US 10,132,299 B2Granted

Ultra deep hydroelectric/geothermal power plant

OwnerWolfhart Hans Willimczikinventor

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Abstract

This invention consists mainly of a long sloped tunnel, a deep hydroelectric/geothermal power plant and hot rocks transforming water into steam. Advanced tunnelling machines are able to reach lengths and depths never possible before with the old drilling method. The drop height of the water for the hydroelectric power plan is for instance over 10 km and the gained water pressure over 1000 bar feeding special high pressure water turbines or big hydraulic water motors driving again generators. After passing the water turbines the water is pressed with a rest pressure of about 250 bar into hot rocks generating high pressure overheated steam for steam turbines in a range of gig watts. Then the steam rises up in the sloped tunnel as in a chimney, cools down, condensate to water and starts the entire process again.

Claims1

Dependent claims

Ultra deep geothermal power plant powered by high temperature and high-pressure steam generated by hot rocks in thermal regions of the crust of the earth comprising:

a) a strait sloped tunnel from the surface of the earth to a hot region of the crust of the earth, the tunnel is made by modern tunneling machines;
b) a rack railway and water pipes inside the sloped tunnel, the railway for transportation to the subterranean power plant;
c) the sloped tunnel is divided by having a cover below the power plant and over the hot rocks, the portion of the sloped tunnel below the cover is utilized as a reservoir for the hot and pressurized steam continuously generated by the hot rocks;
d) and the portion of the sloped tunnel above the cover is utilized as a water column with a certain pressure and volume to hold the cover in place by equalizing pressure forces between the steam and water tunnel sections exerting pressure on the cover.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/290,995Filed 11 Oct 2016
Published: US 2018/0100491 A112 Apr 2018
Granted: 20 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

F24T 10/10
Geothermal collectors: with circulation of working fluids through underground channels, the working fluids not coming into direct contact with the…
F03B 13/00
Adaptations of machines or engines for special use
F03G 4/029
Characterised by the geothermal collectors: closed loop geothermal collectors, i.e. the fluid is pumped through a closed loop in heat exchange…
F03G 4/033
Devices for producing mechanical power from geothermal energy: having a Rankine cycle