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US 8,616,000 B2Granted
System and method of capturing geothermal heat from within a drilled well to generate electricity
OwnerMichael J. Parrellainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed-loop, solid-state system generates electricity from geothermal heat from a well by flow of heat, without needing large quantities of water to conduct heat from the ground. The present invention contemplates uses for depleted oil or gas wells and newly drilled wells to generate electricity in an environmentally-friendly method. Geothermal heat is conducted from the Earth to a heat exchanging element to heat the contents of pipes. The pipes are insulated between the bottom of the well and the surface to minimize heat dissipation as the heated contents of the pipes travel to the surface.
Claims50
A heat extraction system for generating geothermal heat from within a well, comprising:
- a heat nest configured in an area between a heat point determined as a lowest depth where appropriate heat is encountered in a well and the bottom of a bore hole of the well;
- multiple bore holes being drilled into rock surrounding the heat nest configured to create more surface area through which geothermal energy may flow, the multiple bore holes being drilled in multiple directions, including drilled vertically, horizontally, diagonally or any angle, in relation to the bore hole of the well and being filled with heat conductive material;
- a heat exchanging element configured with a first side and a second side, and configured in the heat nest at a point between the heat point of the well and the bottom of the bore hole of the well;
- a piping system configured with a downwardly flowing pipe coupled to the first side of the heat exchanging element for bringing contents from a surface of the well into the heat nest and configured with an upwardly flowing pipe coupled to the second side of the heat exchanging element for carrying heated contents to the surface of the well from the heat nest;
- and
- a heat conductive material injected into an area within the heat nest near the bottom of the well between the heat exchanging element and rock surrounding the heat nest to form a closed-loop, solid state heat exchange system to heat contents of the piping system flowing into and out of the heat exchanging element at an equilibrium temperature at which the rock surrounding the heat nest and generating the geothermal heat continually recoups the geothermal heat it is conducting to the heat conductive material and above which the geothermal heat generated by the rock surrounding the heat nest dissipates as the heat conductive material conducts heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element, the heat conductive material connecting the rock surrounding the heat nest and the heat exchanging element, the heat conductive material solidifying to substantially fill the area within the heat nest to transfer heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest and the heat exchanging element;
- the closed-loop, solid state heat extraction system extracting geothermal heat from the well without exposing the rock surrounding the heat nest to a liquid flow.
4 more elements
A method of extracting geothermal heat from within a drilled well, comprising:
- determining a type of rock at a depth of a well, a surface area of the rock at the depth of a well, and a heat conductivity factor of the rock at the depth of the well;
- increasing the surface area of the rock at a desired point in the well between a heat point of the well and a bottom of the well;
- forming a heat nest within the well beginning at the bottom of the well and ending at the heat point of the well;
- drilling multiple bore holes into rock surrounding the heat nest configured to create more surface area through which geothermal energy may flow, the multiple bore holes being drilled in multiple directions, including drilled vertically, horizontally, diagonally or any angle, in relation to the bore hole of the well and being filled with heat conductive material;
- injecting a heat conductive material between rock surrounding the heat nest and a heat exchanging element having a first side and a second side within the heat nest to form a closed-loop, solid-state heat extraction system to exchange heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element to heat contents of a piping system flowing from a downwardly flowing pipe into the first side of the heat exchanging element and flowing from the second side of the heat exchanging element into an upwardly flowing pipe at an equilibrium temperature at which the rock surrounding the heat nest and generating the geothermal heat continually recoups the geothermal heat it is exchanging with the heat conductive material and above which the geothermal heat generated by the rock surrounding the heat nest dissipates as the heat conductive material exchanges heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element;
- and
- insulating the piping system between the heat nest and a surface of the well,
- the closed-loop solid state heat extraction system extracting geothermal heat from the well without exposing the rock surrounding the heat nest to a liquid flow.
5 more elements
A heat extraction system for generating geothermal heat from within a drilled well, comprising:
- a heat nest near a bottom of the drilled well;
- a heat exchanging element configured with a first side, a second side and a plurality of capillaries;
- a piping system configured with one or more downwardly flowing pipes for bringing the contents of the piping system from a surface of the well into the first side of the heat exchanging element in the heat nest and configured with one or more upwardly flowing pipes for carrying heated contents from a second side of the heat exchanging element to the surface of the well from the heat nest;
- a heat conductive material injected into an area within the heat nest between the heat exchanging element and rock surrounding the heat nest, wherein the heat conductive material solidifies to substantially fill the area within the heat nest to transfer heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest and the heat exchanging element to form a closed-loop, solid state heat exchange system to heat contents of the piping system flowing into and out of the heat exchanging element at an equilibrium temperature at which the rock surrounding the heat nest and generating the geothermal heat continually recoups the geothermal heat it is conducting to the heat conductive material and above which the geothermal heat generated by the rock surrounding the heat nest dissipates as the heat conductive material conducts heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element;
- and
- wherein the closed-loop solid state heat extraction system extracts geothermal heat from the well without exposing the rock surrounding the heat nest to a liquid flow.
3 more elements
A method of extracting geothermal heat from within a drilled well, comprising:
- determining a type of rock at a depth of a well, a surface area of the rock at the depth of the well, and a heat conductivity factor of the rock at the depth of the well;
- increasing the surface area of the rock at a desired point in the well between a heat point of the well and a bottom of the well;
- forming a heat nest within the well beginning at the bottom of the well and ending at the heat point of the well;
- injecting a heat conductive material between rock surrounding the heat nest and a heat exchanging element within the heat nest to form a closed-loop, solid-state heat extraction system to exchange heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element to heat contents of a piping system flowing into and out of the heat exchanging element at an equilibrium temperature at which the rock surrounding the heat nest and generating the geothermal heat continually recoups the geothermal heat it is exchanging with the heat conductive material and above which the geothermal heat generated by the rock surrounding the heat nest dissipates as the heat conductive material exchanges heat from the rock surrounding the heat nest to the heat exchanging element;
- insulating the piping system between the heat nest and a surface of the well,
- pumping the contents of the piping system into a first side of the heat exchanging element in a set of flexible, downward-flowing pipes and out a second side of the heat exchanging element in a set of flexible, upward- flowing pipes;
- and
- dispersing the contents of the piping system into a plurality of capillaries coupled to the piping system within the heat nest;
- wherein the closed-loop solid state heat extraction system extracts geothermal heat from the well without exposing the rock surrounding the heat nest to a liquid flow.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.