CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application

61/845,660 filed on July 12, 2013, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses to commercialize renewable energy sources using cryogenic pumps to pressurize cryogenic working fluids into fluid containment spaces. In particular, methods and apparatuses are taught to store and enhance energy recovered from renewable resources in large volume, high pressure containment spaces, from which said stored energy is then commercialized by delivering electricity to power grids when renewable energy sources are not steady, available, or sufficient for the electrical power grid demand. In addition, excess heat energy can be recovered and stored from manmade devices like internet servers, computers, data storage hotels, as well as electrical motors, electrical generators, factories, homes, and even the electrical grid itself. At the same time, cooling can be provided to said manmade devices. Also, methods and apparatuses disclosed herein teach not only storage and conversion of stored energy from renewable energy sources, but also simultaneously and serendipitously making fresh water from salt water in the process.

BACKGROUND

[0003] In recent years, mankind's demand for energy has increased. It is further known that as mankind continues to edify the standard of living of the earth's population, ever advancing technology means are invented. New inventions that edify mankind' s standard of living tend to require ever increasing amounts of energy. This also results in ever increasing losses of energy. For example the invention of the heat engine, motor vehicles, airplanes, electrical appliances, electric lights, electric power generators, refrigeration, silicon based memory storage, cell phone communication systems, electronic information storage, microprocessors operations, optical fiber data transmission and conversion from digital to optical spectrum, world wide web connectivity, internet communication, social media, internet based data storage, and information searches have all vastly contributed to the amount of energy mankind requires to sustain and improve the quality of life. The increase in demand for energy has largely been met with ever increasing use of energy from nuclear power, coal, oil and natural gas. These resources are often not found equally distributed on earth, resulting in vastly increasing depletion and exploitation of natural resources and the ever increasing deleterious results of hydrocarbon burning, geopolitical military interventions to protect world supply of said resources, nuclear waste disposal, nuclear enriched weaponized products, and the resulting social destabilization to the terrestrial environment. For example the deleterious effects of nuclear power have been observed wherein nuclear power plants have failed like Chernobyl, or nuclear plant damage from natural disasters like the tsunamis in Japan. What is needed to further improve mankind's standard of living whilst not detrimentally affecting Earth's environment is a means to enhance the recovery and storage of more widely distributed safe renewable energy resources. Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus to store and supply copious quantities of constant— or as referred to in the electrical power industry "firm"— renewable energy to electric power grids. Taught herein are methods and apparatuses that allow for the harnessing and storage of vast amounts of renewable energy at many heretofore hydrocarbon poor areas of the planet using inert storage materials.

[0004] Generally, when extracting energy from renewable resources the practitioner is faced with the challenge that most renewable energy sources do not provide continuous power at a continuous energy level. What is needed is a constant firm supply of energy to electrical grids, such that "always on" technology electrically connected to said grids can be supplied. Such "always on technology" includes electrical power grids, optically powered data transmission, electronic data storage hotels, and world wide web systems. This energy availability challenge for renewable energy can easily be seen by considering solar panels where the energy source is the sun. The sun only provides energy when there is daylight. Moreover, solar power is not constant during the day due to the angle of the sun to the panels and due to atmospheric conditions like clouds and rain. This availability challenge can further be understood by considering the need of large metropolitan areas where electric cars are considered as a means to reduce pollution due to daily commuters. The daily commuters leave their homes in the morning and return at night, and would therefore prefer to recharge their electric cars at night. However, at night the sun does not shine, and the solar energy extracted in the day must be stored for the nightly charging of said electrical vehicles. Therefore, a need exists for storing renewable energy from solar or other sources such that the extracted energy can be used in the evenings when the new demand from electric cars will be the highest. Additionally, the storage should be done in such a manner that the new storage method does not introduce into the environment additional waste and unwanted environmental effects such as toxic waste in batteries for said energy storage of the renewable resource. It is well known to those familiar with electrical battery storage means that the batteries eventually must be replaced and having solar powered batteries as storage devices at every electric cars commuter home will result in significant disposal problems. What is needed is an inert, environmentally benign method to store, and subsequently use, energy collected from renewable resources. Disclosed herein is method for using the Earth's atmosphere as a temporary energy storage fluid, thereby solving the need of storage of power without chemical or heavy metal components in said storage device.

