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US 9,574,551 B2Granted
Power tower—system and method of using air flow generated by geothermal generated heat to drive turbines generators for the generation of electricity
AssigneeGTherm, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. Parrella, Sr., Jonathan Parrella, Michael J. Parrella, Jr., Martin A. Shimko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus is provided having one or more SWEGS that may be configured to heat air in a draft power tower arrangement. In a closed loop, cold fluid may be pumped into the SWEGS and heated to a temperature in a range of e.g., 100° C.-300° C., and hot fluid pumped out of the SWEGS. This fluid flows through a heating element (e.g., a radiator or specially designed heat exchanger) that heats the air in the draft power tower arrangement.
Claims16
Apparatus comprising:
- a geothermal heat extraction system for generating geothermal heat from within a well configured to provide content into the well to be heated, and receive heated content back from the well;
- and
- a draft power tower arrangement, configured to receive the heated content from the geothermal heat extraction system, and provide electrical power, based at least partly on the heated content received, wherein the draft power tower arrangement comprises:
- a tower having a top portion and a bottom portion;
- a first heating element configured in the bottom portion, the first heating element configured to receive the heated content and heat surrounding air so as to cause heated surrounding air to rise up the tower toward a heated air outlet in the top portion and create a draft of upwardly moving heated air through and out the tower, and configured to provide colder content based at least partly on the heated content losing heat to heat the surrounding air;
- and
- a second heating element configured in the top portion, the second heating element configured to receive at least a portion of the colder content provided by the first heating element, receive at least a portion of the heated surrounding air, heat the colder content so as to create further heated content, and provide the further heated content to the first heating element.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.