System and Method of Maximizing Performance of a Solid-State Closed Loop Well Heat Exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger transfers heat from solid state heat conducting material to a fluid in a closed loop system. A heat harnessing component includes a closed-loop solid state heat extraction system having a heat exchanging element positioned within a heat nest in a well designed to optimize the transfer of heat from heat conductive material to a closed loop fluid flow. A piping system conveys contents heated by the heat exchanging element to a surface of the well.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a heat harnessing component having a closed-loop solid state heat extraction system, the closed-loop solid state heat extraction system including a heat exchanging element configured with a dividing wall and positioned within a heat nest in a well designed to optimize the transfer of heat emanating from a geothermal source from a solid state heat conductive material to a closed loop fluid flow, the heat exchanging element configured so that the fluid exchanges heat with the solid state heat conductive material on either side of the dividing wall;   the solid state heat conductive material comprises a combination of a heat conductive material and grout configured to substantially fill a bore hole of the well after the heat exchanging element is installed in the well, and to bond and solidify within the well so as to create a heat exchanging mechanism and transfer a solid state heat flow to a fluid flowing in the closed loop fluid flow;   multiple bore holes being drilled into rock surrounding the heat nest configured to create more surface area through which geothermal energy may flow, the multiple bore holes being drilled in multiple directions, including drilled vertically, horizontally, diagonally or any angle, in relation to the bore hole of the well and being filled with at least heat conductive material; and   a piping component including a set of downward-flowing pipes and a set of upward-flowing pipes, the upward-flowing pipes configured to convey contents of the piping component heated by the heat exchanging element to a surface of the well.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the downward-flowing pipes couple to a first side of the heat exchanging element. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the upward-flowing pipes couple to a second side of the heat exchanging element. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanging element is a pipe that has a larger diameter than the downward and upward flowing pipes of the piping component. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanging element comprises a double helix shape where the diameter of the pipe in the double helix is equal to or greater than the downward and upward pipe components in which the piping system within the heat exchanging element comprises at least one twisted pipe to increase the distance and slow the of the fluid flowing through the piping system of the heat exchanging element. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanging element includes a plurality of capillaries. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the contents of the downward-flowing pipes are dispersed through the plurality of capillaries after entering the heat exchanging element. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein each capillary in the plurality of capillaries has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the downward-flowing pipes, thereby allowing the contents of the piping system to heat quickly as the contents pass through the plurality of capillaries. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the sum of the volume of the capillaries attached to each of the downward and upward pipe components is greater than the volume of the pipe components thereby allowing the fluid to spend more time in the heat exchanging element. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanging element is built in modules that attach to one another with connecting pipes to form a heat exchanger of variable length and the heat exchanging element module at the bottom of the string of modules connects the downward flowing pipe to the upward flowing pipe creating a closed loop. 
     
     
         21 . A system comprising:
 a heat nest having solid state heat conductive material configured to be positioned at the bottom of a well and to create a heat exchanging mechanism to transfer heat from a geothermal source to a fluid flowing in a closed loop system, the solid state heat conductive material comprises a combination of a heat conductive material and grout configured to substantially fill a bore hole of the well after a heat exchanging element is installed in the well, and to bond and solidify within the well so as to create a heat exchanging mechanism and transfer a solid state heat flow to a fluid flowing in a closed loop fluid flow;   multiple bore holes being drilled into rock surrounding the heat nest configured to create more surface area through which geothermal energy may flow, the multiple bore holes being drilled in multiple directions, including drilled vertically, horizontally, diagonally or any angle, in relation to the bore hole of the well and being filled with at least heat conductive material; and   the heat exchanging element being configured with a dividing wall and positioned within the heat nest, configured to:
 receive the fluid at the bottom of the well from a downwardly-flowing feeder pipe in the closed loop system, 
 increase the time the fluid spends flowing through the solid state heat conductive material so that the fluid exchanges heat with the solid state heat conductive material on either side of the dividing wall so as to increase the transfer of heat from the solid state heat conductive material to the fluid at the bottom of the well, and 
 provide heated fluid from the bottom of the well to an upwardly-flowing feeder pipe in the closed loop system. 
   
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 21 , wherein the heat exchanging element is configured as a pipe having a larger diameter than respective diameters of the downwardly-flowing feeder pipe and the upwardly flowing feeder pipe to slow the rate of flow of the fluid flowing through the heat exchanging element, where the slower flow characteristics allow the fluid a longer time to pick up the heat from the solid state heat conductive material. 
     
     
         23 . The system according to  claim 21 , wherein the heat exchanging element is comprised of a titanium clad tube sheet. 
     
     
         24 . The system according to  claim 23 , wherein the titanium clad tube sheet is formed from a high temperature nickel based alloy or ferric steel so as to enable the heat exchanging element to operate under high temperature/pressure conditions. 
     
     
         25 . The system according to  claim 21 , wherein the heat exchanging element is configured to receive the fluid on one side of the dividing wall and to provide heated fluid from another side of the dividing wall. 
     
     
         26 . The system according to  claim 25 , wherein
 the heat exchanging element is configured to receive the fluid on the one side of the dividing wall from the downwardly flowing feeder pipe that forms part of a set of pipes; and   the heat exchanging element is configured to provide the heated fluid from the another side of the dividing wall to the upwardly flowing feeder pipe that forms part of the set of pipes.   
     
     
         27 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanging element is configured to receive the fluid on one side of the dividing wall and to provide heated fluid from another side of the dividing wall. 
     
     
         28 . The system according to  claim 27 , wherein
 the heat exchanging element is configured to receive the fluid on the one side of the dividing wall from a downwardly flowing pipe that forms part of the set of downwardly flowing pipes; and   the heat exchanging element is configured to provide the heated fluid from the another side of the dividing wall to an upwardly flowing pipe that forms part of the set of upwardly flowing pipes.