[0005] The same power availability challenge to the advancement of renewable energy sources can be further illustrated by considering wind energy sources on Earth. All electrical wind farms have times when the wind does not blow, and hence the electrical grid requires a backup power source that can be used to generate electricity when the wind is not blowing. Because the wind is not a reliable source of constant energy, it cannot supply significantly larger than about 20% of the energy needs of mankind on a constant and continual basis without some means of storage of extracted energy from wind. What is needed is an environmentally benign energy storage method and apparatus to store wind energy when it is available for use, and to subsequently provide the stored energy into the grid during periods of low wind energy supply or high electrical demand.

[0006] Electrical power engineers faced with the unreliable nature of wind energy are required to have backup electrical power generation systems always on. This backup reserve electrical power generation is referred to by the electrical power engineering community as "spinning reserve". This spinning reserve is normally a hydrocarbon fueled generator that is always on, even when the wind is blowing, such that the instant the wind slows down or stops, the spinning reserve hydrocarbon fueled generator can instantly start supplying electrical power to the electrical grid. There exists the misconception related to renewable energy from wind power that it is supplying 100% green electrical power if the wind is blowing. In fact all wind turbines require another generator to always be up and running as "spinning reserve" generation, so the spinning reserve generator is always on and burning hydrocarbon fuel, for example, even when the wind is blowing and wind turbines are generating electricity. Moreover, the spinning reserve generator is not running loaded when the wind is blowing, that is it is just spinning with the prime mover not loaded efficiently as the generator itself is not in gear, and the spinning reserve system is clocking hours that will mean it must have maintenance performed on it at a cost to the consumer even through it is not supplying the electrical power to the grid. In short, the spinning reserve hydrocarbon generator increases the cost to the end user of the electricity due to both the cost in consumption of hydrocarbon fuel and due to maintenance costs on the spinning reserve generator. What is needed to make electricity for renewable energy sources hydrocarbon free is an alternative to hydrocarbon spinning reserve generators. Disclosed herein is a method to make spinning reserve electrical power from non-hydrocarbon resources. The disclosure teaches how to store energy from renewable resources to supply both spinning reserve electrical generation capacity, ramp up and ramp down control of wind generator systems and other alternative energy systems, as well as peak power shaving when the demand for electricity from the grid is higher than the renewable resource can supply instantaneously.

[0007] In general, electrical power generated from wind energy can illustratively demonstrate another shortcoming of most renewable energy resources as means to supply "firm", continual electrical power to the electrical grids. Wind speed and thusly wind energy available for extraction from wind turbines is not constant. When the wind at a wind farm is non-existent, that is the wind has not been blowing, and then suddenly the wind starts to blow, the electrical grid needs the wind farm to control its ramp up speed of power delivery so as to not surge the electrical grid as the grid tries to accommodate the electrical power from the wind farm. This can best be accomplished by having a source of stored energy from wind come on line and start producing steady electrical power as the wind farm is ramping up power to the electrical grid. Disclosed herein are methods to deliver firm electrical power to electrical grids without continual ramp up and ramp down loads using environmentally benign energy storage methods.

[0008] Geothermal renewable resources demonstrate another challenge to mankind's quest to reduce hydrocarbon use. Current Geothermal energy extraction methods suffer commercially from the difficulty of collecting sufficient energy from the earth. This is due to the amount of geothermal energy commercially near the Earth's surface being limited in concentration, or better said the geothermal energy that is shallow enough to be commercially obtainable by drilling technology is not sufficiently concentrated. There are a few geothermal areas on the earth where geothermal energy is concentrated sufficiently to be commercially viable to drill wells into steam reservoirs, extract the steam to surface, and expand steam through turbines to create electrical power. However, the number of places on earth where these geothermal reservoirs are available at commercial drilling depths are limited. Moreover, the extraction of the steam from the steam reservoirs depletes over time and the recharge rate of these steam reservoir is often too slow for long term electrical power systems to be installed. Lower grade temperature geothermal energy is more available than said steam reservoirs, but to date the collection of this low grade geothermal energy has been limited to water heating for homes. What is needed is a way to extract geothermal heat from low temperature subterranean depths to allow for the conversion of said geothermal heat into electrical power. The present disclosure teaches methods to pressurize cryogenic working fluids into subterranean environments and recover energy from the geothermal heat transferred to said working fluid from the earth, such that said energy can be transduced through work extraction devices and used to generate electrical power that is subsequently supplied to electrical grids.

