Systems and methods using fluid flow through concentric channels for ground heat exchange. A heat exchange system may be installed by inflating a flexible tube in a borehole. An accessible subsurface adaptor provides connections between the heat exchange features and laterals, as well as the ability to measure and monitor performance of the system.

Methods and systems for geothermal energy production wherein multiple horizontal or vertical wells may be used to pass fluids through the Earth from an injector well to a producer well through induced cracks, splits, fractures, conduits, or channels in the rock. Such methods and systems may include controlling tensile-split conduits in a subterranean geothermal formation by providing an injection well, providing a production well, configuring the injection well for injection of a tensile-splitting fluid into a production zone, configuring the production well to produce a heated fluid from the production zone, applying pressure to the production well, creating a plurality of tensile-split conduits, raising or lowering the pressure in the production well, establishing fluid communication between the injection well and the production well, and producing the heated fluid to the surface.

Trench-confirmable geothermal reservoirs with flexible reservoir bodies that can snugly abut trench walls (that may be of virgin, compacted earth) for facilitating heat exchange and flow liquid from one lower end to an opposing top end, and vice versa, depending on desired heat exchange. The direction can be reversed for summer and winter heat/cooling configurations. A series of the reservoirs may be used for appropriate heat transfer. The water volume of the reservoirs is relatively large and slow moving for good earth heat conduction. The reservoirs include first and second ports, one of which has an elongate internal tube that has a bottom that resides adjacent a bottom of the reservoir body and a series of apertures on only a lower portion of the internal tube to intake or output liquid depending on flow direction.

A system and method of using a subterranean energy storage system includes a geothermal reservoir with at least one fracture configured to hold a working fluid for a period of time. At least one wellbore is positioned within the geothermal reservoir fluidly coupled to the at least one fracture. At least one pump is configured to at least one of a) inject the working fluid into the at least one fracture and b) withdraw the working fluid from the at least one fracture. A power system is fluidly coupled to the wellbore, the power system configured to convert at least one of a) a thermal energy of the working fluid and b) a fluid dynamic energy of the working fluid into an electrical current. A downhole pressure of the working fluid held in the at least fracture for the period of time increases during the period time.

A method of producing a geothermal well includes obtaining site information including at least a site volume; obtaining drilling parameters; determining lengths and orientations of planned wellbores based at least partially on the site information and the drilling parameters.

Methods, systems, and compositions of matter for increasing heat transfer are disclosed herein. A slurry may include a quantity of a thermally conductive material configured to transfer heat. A slurry may include a quantity of a proppant configured to prop open one or more fractures. A slurry may include a quantity of a slurrying agent configured to suspend the quantity of the thermally conductive material within the quantity of the slurrying agent. The slurry is configured to preserve permeability within one or more fractures and facilitate a transfer of heat.

Systems and processes are disclosed for enhanced geothermal energy production. The enhanced closed-loop geothermal system may include a wellbore, where at least a portion of the wellbore penetrates a geothermal heat source, a closed-loop geothermal system deployed in the wellbore, and a heat-buffer including a heat-buffer material disposed within the portion of the wellbore penetrating the geothermal heat source and accumulate heat when working fluid is not circulating and release it to the closed-loop geothermal system when working fluid is circulated. The closed-loop geothermal system deployed in the wellbore, includes a downhole heat exchanger deployed within the portion of the wellbore penetrating the geothermal heat source, a bidirectional fluid conduit, wherein a first end of the bidirectional fluid conduit is fluidly connected to the downhole heat exchanger, and a heat utilization facility, wherein a second end of the bidirectional fluid conduit is fluidly connected to the heat utilization facility.

A method to establish a well using a nested drill/completion string. The nested drill/completion string includes an inner pipe nested in an outer pipe, a flow crossover disposed at an end of the nested drill string and a drill bit disposed to one side of the flow crossover. Drilling fluid is pumped into the well through a first annular space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe, and drill cuttings created by the drill bit are returned to surface through in inner pipe. For the completion of the well, either (i) fluid in the annular space is displaced with a lower conductivity fluid or (ii) the annular space; is evacuated. Fluid to be heated is pumped through a second annular space between the well and the exterior of the nested drill string and geothermally heated fluid is moved from the subsurface to the surface through the inner pipe.

A borehole is bored to a borehole target depth in a site and a geothermal heat exchanger is inserted into and then secured in the borehole at the desired depth. Once the heat exchanger has been secured in the borehole, the heat exchanger has a closed distal end and an open proximal end and has at least one fluid path between the closed distal end and the open proximal end, with installation fluid disposed in the fluid path(s). After securing the heat exchanger in the borehole and before excavation of a portion of the site immediately surrounding the borehole, the heat exchanger is temporarily sealed by installing, through the open proximal end, at least one respective internal seal in each fluid path. For each fluid path, the internal seal(s) will be disposed below a respective notional subgrade depth and excavation of the site immediately surrounding the borehole can proceed.

The various embodiments described herein include systems and methods for installing geothermal loops using coiled tubing. In one aspect, a system for installing geothermal loops includes a geothermal loop spooled on a geothermal loop reel that is mounted on a first axle. The system includes a coiled tubing string configured for inserting the geothermal loop into a borehole. The coiled tubing string is spooled on a coiled tubing reel that is mounted on a second axle. As the geothermal loop is inserted into the borehole, the geothermal loop is configured to unspool from the geothermal loop reel, the coiled tubing string is configured to unspool from the coiled tubing reel, and the geothermal loop and the coiled tubing string are configured to move at substantially similar speeds.