Patent classifications
F24T2201/00
GEOTHERMAL HEAT RECOVERY FROM HIGH-TEMPERATURE, LOW-PERMEABILITY GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS FOR POWER GENERATION USING CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS
A method or apparatus that uses a fluid in a closed loop well system to extract heat from geothermal resources that are located in or near high-temperature, low-permeable geologic formations to produce power. In some embodiments, the closed loop system may include one or more heat exchange zones, where at least a portion of the one or more heat exchange zones may be disposed within a subterranean region having a temperature of at least 350 C. The subterranean region may be within a plastic zone or within 1000 meters of the plastic zone, the plastic zone having a temperature gradient of at least 80 C. per kilometer depth.
Energy chassis and energy exchange device
Systems, methods and devices for utilizing an energy chassis device designed to sense, collect, store and distribute energy from where it is available using devices that harvest or convert energy to locations requiring energy such as but not limited to HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) systems. The systems, methods and devices can also be used with a next generation geothermal heat exchanger that achieves higher energy harvesting efficiency and provides greater functionality than current geothermal exchangers.
GeoHeat Harvesting Enhancement
Systems and methods for improved geoheat harvesting enhancements are presented in which a wellbore contains a closed loop geoheat harvesting system that is thermally coupled to a hot and dry rock formation via thermal reach enhancement structures that extend from the wellbore into the formation and that are filled with a thermally conductive filler. Preferred configurations and/or operational parameters are determined by a model that calculates heat flow in a three-dimensional system considering time changes and the influence of the thermal reach enhanced intrinsic thermal conductivity of the rock.
System and method for thermal response testing
A system and method for performing at least one thermal response test for a medium. At least one request signal indicative of at least one request to perform the thermal response test is received. On the basis of the at least one request, at least one control signal is generated for causing at least one parameter of a fluid circulating through the medium to be acquired. The at least one measurement is indicative of a thermal property of the medium. The at least one control signal is then output to a hydraulic system.
SYSTEM FOR ACOUSTIC NAVIGATION OF BOREHOLES
Methods for generating boreholes used for generating geothermal energy or other purposes include forming the borehole by accelerating a projectile into contact with geologic material. Interaction between the projectile and the geologic material generates an acoustic signal, such as vibrations within the formation, that is detected using acoustic sensors along a drilling conduit, at the surface, or within a separate borehole. Characteristics of the geologic material, such as hardness, porosity, or the presence of fractures, may be determined based on characteristics of the acoustic signal. The direction in which the borehole is extended may be modified based on the characteristics of the geologic material, such as to create a borehole that intersects one or more fractures for generation of geothermal energy.
COMPLETION AND WELL PLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION USING DISTRIBUTED FIBER OPTIC SENSING IN NEXT-GENERATION GEOTHERMAL PROJECTS
Systems and techniques may be used to obtain information corresponding to a well of a reservoir. An example technique may include drilling a first well, inserting a fiber optic cable into the first well, sending a laser pulse down the fiber optic cable, and capturing distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) data. The example technique may include determining, based on the DFOS data, well placement parameters for a second well, and outputting the well placement parameters for the second well.
Multiple well pairs for scaling the output of geothermal energy power plants
Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method and/or computer program product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for using a hot sedimentary aquifer (HSA) in geothermal energy generation applications. An example embodiment operates by pumping, via multiple extraction wells, heated water from one or more extraction depths of an HSA. The HSA is identified based on a permeability satisfying a threshold permeability range. The example embodiment further operates by extracting, via a power generation unit, heat from the heated water to generate power and transform the heated water into cooled water. Subsequently, the example embodiment operates by injecting, via multiple injection wells, the cooled water at one or more injection depths of the HSA.
Geothermal energy system and method of operation
In an embodiment, a method of operating a geothermal energy system includes selectively connecting each of a plurality of borehole heat exchangers to any other of the plurality of borehole heat exchangers thereby to permit flow of a working fluid between the borehole heat exchangers and to selectively distribute the working fluid within the plurality of borehole heat exchangers. Each borehole heat exchanger has an elongate tube having a closed bottom end and first and second adjacent elongate coaxial conduits interconnected at the bottom end, the first conduit being tubular and surrounded by the second conduit which is annular. Each borehole heat exchanger has a major portion thereof extending in a substantially inclined orientation at an angle of from 3 to 95 degrees from vertical, the borehole heat exchangers being connected to a manifold for the working fluid.
System and method of heat extraction for preventing or mitigating a landfill subsurface reaction
Disclosed is a system for preventing or mitigating elevated temperatures within a landfill. The system comprises at least one water tight heat exchange unit with a lower edge and an upper edge, wherein the placement of the heat exchange unit is at least one of (1) within the waste mass proximate the area of elevated temperature, or (2) within the area of elevated temperature, the at least one heat exchange unit fabricated to resist differential settlement forces within the landfill as well as the elevated temperatures. The system further includes piping configured to discharge a cooling fluid within the heat exchange unit and a heat exchanger for ejecting heat from the cooling fluid and at least one temperature probe configured to measure the temperature of the waste mass. The system utilizes a pump adapted to circulate the cooling fluid within the piping system and to the heat exchange unit.
Optimizing Well Placement to Maximize Exposed Hydraulic Fracture Area in Geothermal Wells
A method of constructing an injection well for a geothermal energy system comprising determining a fracture area of an injection well with a curved wellbore by inputting the curved wellbore path, a set of formation properties, and a fracturing operation, into a fracturing model. The curved wellbore path can promote fracture interference between fracture stresses extending from the injection wellbore. A production model can determine an economic value of the production fluids produced from at least one production well by determining a contact time for the injection fluids to traverse the formation. A design process can iterate the curved wellbore path of the injection well to produce a production fluid with an economic value above a threshold value.