[0009] The present disclosure teaches storage and subsequent extraction of energy from renewable resources in both subterranean environments as well as from submarinean sources— that is seas, oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water. It is well known that the seas, oceans, and large bodies of waters like lakes, maintain water temperatures above 0 Degrees Fahrenheit. Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses to store energy from renewable energy resources and extract heat energy from seas, lakes, and other bodies of water using pressurized cryogenic working fluids, cryogenic pumps, fluid containment spaces like long pipelines and conduits, work extraction devices, power generation devices, and cryogenic fluid manufacturing plants.

[0010] In addition to a potential energy shortage, mankind also faces dwindling supplies of fresh water. Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses to produce fresh water from salt waters using the same cryogenic pumps, conduits, and cryogenic fluid manufacturing plants used to store renewable energy.

[0011] Further, the present disclosure teaches methods and apparatuses that allow for the more efficient management of electronic data storage, information searches, using heat recovery methods that serendipitously and simultaneously enhance the storage and conversion of renewable energy by using cryogenic working fluid for cooling of electrical power lines, electrical power generators, electronics related to internet data server hotels, electronic data servers, internet provider sites, and all other electronic data and information sites.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0012] The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for enhancing the collection, storage and recovery of energy extracted from renewable resources and waste heat from manmade devices and networks, to allow for more stable and consistent delivery of electrical power to be commercialized to electrical power grids when the renewable energy sources are not available, not stable, or not sufficient to meet the electrical power grid requirements. Disclosed herein are methods using cryogenic pumps to pressurize cryogenic working fluids into high pressure storage vessels, transporting said working fluids to heat exchange spaces where heat energy is added, and then extracting said stored and collected energy through work extraction devices thereafter using said work to power electrical generators and then to commercialize the electrical power to electrical grids. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the heat exchange spaces comprise subterranean reservoirs. In other aspects, subterranean reservoirs form fluid storage and containment spaces for the working fluids. In other aspects of the present disclosure, heat exchange spaces comprise bodies of water. In other aspects of the present disclosure, the heat exchange spaces comprise the Earth's atmosphere. In other aspects of the present disclosure, the heat exchange spaces comprise lava flows. In other aspects, of the present disclosure, the heat exchange spaces comprise spaces being heated by electrical, optical, and electronic devices. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the heat exchange space comprises a combination of different heat exchange spaces. In one aspect, the high fluid storage spaces for said working fluid comprises high pressure conduits. In another embodiment, said high fluid storage spaces comprise subterranean earth strata. In one embodiment, there is disclosed storing and collecting energy using cryogenic working fluids comprising the steps of powering a cryogenic manufacturing source with energy recovered from a renewable resource, delivering cryogenic working fluid from the source to at least one cryogenic pump, transferring pressurized fluid from said pump to a conduit, transferring said pressurized working fluid to a least one subterranean wellbore, injecting the cryogenic working fluid with at least one cryogenic pump through at least one wellbore into at least one subterranean reservoir, warming the cryogenic working fluid, and transferring at least said working fluid, through a work extraction device, wherein said work is used to generate electrical power that is subsequently sold to an electrical power grid. In one embodiment said renewable energy recovered from renewable resources is wind energy recovered from wind turbines. In another embodiment the energy recovered from said renewable resource is geothermal energy.

