US 12,247,471 B2Granted

Small modular nuclear reactor integrated energy systems for industrial applications, such as enhanced oil recovery operations

AssigneeNuScale Power, LLC

InventorsFrancis Tsang, José N. Reyes, Jr.

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Abstract

Integrated energy systems, such as for use in enhanced oil recovery operations, and associated devices and methods are described herein. A representative integrated energy system can include a power plant system having multiple modular nuclear reactors. The nuclear reactors can generate steam for direct industrial use or for use in an electrical power conversion system to generate electricity. Individual ones of the nuclear reactors can be configured to generate steam or electricity based on the requirements of different stages of the oil recovery operation. For example, during a first stage, a subset of the nuclear reactors can be configured to generate steam for the oil recovery operation for injection into an oil reservoir. During a second stage, some or all of the nuclear reactors in the subset can be reconfigured to generate electricity that can be routed to an industrial process different than the oil recovery operation.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An integrated energy system for enhanced oil recovery, comprising:

a steam injection well extending into an oil reservoir;
an industrial processing plant;
and
a power plant system operably coupled to the steam injection well and the industrial processing plant, wherein the power plant system includes a plurality of small modular reactors and an electrical power conversion system, wherein individual ones of the small modular reactors are configured to heat a coolant into steam, and wherein
during a first stage of an enhanced oil recovery operation, the power plant system is configured to have a first operating state in which the steam generated by a subset of the small modular reactors is directly routed to an auxiliary heater that superheats the steam and provides superheated steam to the steam injection well for injection into the oil reservoir;
and
during a second stage of the enhanced oil recovery operation, the power plant system is configured to have a second operating state different from the first operating state in which the steam from at least one of the small modular reactors in the subset is routed (a) to the industrial processing plant or (b) to the electrical power conversion system to generate electricity that is routed to the industrial processing plant.

4 more elements

A method of operating an integrated energy system for enhanced oil recovery including a power plant system having a plurality of small modular reactors and an electrical power conversion system, wherein individual ones of the small modular reactors are configured to heat a coolant into steam, the method comprising:

during a first stage of an enhanced oil recovery operation, configuring the power plant system to have a first operating state in which the steam from a subset of the small modular reactors is directly routed to an auxiliary heater that superheats the steam to be provided to a steam injection well for injection into an oil reservoir;
and
during a second stage of the enhanced oil recovery operation, configuring the power plant system to have a second operating state different from the first operating state in which the steam from at least one of the small modular reactors in the subset is routed (a) to an industrial processing plant or (b) to the electrical power conversion system to generate electricity that is routed to the industrial processing plant.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/104,766Filed 1 Feb 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 4 Mar 2022
Published: US 2023/0279756 A17 Sep 2023
Granted: 11 Mar 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

E21B 43/2403
Using heat, e.g. steam injection: by means of nuclear energy
G21D 9/00
Arrangements to provide heat for purposes other than conversion into power
G21C 1/322
Integral reactors, i.e. reactors wherein parts functionally associated with the reactor but not essential to the reaction, e.g. heat exchangers,…:…
G21C 15/257
Promoting flow of the coolant: using heat-pipes