Geothermal energy may be recovered through an underground well drilled to a depth approaching the earth's magma by circulation of injected heat transfer fluids flowing along separate parallel paths within closed loops extending into the well. One or more of the injected fluids may be conducted by a heat transfer portion of the loop establishing a lower heat absorbing zone within the well exposed to superheating conditions at ultra-deep depths. Circulation of the fluid within said heat transfer p...

A device for separating liquid droplets and solids out of a geothermally produced vapor stream traveling under pressure through a pipeline comprising a first means for inducing a force in the vapor stream to induce the droplets and solids to migrate to the pipelines inner wall and a second downstream means for collecting those droplets and solids.

A geothermal heat flux transducer includes a plurality of insulating slats on which constantin wire is wound and each half turn is coated with a silver layer to produce a hot junction and a cold junction per turn of wire. The slat with wire thus coated is assembled with insulating material between adjacent slats such that silver coatings on adjacent slats face each other and also uncoated wire half turns on adjacent slats face each other. This allows a multiplicity of thermal junctions thus form...

A subterranean formation is penetrated by a borehole. The formation is fractured and propped with a slurry capable of maintaining a thermit reaction. The slurry is ignited. Upon cooling, a solid metal conductor fin network from the bore into the formation is formed in the fracture system. Energy is transferred between a locus in the borehole and the formation by the network.

A geothermal community loop field which serves as a shared means of heat exchange for a plurality of thermal loads. Heat is exchanged between the ground and a circulating heat exchange fluid in at least one subterranean heat exchanger. Heat is exchanged between each thermal load and the circulating heat exchange fluid by contacting the external heat exchanger of each thermal load with the circulating heat exchange fluid. Flow of the circulating heat exchange fluid between the geothermal communit...

Apparatus and method for handling geothermal brine containing high non-condensible gas concentrations. The brine is directed into a pre-flash chamber where a vapor fraction is separated from a liquid fraction, the vapor fraction including steam and a non-condensible gas. The vapor fraction is directed into and through a reboiler in countercurrent flow relationship to a condensate. This action causes the steam of the vapor fraction to be stripped from the non-condensible gas and also causes the c...

A geothermal wellhead repair unit including a mechanically set packer to isolate the wellhead for removal and repair thereof. The packer is run into the well string using a running tool. The packer is set by placing tension on the mandrel to set the packing elements and the slip assembly. Once the packer is set, the running tool can be disengaged without gear of collapsing the packer and the wellhead removed for repair or replacement. Upon replacement of the wellhead, the running tool can be use...

A geothermal system for conditioning air in an enclosed space by transferring heat between the air and a heat exchange liquid which is circulated through a line buried in the earth. The line transfers heat between the earth and the heat exchange liquid circulating through the line. The line is constructed to facilitate the expansion and contraction of the line with changes in temperature and to facilitate the transfer of heat between heat exchange liquid in the line and the earth without causing...

A geothermal energy transfer and utilization system makes use of thermal energy stored in hot solute-bearing well water to generate super-heated steam from an injected flow of clean water; the super-heated steam is then used for operating a turbine-driven pump at the well bottom for pumping the hot solute-bearing water at high pressure and in liquid state to the earth's surface, where it is used by transfer of its heat to a closed-loop boiler-turbine-alternator combination for the generation of ...

This specification discloses a method and system for recovering geothermal energy from a subterranean geothermal formation having a preferred vertical fracture orientation. At least two deviated wells are provided which extend into the geothermal formation in a direction transversely of the preferred vertical fracture orientation and a plurality of vertical fractures are hydraulically formed to intersect the deviated wells. A fluid is injected via one well into the fractures to absorb heat from ...