[0013] In other aspects of the present disclosure, the cryogenic working fluid source is a cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant that converts air to cryogenic fluids wherein said cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant is at least potentially powered by renewable energy sources like wind. In some embodiments, the cryogenic working fluid source is a liquid air plant at least partially powered by energy recovered from wind. In certain embodiments, the working fluid is nitrogen. In specific embodiments, the cryogenic fluid manufacturing process comprises the separation of the various cryogenic liquids found in the air. In alternate embodiments, the cryogenic working fluid is argon. In other embodiments, oxygen is separated and commercialized from the cryogenic working fluids produced from said cryogenic plant powered by renewable energy.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant source is offshore. In other embodiments, the entire apparatus is located offshore. [0015] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the step of injecting the cryogenic flood fluid is performed by at least one cryogenic pump. The cryogenic pumps can be positive displacement pumps fed by low pressure cryogenic centrifugal pumps or a series high rate cryogenic turbo-pumps like the low pressure oxidizer pump and high pressure oxidizer pump used on the Space Shuttle.

[0016] In some cases, the wellbore is located offshore and the subterranean reservoir is an offshore oil reservoir. In other embodiments, the subterranean reservoir is an offshore gas reservoir. In some embodiments, the subterranean reservoir is an aquifer. In other embodiments, the subterranean reservoir is a coal bed methane deposit, a shale oil deposit, and/or a shale gas deposit. In some embodiments, the subterranean reservoir is a geothermal reservoir.

[0017] Additionally, the methods of the present disclosure may include the method and apparatus of injecting the working fluid into high pressure conduits disposed at least partially in bodies of water, rivers like oceans, seas, or lakes where the working fluid is compressed into said conduits, and where the working fluid is pressurized and heated by said heat exchange spaces comprising water. In certain aspects, the high pressure conduits commence on land, progress out into the body of water and are disposed in a body of water, then the conduits loop back to on land where the working fluid is transferred through the conduit and back to work extraction machines. In other aspects, the conduits first pass through heat exchange spaces on land prior to being disposed in a body of water and looped back to land. In yet another embodiment, the high pressure conduits are disposed in subterranean wells and/or subterranean trenches. In other aspects, the heat exchange spaces are lava flows and the conduits of this invention are at least passed on or near lava flows.

[0018] In some embodiments, the reservoir fluid produced from the subterranean reservoir comprises a liquid. In some cases, this liquid comprises a liquid hydrocarbon. The liquid produced from the reservoir may comprise water and/or gas. In some cases, the gas comprises a hydrocarbon gas. In other cases the gas comprises steam.

[0019] In some embodiments, the step of warming the injected cryogenic fluid is performed by an electrical device or devices. In other embodiments, the warming step of the working fluid is performed by the geothermal energy of a subterranean reservoir penetrated by a well and reservoir where it is injected.

[0020] In additional embodiments, there is disclosed the step of injecting the working fluids through at least one wellbore into at least one subterranean reservoir. In one aspect, a wellbore has at least one horizontal section.

[0021] In one embodiment, various parts of the system disclosed herein are located on a volcanic island to take advantage of the heat of lava flows and geothermal properties. In addition, the electric grid may also be located on the volcanic island. In one embodiment, the heat exchange space is located offshore of a land mass. In one embodiment various parts of the system disclosed herein are located offshore of a land mass.

[0022] In yet another embodiment, there is provided the method of injecting at least the cold working fluid through heat exchange spaces that comprise salt water, wherein the cold working fluid cools the salt water heat exchange space causing fresh water ice to form, and thereafter recovering the fresh water from the heat exchange space to be commercialized.

