Method for producing a source of energy from an overpressured formation

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR LOCATING AND UTILIZING A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL ENERGY COMPRISING: DRILLING AT LEAST ONE BOREHOLE IN A SELECTED REGION; LOGGING THE BOREHOLE USING A TECHNIQUE THAT RESPONDS TO THE DENSITY OF THE FORMATIONS SURROUNDING THE BOREHOLE; PLOTTING WITH RELATION TO DEPTH THE LOG DATA FOR THE SHALE SECTIONS ONLY; DETERMINING THE DEPTH AT WHICH THE BOREHOLE HAS PENETRATED AN UNDERCOMPACTED SHALE FORMATION FROM THE RATE OF CHANGE OF THE PLOTTED LOG DATA WITH DEPTH; EXTENDING THE BOREHOLE INTO AT LEAST ONE CLOSED AQUIFER RESERVOIR FORMATION LOCATED BELOW THE DETERMINED DEPTH IN A ZONE WHEREIN THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE EXCEEDS A SELECTED MINIMUM TEMPERATURE; AND COMPLETING AT LEAST ONE WELL INTO SAID RESERVOIR AND PROVIDING THE WELL WITH CONDUITS FOR CONVEYING FLUID FROM THE RESERVOIR TO A USE LOCATED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE OF THE RESERVOIR MINUS THE PRESSURE OF THE HYDROSTATIC COLUMN BETWEEN THE RESERVOIR AND THE USE LOCATION.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR LOCATING AND UTILIZING A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL ENERGY COMPRISING: DRILLING AT LEAST ONE BOREHOLE IN A SELECTED REGION; LOGGING THE BOREHOLE USING A TECHNIQUE THAT RESPONDS TO THE DENSITY OF THE FORMATIONS SURROUNDING THE BOREHOLE; PLOTTING WITH RELATION TO DEPTH THE LOG DATA FOR THE SHALE SECTIONS ONLY; DETERMINING THE DEPTH AT WHICH THE BOREHOLE HAS PENETRATED AN UNDERCOMPACTED SHALE FORMATION FROM THE RATE OF CHANGE OF THE PLOTTED LOG DATA WITH DEPTH; EXTENDING THE BOREHOLE INTO AT LEAST ONE CLOSED AQUIFER RESERVOIR FORMATION LOCATED BELOW THE DETERMINED DEPTH IN A ZONE WHEREIN THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE EXCEEDS A SELECTED MINIMUM TEMPERATURE; AND COMPLETING AT LEAST ONE WELL INTO SAID RESERVOIR AND PROVIDING THE WELL WITH CONDUITS FOR CONVEYING FLUID FROM THE RESERVOIR TO A USE LOCATED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE OF THE RESERVOIR MINUS THE PRESSURE OF THE HYDROSTATIC COLUMN BETWEEN THE RESERVOIR AND THE USE LOCATION.