholes
ADR does not guarantee
- Permeability
- Fracture connectivity
- Flow rate
- Well deliverability
- Reservoir sustainability
- Commercial project economics
- Drilling success
One question: can we reduce uncertainty before committing to the well?
Hydrothermal
Investigate reservoir lithology, structures, target intervals and available calibration around known geothermal systems.
Sedimentary aquifers
Characterise depth and continuity of target formations and reservoir sands, particularly where offset wells provide calibration.
EGS & deep geothermal
Add depth-resolved evidence around deep lithology and structures while recognising that permeability and stimulation performance require physical confirmation.
SCREEN → CHARACTERISE → SCAN → VIRTUAL BOREHOLE → RANK → DRILL
Use regional geoscience to define the resource. Use conventional geophysics to understand the system. Use ADR at selected locations to add depth-resolved evidence. Then use the combined evidence to rank where drilling can answer the highest-value remaining uncertainty.
New geothermal exploration technology: the practical questions.
Can VEXRAD find a geothermal reservoir without drilling?
ADR can provide depth-resolved subsurface information and identify candidate intervals, but a productive geothermal reservoir ultimately requires drilling and physical testing. VEXRAD is decision support before drilling, not a substitute for ground truth.
How deep can a VEXRAD Virtual Borehole investigate?
VEXRAD has published geothermal examples extending to approximately 4 km and a pre-drill comparison against a well of approximately 5 km depth. Practical depth and resolution depend on geology, acquisition conditions and the project question.
Can ADR predict permeability or flow rate?
Not as a guaranteed direct measurement. ADR responses may identify candidate structures or intervals associated with reservoir behaviour, but permeability, connectivity and flow must be confirmed by drilling, logging and testing.
Does ADR replace MT or seismic?
No. These methods provide different information. VEXRAD’s preferred approach is complementary: integrate ADR with geology, wells, seismic, MT, gravity and other available evidence.
Where is ADR strongest?
Projects with clear geological questions and good calibration data are particularly attractive. Existing offset wells, wireline logs and known stratigraphy can strengthen interpretation and allow predictions to be tested objectively.
How do we start?
Submit a Project Fit Check with location, geothermal play type, target depth, existing wells and available geophysical data. VEXRAD can then assess whether ADR is likely to add useful information.
Find out what ADR could add before you drill.
Share the target, expected depth, geological model, existing wells and geophysics. VEXRAD can assess whether a Virtual Borehole programme could address a meaningful uncertainty in your drilling decision.