[0023] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art of cryogenic fluid pumping, liquid air manufacturing, electrical power distribution, freshwater manufacturing, and renewable energy extraction that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the methods and apparatus described herein. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present methods and apparatuses as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present disclosure, both as to the organization and method of operation of the disclosed methods and apparatuses, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 represents one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 2 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows heat exchange spaces of the present disclosure, wherein the heat exchange spaces can be utilized independently or in combination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] As used herein, "fluid containment space" refers to a space with low permeability boundaries sufficient to confine pressurized fluids. Examples of containment spaces with low permeability boundaries are tubes, tanks, underground rock structures with low permeability sealing boundaries above, or below said underground structure like a structural reservoir fluid trap, low permeability rock structures containing fractures that can contain fluid within the boundaries of the fractures, as well as many other spaces known to those who store fluids. One illustrative example of a fluid containment space is a long pipeline. In a still further example of a fluid containment space is a cryogenic fluid storage tank, which of course can be made of many different alloys or plastics. A still further example of a fluid containment space is a fluid network containing any combination of conduits, tanks, subterranean reservoirs, compressors, turbines, engines, distillation towers, expanders, throttle valves, and other fluid handling devices known to man.

[0029] As used herein, "fluid" refers to substance that continually deforms and/or flows under an applied shear stress. This term includes gases and liquids. [0030] As used herein, heat exchange space refers to any space having boundaries to confine heat. Examples of heat exchange spaces are rooms or buildings that contain heat with their respective boundaries being their walls, windows, roof, floor, or basement. Other examples of heat exchange spaces are bodies of water that contain heat with their respective boundaries being their shores, beaches, Earth's atmosphere at their surface and their bottom boundary being the Earth's terrestrial non-liquid surface. Another example of a heat exchange space is the terrestrial earth with the upper boundary being either the Earth's atmosphere, liquid bodies of Earth like seas, oceans, lakes, etc., or additional terrestrial earth, where heat is contained below the surface of the Earth. Another example of a heat exchange space is the air of Earth, where heat is maintained in the air between the boundaries of Earth's upper atmospheres and the surface of the Earth's terrain or liquid bodies surfaces.

[0031] As used herein, "cryogenic" refers to a liquid that boils, i.e., changes from a liquid to a gas phase, at temperatures less than about 110 Kelvin (K) at atmospheric pressure, such as argon, propane, hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, oxygen, air, or methane (natural gas).

[0032] As used herein, "work extraction device" includes but is not limited to engines, turbines, thermoelectric piles, and other such thermoelectric devices.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a thermodynamic energy storage and energy collection system that comprises a cryogenic pump system 1, which pressurizes a working fluid 2. Said working fluid at this point in the process is a cryogenic fluid, and said pump 1 discharges said pressurized cryogenic working fluid 2 into a fluid containment space 4. In this embodiment, the containment space at this point in the process is a tubular conduit 4. The cryogenic pump system 1 is shown to be powered by electricity produced from a wind turbine 6 that extracts energy from the movement of earth's atmosphere 7 past the wind turbine blades thusly turning the wind generator 7 and transducing said produced electricity through electrical conductors 8 to power cryogenic pump system 1. It is well known to those familiar with the art of pumping cryogenic fluids, that cryogenic pump system 1 can pressurize cryogenic working fluid 2 to pressures measuring 1,000s of pounds per square inch, psi, in conduit 4. For example, several generations of various sized cryogenic triplex pumps from CS&P of Houston Texas have been constructed that pressurize cryogenic fluids to pressures above 10,000 psi. It is also well known to those familiar with art of cryogenic fluid handling and manufacturing that conduit 4 can be constructed from alloys that can handle cryogenic fluid 2 at pressures in the 1000's of pound per square inch. Such conduits are constructed by means of continuous tubing mills using LASER autigenious welding methods as well as TIG welding methods. Many of the alloys are stainless steel, lean duplex, and high chrome like alloys manufactured. Examples are continuous coiled tubing conduits on reels by conduits manufactures such as Tennaris in Houston Texas, Rath Gibson in New Jersey, Webco Tubing in Tulsa Oklahoma, as well as other tubing manufactures. At least a portion of conduit 4 of FIG. 1 is preferably continuous tubing fluid containment space, wherein at least a portion of conduit 4 comprises continuous tubing deployed from tubing reels.

[0034] In one embodiment, a portion of conduit 4 connected to cryogenic pump 1 is permanently deployed from the cryogenics pump 1 discharge through a heat containment space 3, where heat is transferred from heat exchange space 3 into working fluid 2. In one embodiment the cryogenics pump 1 is located near a wind turbine 6 powering the cryogenic pump 1 in one embodiment, a portion of the continuous conduit 4 is deployed into a heat exchange space 3 that comprises the ocean and conduit 4 passes for several miles through said heat exchange space 3 represented in this embodiment as the ocean with the continuous conduit 4 exiting the ocean and being transduced to a work extraction device 5.

[0035] The work extraction device of one embodiment disclosed herein is a fluid turbine 5 where the working fluid 2 is expanded through said turbine 5 and the output work is transferred to an electrical generator 9 where electrical power is generated and transferred to an electrical power grid 10 for distribution and sale of electricity. The process continues to transfer the working fluid 2 being expanded and exhausted from turbine 5 to a cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant 11. In one embodiment, electrical energy is conducted as electrical current from a wind turbine 6 having a generator 7 to power the cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant 11. It is clear to those experienced in the art of work extraction devices that a preferred working fluid consists of fluids that contain limited amounts of oxygen for reasons of safety from explosions and corrosion of equipment of this invention. Therefore, the cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant is used to purify the working fluid 2 by means of density separation of cryogenic fluids in a cryogenic separation tower 13. Cryogenic separation towers, such as a fluid distillation column, are well known to those in the separation and manufacturing of cryogenic products from the Earth's atmosphere 7. Moreover, it is well known to those familiar with the art of cryogenic systems that some amount of working fluid is lost due to system leaks and inefficiencies therefore requiring occasional supplement of working fluid to the system. The apparatus in FIG. 1 solves these problems by allowing for the ability to increase the working fluid capacity by taking in Earth atmosphere 7 into the wind powered cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant 11 at intake location 14 and processing this atmosphere 7 through a system of carbon dioxide scrubbers, compressors, refrigeration systems, and then cryogenic fluid separators 13.

[0036] In FIG. 1 nitrogen fluid is taken from separator 13 through fluid conduit 15 and transferred into the energy storage and energy recovery process system as a part of working fluid 2. After the cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant 11, the working fluid 2 is transferred to a fluid containment space shown as tank 16 where said cryogenic working fluid 2 is stored and transferred to the cryogenic fluid pump 1. It will be recognized by those familiar with the art of thermodynamic processes that the process disclosed teaches herein storing vast amounts of renewable energy in the working fluid 2 by using energy from the wind turbine 6 to compress and cool working fluid 2 and then again using energy from wind turbine 6 to further store more energy in the working fluid 2 by pressurizing working fluid 2 with cryogenic pump 1 wherein cryogenic pump 1 is also is powered by electrical energy from wind turbine 6.

