Patent ID: 9181930
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: F03G,F24T,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method for increasing the enthalpy of a natural geothermal brine, the method comprising: injecting a sub-critical heated injection fluid into a naturally occurring geothermal reservoir containing a natural geothermal brine via one or more injection wells, wherein the naturally occurring geothermal reservoir has a temperature gradient higher than a normal thermal gradient of the Earth and stores natural geothermal heat within the natural geothermal brine, wherein the enthalpy of a first portion of the natural geothermal brine is increased by the heated injection fluid to create a hot zone in the geothermal reservoir with the increased enthalpy geothermal brine contained within boundaries of the hot zone; storing the heat provided by the heated injection fluid primarily within the increased enthalpy geothermal brine in the hot zone, wherein the increased enthalpy geothermal brine stores both the heat provided by the heated injection fluid and a first portion of the natural geothermal heat; maintaining a temperature differential between the hot zone created in the geothermal reservoir and a colder geothermal heat recovery zone of the geothermal reservoir fluidly connected with the hot zone, wherein the geothermal heat recovery zone contains a second portion of the natural geothermal brine not heated by the heated injection fluid and stores a second portion of the natural geothermal heat within the second portion of the natural geothermal brine; and containing heat provided by the heated injection fluid within the hot zone using at least one of the following methods: