Highly saline geothermal brine, such as that produced from the lower geothermal reserve of the Salton Sea geothermal field, is diluted with non-geothermal water of much lower salinity in a mixing zone proximate the high temperature end of a geothermal power plant, and preferably down in the production well just above the production zone, so as to reduce the chloride salt content of the production brine to a level that is at or below the saturated level at reinjection temperatures, thereby preven...

Apparatus and a method for using terrestrial heat to increase the temperature of a liquid, such as water. A circulation pipe buried in the earth in a region of high subterranean heat allows the liquid to move in heat exchange relationship to the subterranean heat. The liquid is pumped from a tank adjacent to the surface of the earth and through the pipe back to the tank. The heated water in the tank can be removed from the tank and caused to flow through a heat exchanger also adjacent to the sur...

A geothermal well is operated by continuously pumping spent geothermal fluid into the well and continuously adding concentrated acid to the spent geothermal fluid, such that the concentration of acid in the fluid is in the range of 0.5% to 5%, and occasionally to 10%. Over a period of time, the spend geothermal fluid flowing through the geological formations of the geothermal field carries the dilute acid into the formations for dissolving rock and increasing the permeability thereof. If it is d...

An elongated body member, a portion of which forms a chamber for retaining samples of the liquid and steam contents of a geothermal well. A fluid tight seal is formed between an O-ring and a parallel sealing face of a slidable shaft member. The pressure sealing force is adjustably controlled by a spring assembly. The spring assembly is adjusted so that the sealing force must be overcome before a sample is taken. When the sealing force exerted upon the seal is overcome, the sample chamber is plac...

A power producing loop continuously carrying water picking up geothermal heats and being made into steam and condensate that is continuously returned to said water source, with appropriate means of producing power at proper points in the loop.

A seal for use in high temperature, aggressive environments, such as a geothermal well, including a ring-shaped element of a polymer, such as tetrafluoroethylene/perfluoro (alkyl vinyl ether) copolymer, which is substantially crystalline at room temperature, has a crystalline melt temperature above 500.degree. F., and melts at a temperature above 650.degree. F. The polymer has a molecular weight of at least about 400,000 and is characterized by molecular chain entanglements to the extent of an a...

A geothermal well head assembly that is removably mounted on the upper flanged end of a surface string of casing that is submitted in the upper portion of a bore hole that extends to the heated zone. A second string of casing is concentrically disposed in the first casing and extends to the heated zone, which second string of casing tends to expand and contract longitudinally to the first string. A rigid ring is disposed in the annulus space between the first and second strings of casing adjacen...

The presence of geothermal aquifers can be detected while drilling in geothermal formations by maintaining a chemical log of the ratio of the concentrations of calcium to carbonate and bicarbonate ions in the return drilling fluid. A continuous increase in the ratio of the concentrations of calcium to carbonate and bicarbonate ions is indicative of the existence of a warm or hot geothermal aquifer at some increased depth.

A livestock waterer is described which is automatically heated through use of geothermal energy within the earth. Working fluid is housed within a reservoir below the surface of the earth, is heated to evaporation by geothermal heat, is transferred to a condensation chamber adjacent a water container, whereupon condensation of said working fluid occurs transferring heat to the water within the water container. Condensed working fluid is returned to the reservoir. An insulating lid is shown which...

The geothermal system for conditioning air includes a heat pump (10) of the liquid-to-air type and an improved heat sink (40) in heat exchange relationship with the subterranean water system of the earth and connected to the heat pump through a liquid circulating system. The heat sink includes an elongate metallic liquid container (41) providing a large amount of surface contact with the earth and of a sufficient length and buried at a sufficient depth to provide a good heat transfer relationshi...