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US 7,093,657 B2Granted
Earth loop installed with sonic apparatus
AssigneeEnlink Geoenergy Services, Inc.
InventorHoward E. Johnson, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method, in at least certain aspects, including drilling a borehole with a sonic drill system having a head and casing connected thereto, a drill apparatus on a lower end of the casing movable by the sonic drill head to drill the borehole, pumping fluid into the casing and up to earth surface in an annular space in the borehole so that drilled material flows to the earth surface, lowering a heat exchange pipe loop having a lowermost U/bend member down into the casing, introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, and extracting the casing from the borehole.
Claims23
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method comprising
- drilling a borehole from an earth surface down into earth using sonic apparatus with a sonic drill head, the sonic drill head having casing connected thereto, drill apparatus connected to a lower end of the casing so that movement of the casing by the sonic drill head drills the borehole down into the earth, the casing having an interior,
- pumping fluid down into the casing during drilling, down through the casing and out through the drilling apparatus, and upwardly in an annular space between an interior surface of the borehole and an exterior surface of the casing so that drilled material flows upward with the fluid through the annular space in the borehole preventing drilled material from flowing up into the casing's interior,
- lowering a heat exchange pipe loop down into the casing, the heat exchange pipe loop having a lowermost U-bend member,
- introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, the grout displacing an amount of fluid from within the casing, and
- extracting the casing from the borehole.
2 more elements
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method comprising
- drilling a borehole from an earth surface down into earth using sonic apparatus with a sonic drill head, the sonic drill head having casing connected thereto, drill apparatus connected to a lower end of the casing so that movement of the casing by the sonic drill head drills the borehole down into the earth, the casing having an interior,
- pumping fluid down into the casing during drilling, down through the casing and out through the drilling apparatus, and upwardly in an annular space between an interior surface of the borehole and an exterior surface of the casing so that drilled material flows upward with the fluid through the annular space in the borehole preventing drilled material from flowing up into the casing's interior,
- lowering a heat exchange pipe loop down into the casing,
- introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, the grout displacing an amount of fluid from within the casing,
- extracting the casing from the borehole,
- oscillating the casing with the sonic apparatus as the casing is extracted from the borehole, and
- oscillating the casing as grout is introduced into the casing.
4 more elements
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method comprising
- drilling a borehole from an earth surface down into earth using sonic apparatus with a sonic drill head, the sonic drill head having casing connected thereto, drill apparatus connected to a lower end of the casing so that movement of the casing by the sonic drill head drills the borehole down into the earth, the casing having an interior,
- the drill apparatus including apparatus from the group consisting of drill shoe, open drilling shoe, casing shoe, fullface drill bit with at least one hole therethrough for fluid flow,
- pumping fluid down into the casing during drilling, down through the casing and out through the drilling apparatus, and upwardly in an annular space between an interior surface of the borehole and an exterior surface of the casing so that drilled material flows upward with the fluid through the annular space in the borehole preventing drilled material from flowing up into the casing's interior,
- lowering a heat exchange pipe loop down into the casing,
- introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, the grout displacing an amount of the mixture of drilling fluid from within the casing, and
- extracting the casing from the borehole.
3 more elements
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method comprising
- drilling a borehole from an earth surface down into earth using sonic apparatus with a sonic drill head, the sonic drill head having casing connected thereto, drill apparatus connected to a lower end of the casing so that movement of the casing by the sonic drill head drills the borehole down into the earth, the casing having an interior,
- pumping fluid down into the casing during drilling, down through the casing and out through the drilling apparatus, and upwardly in an annular space between an interior surface of the borehole and an exterior surface of the casing so that drilled material flows upward with the fluid through the annular space in the borehole preventing drilled material from flowing up into the casing's interior,
- lowering a heat exchange pipe loop down into the casing,
- introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, the grout displacing an amount of the mixture of drilling fluid from within the casing,
- extracting the casing from the borehole,
- removing the drill apparatus from the lower end of the casing,
- inserting a secondary drilling apparatus through the casing, the secondary drilling apparatus including bit apparatus from the group consisting of solid bit, sacrificial bit, collapsible bit, and retrievable bit, and
- drilling an extension of the borehole with the secondary drilling apparatus.
5 more elements
A method for installing a heat exchange pipe loop in a borehole, the method comprising
- drilling a borehole from an earth surface down into earth using sonic apparatus with a sonic drill head, the sonic drill head having casing connected thereto, drill apparatus connected to a lower end of the casing so that movement of the casing by the sonic drill head drills the borehole down into the earth, the casing having an interior,
- pumping fluid down into the casing during drilling, down through the casing and out through the drilling apparatus, and upwardly in an annular space between an interior surface of the borehole and an exterior surface of the casing so that drilled material flows upward with the fluid through the annular space in the borehole preventing drilled material from flowing up into the casing's interior,
- lowering a heat exchange pipe loop down into the casing,
- introducing grout into the casing around the heat exchange pipe loop, the grout displacing an amount of the mixture of drilling fluid from within the casing, and
- extracting the casing from the borehole.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.