[0037] It is recognized with those familiar with the challenges of storing renewable energy like wind energy, that the storage capacity requirements change as a function of the electrical grid requirements and by the availability of wind energy being supplied by the wind mill 6. According to the present disclosure, there is provided method means and apparatuses to store large volumes of energy in highly pressurized working fluid 2 in long high pressure conduits 4 that are disposed in large heat exchange spaces 3 like oceans and seas. In one embodiment, high pressurized working fluid 2 is stored in miles of continuous tubing conduits 4 disposed in the sea, where the cryogenic fluid is heated prior to returning to the work extraction device 5 shown in FIG. 2. [0038] In FIG. 2 a further description of the an embodiment of my invention shows a cryogenic pump 21 powered by electrical power generated from a windmill 26 having electrical power lines 28 from windmill 26 pumping and pressurizing a cryogenic working fluid 22 into a fluid containment conduit 24 where the conduit 24 extends from the cryogenic pump 21 through a heat containment space 38 containing a large number of computer servers, internet provider routers, and other electrical and electronic devices that generate heat inside said space 38 such that the working fluid extracts heat from the space prior to continuing to another heat containment space represented by body of water 23 wherein said body of water 23 serves as a heat containment space that transfers heat to said working fluid 22. The working fluid 22 then returns through the conduit 24 to a turbine 25 back on shore where said turbine extracts work from the working fluid 22 and said extracted work is used to power an electrical generator 29 and said generator 29 transduces electricity through electrical cables 30 to the electrical power grid 31 for sales and distribution on the electrical grid. After the working fluid 22 is expanded across the turbine 25 the exhausted working fluid 22 is transferred to a cryogenic fluid manufacturing plant 21 which is powered by electricity generated by windmill 26 and said generated electricity from windmill 26 is transduced to the plant 21. The exhausted working fluid 22 and any additional fluid from the atmosphere is compressed cooled and liquefied in plant 21 and then the cryogenic fluids generated are separated in a separation tower 33. The working fluid 22 is extracted from the separation tower and transferred to a fluid containment tank 34 and then said working fluid 22 is transferred through a centrifugal pump 35 to cryogenic pump 21. In one embodiment, cryogenic fluid separation tank 33 can store excess cryogenic fluids in excess storage tank 36 where tanker truck 37 can load fluids like oxygen, argon, neon, krypton to be trucked away and sold.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown by example. When there is excess electricity being generated by alternative energy source 26, the excess electricity is used to generate and separate cryogenic working fluids in separation tower 33 for storage in tank 34. When enough cryogenic working fluids exist, excess electricity is used to pump cryogenic working fluid 22 from tank 34 through a centrifugal booster pump 35 into conduit 24 and into cryogenic pump 21. In this way, the excess alternative energy pressurizes and compresses working fluid 22 from the pump 21 out through conduit 24 to the cooling system of an electronic server hotel 38 then out to the ocean heating containment space 23 and back to control valve 39.

[0040] Electronic server hotel 38 adds heat to working fluid 22, thereby adding energy to the system, while the cold working fluid 22 assists in cooling server hotel 38. In addition, hotel 38 could represent other systems that require cooling, such as production plants, food refrigerators, human or livestock air conditioning systems, etc. Other manmade heat exchange spaces are contemplated, such as an office building, a factory, or any building or plant that produces heat. In addition, working fluid 22 can be heated by the electrical transmission lines themselves, that come in and go out of system 200.

[0041] The systems and methods described herein can be used to store energy for various alternative energy sources, not the least of which include solar power plants, wind farms, wave energy systems, geothermal, and hydroelectric (hydrodynamic) systems. Combinations of these sources can also be used, with the systems and methods disclosed herein being used to store power and provide power during the transitions between the various alternative energy sources. Even though some of the alternative energy sources presented above may operate constantly, such as geothermal or hydroelectric, there is provided herein a system and method for storing excess power at periods of low power usage and then feeding the power back into the electrical grid during peak usage times.

[0042] When the electricity provided by an alternative energy source tapers off— for example if the wind stops blowing or the sun sets— such that electrical grid 31 is no longer satisfied, control valve 39 is opened and the stored and pressurized working fluid 22 is expanded through the turbine 25 turning the generator 29 to produce electrical power the grid 31 through the electrical power cables 30. Depending on the amount of electricity provided by alternative energy source 26, it is contemplated that multiple loops of fluid containment conduits can be employed. This design is scalable, and therefore the systems and methods disclosed herein can employ multiples of the various components discussed. [0043] FIG. 2 shows a large body of water as heat containment space 23. Additional heat containment spaces can be used. For example, working fluid 22 can be pumped through rivers, across lava flows, into geothermal wells and reservoirs, routed through homes, offices, and other electrical devices to recover heat into working fluid 22. In one embodiment, system 100 is located on a volcanic island.

[0044] The system and method depicted in FIG. 2 can also be used during alternative energy ramp events, when one alternative energy bank is being brought offline or online. For example, if a gas turbine power station is providing power to the grid while a wind farm is offline for maintenance, the turbine cannot simply be switched off prior to bringing the wind farm online. And if the wind farm is brought online while the gas turbine power station is providing electricity, the combination of the two may over power the grid. The systems and methods in this disclosure provide a customizable load for excess energy fed into the grid by multiple energy sources during ramp up source switching. Along the same vein, the systems and methods disclosed herein provide power input into a grid to handle ramping down of a given energy source as it disconnects from the grid.

[0045] In the example of a wind farm coming online, excess electricity from the wind farm is diverted to separation tower 33 to produce additional cryogenic working fluid 22. If enough working fluid exists in tank 34, then excess energy powers cryogenic pump 21 to pump working fluid 22 into conduit 24 located in heat containment space 23. Likewise, when the gas turbine power station is going offline as the wind farm is coming online, control valve 39 is opened thereby expanding working fluid 22 through the turbine 25 generating controlled electrical power to offset ramp up power fluctuation of wind farm electrical power systems.

[0046] In addition to storing energy, the systems and methods disclosed herein can be used to provide a source of fresh water. Salt water, such as from the ocean or sea or from underground brine can be pumped into separation tower 33. Salt is separated from the water by the density change occurring during cooling of the water, as is customarily known in the art. Although freeze desalination systems like the vacuum freezing vapor compression process were not economically viable as compared to the universally accepted reverse osmosis plants, the energy storage methods and systems disclosed herein fundamentally change the economics. With cryogenics already under employ, costs for freeze desalination are greatly reduced.

[0047] System 200 may have several banks of fluid containment conduit 24. For example, the submerged fluid containment conduit 24 shown in FIG. 2, can be filled in stages, whereby working fluid 22 enters various banks depending on the amount of electricity supplied to system 200 by alternative energy storage sources 26. As more excess energy is provided to system 200, additional banks are opened and filled with working fluid 22. Along the same lines, system 200 can employ different types of heat containment spaces. FIG. 2 shows a body of water as heat containment space 23. In addition, fluid containment conduit can be subterranean heat containment space 40 or other heat containment spaces such as lava flows, factories, or office buildings. For example, as contemplated in FIG. 3, cryogenic working fluid 22 leaves cryogenic pump 21, passes through server hotel 38 and into skyscraper office building 41, where cryogenic working fluid 22 assists in cooling skyscraper office building 41. Heat is added to working fluid 22 from skyscraper office building 41. The heated working fluid 22 is then cycled back through system 200 to turbine 25, where working fluid 22 is expanded across the turbine to drive electricity generator 29, which then provides electricity back into the grid. FIG. 3 shows alternate heat containment spaces such as factory 42, lava flows 43, subsea 23, and subterranean 40.

[0048] The heat containment space can be a subterranean reservoir connected to the surface through a wellbore. In one embodiment, the reservoir includes a horizontal section of a wellbore. In yet another embodiment, discharged fluid of the cryogenic pump energizes reservoir fluid of the subterranean reservoir, thereby enhancing fluid extraction through the wellbore. In one embodiment, the heat containment space can be a wellbore itself.

[0049] Though heat containment spaces in FIG. 3 are presented in series, it is understood that in most cases, working fluid 22 would only be cycled through one of the heat containment spaces. It is also understood that, even though only one fluid containment conduit 24 is shown, each heat containment space could contain multiple loops or banks of fluid containment space 24. This way, as additional excess electricity enters system 200, additional loops or banks of fluid containment space 24 can be filled with cryogenic working fluid 22. [0050] The systems and methods disclosed herein provide numerous improvements over the current state of the art. For example, it is well known to those in the electrical power industry that a higher percentage of wind power could be used by electrical grids if a means for storing the wind energy could be accomplished without expensive and toxic battery systems. Likewise, pumped fluid energy storage systems, such as systems that pump water upstream for hydroelectric power generation later, require massive amounts of real-estate that could otherwise be used for other purposes. The system disclosed herein, however, stores energy in benign places like below the sea 23 or in subterranean strata. Moreover, working fluids that can be used with the system disclosed herein are inert, such as nitrogen, oxygen, or air, and any spills or leaks simply return the benign substance to the Earth's atmosphere. Furthermore, the system as demonstrated herein can serendipitously be used to simultaneously convert salt water into fresh water, and at the same time provide cooling where needed such as to electronic server farms, factories, or office buildings.

[0051] Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, amplifications, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.