US 11,927,085 B2
Hydraulic geofracture energy storage system with desalination
Howard K. Schmidt, Cypress, TX (US); and Aaron H. Mandell, Framingham, MA (US)
Assigned to Quidnet Energy Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Quidnet Energy Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/481,108.
Application 17/481,108 is a continuation of application No. 16/889,522, filed on Jun. 1, 2020, granted, now 11,125,065.
Application 16/889,522 is a continuation of application No. 16/188,786, filed on Nov. 13, 2018, granted, now 10,669,471, issued on Jun. 2, 2020.
Application 16/188,786 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/336,424, filed on Oct. 27, 2016, granted, now 10,125,035, issued on Nov. 13, 2018.
Application 15/336,424 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/318,742, filed on Jun. 30, 2014, granted, now 9,481,519, issued on Nov. 1, 2016.
Application 14/318,742 is a continuation in part of application No. 12/853,066, filed on Aug. 9, 2010, granted, now 8,763,387, issued on Jul. 1, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/232,625, filed on Aug. 10, 2009.
Prior Publication US 2022/0003095 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); F15B 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/26 (2013.01) [F15B 1/04 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling a quality of water used for storing and producing energy, comprising:
pumping the water down a well and into a hydraulic fracture in a rock formation around the well to store energy;
producing a portion of the water to provide a produced water up the well by reducing a pressure in the well before leak-off of the water from the hydraulic fracture;
measuring an amount of dissolved solid in the produced water to obtain a measured quality;
comparing the measured quality to a desired quality to obtain a compared quality;
diverting a first portion of the produced water to a treating process to produce treated water, wherein the first portion is determined based on the compared quality;
producing energy to provide a produced energy from a second portion of the produced water, wherein the second portion comprises the produced water less the first portion of produced water;
combining the treated water with the second portion of produced water to produce combined water comprising the desired quality; and
pumping the combined water down the well and into the hydraulic fracture in the rock formation around the well to store energy.