US3817038A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for heating a fluid
Assignee: Texaco Development Corp
•
Filing: 1972-09-01
•
Granted: 1974-06-18
•
Expires: 1992-09-01
Abstract
Abstract A method of heating an aqueous fluid which can be, for example, water, in a dry geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well comprising injecting the said fluid into the formation via the injection well, forcing the fluid into the formation with simultaneous heating and finally recovering the heated fluid via the production well. Utilizing heat exchangers at the surface, the heated fluid may be employed to supply process heating requirements for steam making, preheating of refinery streams such as crude oil feed to distillation units, salt evaporation, etc. Alternatively, where the heated fluid recovered via the production well is steam, it can be employed directly, for example, in a turbine for power generation.
Inventors
- 👤 P Paull
- 👤 P Kerr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 02:55
CPC Classifications
F; F24; F24T; F24T10/00; F24T10/20; F03; F03G; F03G4/00; F03G4/074; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S423/00; Y10S423/19
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, and wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, and wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The metHod of claim 1 wherein the said aqueous fluid is selected from the group consisting of steam, water, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the said aqueous fluid is water.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous fluid is a mixture of steam and water.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein prior to step (a) the formation in the said injection well is hydraulically fractured.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein prior to step (a) the formation in the said injection well is hydraulically fractured.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein prior to step (a) the formation in both the said injection well and in the said production well is hydraulically fractured.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein prior to step (a) the formation in both the said injection well and in the said production well is hydraulically fractured.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 6 wherein prior to step (a) the formation in both the said injection well and in the said production well is hydraulically fractured using a fracturing fluid containing a propping agent.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 6 wherein prior to step (a) the formation in both the injection well and in the production well is hydraulically fractured and wherein a plugging solution is forced into the formation to seal off the formation at the boundaries of the fractured zone.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the fluid introduced into the formation via the said injection well is about 0* to about 550*F.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the said formation varies from about 250* to about 900*F.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the said formation is about 400* to about 700*F.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the heated fluid recovered from the said production well is about 200* to about 600*F.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well is electrolessly metal plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation which is thermally stable.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueous fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well is electrolessly metal plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation which is thermally stable.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well is electrolessly nickel plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation which is thermally stable.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueouS fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well and of the production well is electrolessly nickel plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation in the injection well and in the production well which is thermally stable.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of heating an aqueous fluid in a dry, geothermal reservoir formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well which comprises: a. introducing an aqueouS fluid into the formation through the said injection well, b. forcing the said aqueous fluid through the said formation thereby heating the said aqueous fluid, c. recovering the said heated aqueous fluid through the said production well, wherein the temperature of the said dry, geothermal reservoir formation is substantially above the temperature of the aqueous fluid introduced into the formation in step (a), and wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well and of the production well is electrolessly nickel plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation in the injection well and in the production well which is thermally stable.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 15 wherein the formation in the vicinity of the well bore of the injection well and of the production well is electrolessly nickel plated prior to step (a) thereby forming a permeable, consolidated formation in the injection well and in the production well which is thermally stable.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said heated aqueous fluid recovered through the said production well is passed through a heat exchange zone wherein a second fluid is heated.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said heated aqueous fluid recovered through said production well is steam.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the said aqueous fluid is steam.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-06-17 | 1977-12-17 | 1978-06-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-17 | 1981-12-17 | 1982-06-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-17 | 1985-12-17 | 1986-06-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |