Geothermal energy recovery. [heat drills]
Apparatus and method for recovering resources from subterranean rock formations, particularly heat energy, and more particularly geothermal energy. A heat-drill, which has means associated therewith for removing some rock from the earth and forming other rock into shafts, drills into the earth and forms two shafts at the same time. Both shafts communicate with each other and with the surface and are used to circulate a drilling mud which passes through the drill body and carries off the rock being removed. The heating means is shaped in a coil or grid pattern and operates at a temperature well above the melting point of the rock, heating the rock it displaces to well above its melting point, while raising the average temperature of the total rock melted to slightly above its melting point. The drilling mud absorbs heat as it circulates and the absorbed heat is put to any desirable use, particularly by being recovered from the drilling mud by a heat-exchanger on the surface. The drill has means associated therewith for automatically controlling its rate of advance into the earth and its general downward direction. The drill has means associated therewith for preparing the shafts, particularly the downflow shaft, for a particular type of fracturing of the surrounding rock formations to facilitate the collection of heat therefrom. Later heat recovery is facilitated by forming convection cells within the fractures which encourage circulation of fluids at a distance from the shafts.
- Assignee:
- TIC; ERA-04-022543; EDB-79-035538
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4134462
- OSTI ID:
- 6530926
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 16 Sep 1976
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
DRILLS
DESIGN
GEOTHERMAL WELLS
DRILLING FLUIDS
DRILLING RIGS
HEAT RECOVERY
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MELTING
ROCK DRILLING
WELL DRILLING
COMMINUTION
DRILLING
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
ENERGY RECOVERY
EQUIPMENT
FRACTURING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RECOVERY
WELLS
150901* - Geothermal Engineering- Drilling Technology & Well Hardware