A system includes a subsea geothermal power system. The subsea geothermal power system includes a separator configured to separate a well fluid from a hydrocarbon well into a first fluid flow and a second fluid flow. The subsea geothermal power system also includes a geothermal power plant coupled to the separator. The geothermal power plant is configured to receive thermal energy from the second fluid flow and convert the thermal energy into at least one of electrical energy and mechanical energy. The separator is at least partially powered by the at least one of electrical energy and mechanical energy produced by the subsea geothermal power system.

Systems and methods for drilling a geothermal well can include drilling a first borehole to a geothermal target, the first borehole defining a longitudinal axis; and drilling a first portion of a second borehole having a first end and a second. The first end of the second borehole extends from the first borehole, the first portion extends downwardly and outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the first borehole, and the first portion of the second borehole is in fluid communication with the first borehole. The techniques can include drilling a second d portion of the second borehole. The second portion extends downwardly and towards the longitudinal axis of the first borehole, the second end of the second borehole extends to the first borehole, and the second portion of the second borehole is in fluid communication with the first borehole.

A system includes a subsea geothermal power system. The subsea geothermal power system includes a well connection configured to couple to a hydrocarbon well. The subsea geothermal power system also includes a geothermal power plant fluidly coupled to the well connection. The geothermal power plant is configured to receive thermal energy from a well fluid received from the hydrocarbon well and convert the thermal energy into at least one of electrical energy and mechanical energy. The system also includes a subsea equipment at least partially powered by at least one of the electrical energy and the mechanical energy produced by the subsea geothermal power system.

Geothermal energy systems and processes eliminate or reduce the distance between a geothermal energy source and an electricity generating power plant The systems and processes include heating a primary fluid by absorbing thermal energy from the geothermal energy source in a well to produce a heated primary fluid; conveying the heated primary fluid to the power plant including, a turbine and an electricity generator; driving the turbine by one of: the heated primary fluid; and a secondary fluid that absorbs thermal energy from the heated primary fluid via, a heat exchanger; and driving the electricity generator via, the turbine to generate electricity. The power plant is positioned at one of: inside the well; partially inside the well; at a wellhead above the well; adjacent to the well; on a pad including one or more wells; and between multiple pads including one or more wells in the same field of pads.

A geothermal process for generating electricity includes: heating a primary fluid by absorbing thermal energy from a geothermal energy source to elevate thermal energy and kinetic energy of the primary fluid; increasing a pressure on the primary fluid to raise a boiling point and a temperature of the primary fluid and decrease latent heat of the primary fluid; driving a mechanical device via one of: the kinetic energy of the primary fluid; and a kinetic energy of a secondary working fluid that absorbs the thermal energy of the primary fluid in a heat exchanger; and driving an electricity generator by the mechanical device to generate electricity. The pressure on the primary fluid may be increased by restricting, a flow path of the primary fluid to create a backpressure, by increasing a density of the primary fluid, or by increasing a pumping pressure of the primary fluid into the geothermal well.

A geothermal power system includes a power generation unit and at least one production well coupled to the power generation unit. The at least one production well is positioned at least partially within a geothermal reservoir. The production well includes at least one wellbore with a wellbore wall. A first tubing is positioned within the at least one wellbore and defines a first annular flow path through the first tubing. A second tubing is positioned around the first tubing and defines a second annular flow path between the first tubing and the second tubing. A third annular flow path is between the second tubing and the wellbore wall. A production fluid may flow in the same direction as a working fluid through the production well. The working fluid is used to generate electricity with the power generation unit. The working fluid may be a liquid, gas, or supercritical fluid.

The present invention provides a geothermal power generation system that can control deposition of silica scale. A geothermal power generation system includes: a production well; a steam separator that separates a geothermal fluid which is obtained from the production well, into steam and hot water; a turbine that is rotated by the steam separated by the steam separator; a reinjection well to which the geothermal fluid that has passed through the steam separator and/or the turbine is returned; a pH measurement system that extracts a part of the hot water separated by the steam separator and measures a pH of the hot water, and a first thermometer that measures a temperature of the hot water; an injection device that injects an alkaline chemical into the geothermal fluid; a second thermometer that measures a temperature of the geothermal fluid at a pH estimation point which is selected from the group consisting of an injection portion for the alkaline chemical, an outlet of the steam separator, and an inlet of the reinjection well; and a control device that controls the injection of the alkaline chemical by the injection device, on the basis of measurement results of the pH measurement system, the first thermometer, and the second thermometer.

A method includes circulating a heat transfer working fluid in a closed loop between a geothermal well residing in a subterranean zone and at least one of a heat exchanger or a turbine. The well is substantially sealed to limit fluid loss of the working fluid into the subterranean zone. While circulating the working fluid, at least one of a viscosity of the working fluid or a pressure differential between the working fluid and the subterranean zone is controlled in relation to a flow of fluid between the subterranean zone and the well.

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 thin-bed hot sedimentary aquifer (HSA) in geothermal energy generation applications. An example embodiment operates by pumping, via an extraction well, heated water from an extraction depth of an HSA. The HSA is identified based on a permeability satisfying a threshold permeability range and could even have a thickness equal to or less than about 100 meters. 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 an injection well, the cooled water at an injection depth of the HSA. A first portion of the extraction well and a second portion of the injection well are disposed within the HSA.

Provided is a method of constructing a geothermal heat exchanger comprised of a geothermal well(s) that maximizes heat transfer from sweet spots of geothermal energy of a geothermal reservoir to the geothermal well(s). The method involves dynamically identifying the sweet spots, and selecting a predetermined shape and/or increasing a dimension of the geothermal well(s) within the sweet spots to increase a surface area of contact between the geothermal well(s) and the sweet spots. The method further involves calculating a mathematical best fit line to minimize a distance between the geothermal well(s) and the sweet spots, and forming at least a part of the geothermal well(s) to, or to a proximity of, the sweet spots along the mathematical best fit line. Methods may include increasing an effective thermal radius of the geothermal well(s) by geothermal fracturing, geothermal acidizing, or geothermal multilateral wells, and embedding thermal energy storage (TES) materials therein.