US 12,241,660 B2
Operational protocol for harvesting a thermally productive formation
Matthew Toews, Calgary (CA); Bailey Schwarz, Calgary (CA); Derek Riddell, Calgary (CA); Paul Cairns, Calgary (CA); John Redfern, Los Angeles, CA (US); Andrew Curtis-Smith, Calgary (CA); Jonathan Hale, Calgary (CA); and Peter Andrews, Calgary (CA)
Assigned to Eavor Technologies Inc., Calgary (CA)
Filed by EAVOR TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Calgary (CA)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/913,097.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/012,952, filed on Apr. 21, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/965,833, filed on Jan. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/867,313, filed on Jun. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0003320 A1, Jan. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. F24T 10/20 (2018.01); E21B 7/04 (2006.01); E21B 33/13 (2006.01); E21B 43/30 (2006.01); F03G 4/00 (2006.01); F03G 4/02 (2006.01); F24T 50/00 (2018.01); E21B 47/0228 (2012.01)
CPC F24T 10/20 (2018.05) [E21B 7/04 (2013.01); E21B 33/13 (2013.01); E21B 43/30 (2013.01); E21B 43/305 (2013.01); F03G 4/02 (2021.08); F03G 4/029 (2021.08); F24T 50/00 (2018.05); E21B 47/0228 (2020.05); Y02E 10/10 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for energy recovery from a geologic formation having predetermined available potential thermal capacity, comprising:
drilling into said formation to form a primary open hole wellbore therein;
flowing a sealant into the primary wellbore, thereby sealing the primary wellbore against fluid flow between said primary wellbore and said formation;
drilling wellbores alongside the primary wellbore by electromagnetic guidance at least from said primary wellbore;
selectively utilizing at least one of cumulative signals and individual signals from the drilled wellbores to guide drilling in forming the wellbores in a predetermined pattern within said formation;
coupling the wellbores in a closed loop arrangement within thermal areas of said formation through an inlet wellbore and outlet wellbore to a heat exchanger to recover energy from the closed loop arrangement in a closed loop between the wellbores and said heat exchanger, said closed loop arrangement having a predetermined energy output within said available potential thermal capacity of said formation;
circulating a fluid having a predetermined composition with a predetermined residency time within said closed loop arrangement to form an energy charged fluid,
generating on demand energy to an end user from said energy charged fluid; and
selectively modifying, during the drilling wellbores along the primary wellbore, electromagnetic communication between selected ones of the wellbores drilled alongside the primary wellbore, wherein said electromagnetic communication between the selected ones of the wellbores includes:
a) providing a U shaped well with spaced apart vertical wellbores interconnected with a first horizontal wellbore;
b) establishing a signal path within said U shaped well;
c) drilling a second horizontal wellbore from at least one of said vertical wellbores;
d) sensing a signal from said U shaped well;
e) directing said drilling of said second horizontal wellbore along a predetermined path relative to said first horizontal wellbore based on a sensed signal from step d);
f) forming a signaling pair with the first and second horizontal wellbores;
g) drilling a third horizontal wellbore from at least one of said vertical wellbores;
h) sensing a signal from at least one of said signaling pair, said U shaped well and said second horizontal wellbore; and
i) directing said drilling of said third horizontal wellbore along a predetermined path relative to said first horizontal wellbore and said second horizontal wellbore based on a sensed signal from step h).