Static mixer as heat exchange enhancer for enhanced and advanced geothermal application
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsChang-Yu Hou, William J. Bailey, Jean Elkhoury
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Abstract
Embodiments presented provide for an arrangement and method of using a static mixer in heat exchanging wellbores. In embodiments, a high-efficiency geothermal system is created that allows a static mixer to be used in conjunction with a power production system that creates an efficient power production cycle with reduced maintenance and efficiency greater than conventional systems.
Claims20
A method for conducting a heat transfer to a fluid in a geothermal application by a system, comprising:
- establishing a wellbore with at least one of a vertical and a horizontal section;
- pumping a fluid into a geological stratum, the fluid at a first temperature and a first pressure;
- creating a turbulent flow in the pumped fluid using a static mixer placed within the wellbore;
- transferring heat from the geological stratum to the fluid flow within the wellbore, wherein the turbulent flow created by the static mixer enhances the efficiency of the transferred heat from the stratum to the fluid within the wellbore;
- recovering the turbulent flow and returning the turbulent flow at a second temperature and a second pressure;
- and
- utilizing the transferred heat in the turbulent flow in an industrial process.
A method for conducting a heat transfer to a fluid in a geothermal application by a system, comprising:
- accessing a wellbore with at least one of a vertical and a horizontal section, the wellbore located within a geological stratum;
- pumping a fluid into the geological stratum, the fluid at a first temperature and a first pressure;
- passing the fluid through a static mixer placed within the wellbore, wherein passing the fluid induces a pressure drop in the fluid while passing through the static mixer;
- transferring heat from the geological stratum to the fluid within the wellbore, wherein the pressure drop induced by the static mixer increases the efficiency of the transfer of heat from the geological stratum to the fluid within the wellbore;
- recovering the fluid at a second temperature and a second pressure, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature;
- and
- utilizing the fluid at the second temperature and the second pressure in an industrial process.
A method for extracting heat from a geothermal source by a system, comprising:
- accessing a wellbore placed within the geothermal source, wherein the wellbore comprises a multilateral wellbore comprising a plurality of lateral wellbores;
- transmitting a fluid into a geological stratum of the geothermal source, the fluid at a first temperature and a first pressure;
- passing the fluid through at least one static mixer placed within the wellbore to create both a turbulent flow in the passing fluid and a pressure drop in the passing fluid;
- transferring heat from the geothermal source to the fluid within the wellbore wherein the turbulent flow and the pressure created by the at least one static mixer increases the thermal transfer efficiency of the transferred heat from the geothermal source to the fluid within the wellbore;
- and
- recovering the fluid at a second temperature and a second pressure, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, and wherein the at least one static mixer regulates the flow rate in the wellbore while recovering the fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.