Technical Field

The invention relates to the valve block developed for use in the geothermal industry, which allows geothermal fluid to be brought to the surface.

In particular, the invention relates to a valve block that regenerates production and well artesian flow capability in geothermal hot water wells, which have lost artesian flow capability, and in which well bottom pressure has decreased, and that increases flow and production in wells with the reduced surface flow.

State Of The Art

The geothermal source is hot water, steam and dry steam formed by the storage of the heat energy accumulated in the rocks deep in the earth stored in the reservoirs transferred by the fluids. Geothermal resources are used as thermal energy in electricity generation and industrial thermal enterprises and in projects such as space heating and cooling. In the geothermal sector, long project life and high risk for the determination of underground resources are experienced as disadvantages, while technological developments are taking place to reduce the risk of field development, reduce the costs of unattractive resources, and also reduce potential environmental problems. In order to carry out sustainable geothermal projects, it is necessary to select an appropriate installed capacity during the project, and to ensure that the required temperature, pressure and flow conditions are continuously maintained for the operation of this capacity. All of the currently operating geothermal reservoirs contain compressed water, which has a much higher pressure than the vapor pressure of the pressurized water. Although production is generally done without pumps from production wells, there are production operations involving pumps in some reservoirs where the pressure is insufficient.

Today, submersible pumps are used at the bottom of the well to provide artesian surface flow in geothermal hot water wells, and surface flows are provided with the logic used in the standard freshwater well. The working conditions of these pumps at the bottom of the well are under high pressure (100 - 150 bars) and temperature. In the current system, the motor engine running at the depth of 1000 - 1500 meters and 180 - 200 centigrade degrees with electric energy cannot function due to temperature and high pressure and burns. Also, the geothermal underground fluid with high mineral increases the damage rate of complex pump components. Lowering of these pumps into wells for use and the subsequent operation costs are very high. These pumps, which are powered by electricity, consume too much energy. Operating costs sometimes reach to the equal to the production gain from a single well. In the principle of working with electricity, energy and communication cables are also brought down to the wells along with the pump. During the bringing down of this cable to the well due to friction and sprains, breaks are experienced. For these reasons, additional equipment, and rescue operation costs are introduced. Dealing with the damage to the pump components that occur during operation is costly and takes a lot of time.

The patent application no. GB19650009884 in the current art relates to the construction of an underwater well which makes the use of lifting equipment and therefore the presence of a private workshop unnecessary and ensures reliable and easy operation of the locking mechanisms and other necessary organs for the process. According to the invention, the underwater well is characterized by one or more ballast bodies that are circular in cross - section surrounding the well. The ballast body can be filled with compressed air from the ground surface by proper arrangement. To ensure easy operation of locking elements and other parts arranged on wellhead equipment, the invention is also characterized by the fact that the ballast body is controlled by a retractable device that allows fitting into the wellhead and opening and lifting the lock of the production wing. Another feature of the invention is that it is surrounded by an annular manifold and an annular sleeve that acts as support, where the sleeve is appropriately weighted and can be attached to underwater soil.

The patent application no. MY1996PI03001 in the current technique relates to a system for controlling production from the oil well by the gas lifting technique. The present system of the invention involves a dynamically controlled choke to adjust the flow of crude petroleum through the production pipe of the well. The choke is controlled by a control module (CM) that is set to dynamically control the opening and includes the PID controller (PID) so that the pressure in the lift gas injection pipe is minimized and stabilized. The system has the ability to maximize and stabilize crude petroleum production accurately and without requiring any in - well equipment.

As a result, the need for a valve block that resolves the disadvantages in the present technique and the absence of an existing solution necessitated an improvement in the relevant technical field. The air - jet, j - lift equipment, and applications that emerged as a result of this development have reduced the cost, error, and risk of failure experienced in previous applications to lower levels. Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to the valve block, which meets the above - mentioned requirements, eliminates all disadvantages and brings some additional advantages, that is developed for use in the geothermal industry, enabling the extraction of geothermal fluid to the surface.

Based on the prior art, the aim of the invention is to ensure that no electrical energy is required, as the air - jet unit and the j - lift unit contained in the valve block are composed of mechanical components.

The aim of the invention is to achieve the dissolution of the gas in the fluid by means of a compressor that compresses the air into the valve block of the well in the desired level, thereby increasing the production by the energy of the well itself and the flow energy of the gas towards the surface.

Another aim of the invention is to reduce the failure rate by using the mechanical air - jet unit and the j - lift unit, which are less in weight than the existing electrically operated mechanisms, thus reducing the maintenance - repair costs and the time spent on the repair process.

Another aim of the invention is to reduce operating costs relatively when compared to electrical equipment by using compressors to produce from the well or increase production.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a secure and risk - free installation process by eliminating the need to lower the power cord or similar material to the well by using drill pipes during the initial installation phase of the valve block into the well.

Another aim of the invention is to ensure that the valve diaphragm protects the valve piston under acidic and hydrostatic pressure from impacts, mold, rust, etc., due to the design and material structure of the valve block.

Another aim of the invention is to provide the direction of air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gas fluids in air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide compression applications up to depths of 0 - 2500 meters in geothermal wells with high temperatures such as 130 - 260 °C thanks to the structure of the valve block.

Another aim of the invention is to provide high resistance to air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gases and push - and - pull movement safely in mold, rust, and acidic environments thanks to the material in which the valve block is manufactured. Another aim of the invention is to prevent infiltration into the system in liquid, gas and acidic environments at pressure ranges of 20 - 250 bar at the bottom of the well at temperatures as high as 130 - 260 °C due to the structure of the valve block and to keep the working mechanisms of air - jet and j - lift units active.

The structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention outlined in the drawings below and in the detailed description made by referring these figures will be understood clearly, therefore the evaluation should be made by taking these figures and detailed explanations into consideration.

Brief Description of Figures

In order to be able to understand the advantages of the present invention together with the additional elements, it is necessary to evaluate it with the figures explained below.

Figure - 1 ; is the schematic overview of the J - lift unit from the top.

Figure - 2; is the schematic overview of the section of the J - lift unit.

Figure - 3; is the schematic overview of the mounted state of J - lift units on the air - jet unit.

Figure - 4 is the schematic overview of the air - jet unit in the geothermal well.

Reference Numbers 100. Valve block

110. J - lift unit

111. Valve diagram

112. Valve piston

113. Pressure unit 120. Air - jet unit

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, the valve block (100) of the invention developed for use in the geothermal industry, which allows the extraction of geothermal fluid to the surface, is described only as an example for a better understanding of the subject and in a way that does not cause any restrictions.

Developed for use in geothermal hot water wells that have lost their artesian flow capability and whose well bottom pressures have fallen, the valve block (100) of the invention restores the production and well Artesian flow capability and increases the flow and production amount in wells where the surface flow amount has decreased. The said valve block (100) comprises mainly of a j - lift unit (110) shown in Figure 1 comprising of a valve diaphragm (111), a valve piston (112) and a pressure unit (113), and the an air - jet unit (120) positioned above these j - lift units (110). The said j - lift unit (110) has a mechanical and compact design due to its steel property and high resistance to corrosion in order to prevent impacts, high heat and mold and rust effects caused by acidic liquids. The valve diaphragm (111) positioned inside the j - lift unit (110) shown in Figure - 2 protects the operating mechanism of the j - lift unit (110) against the hydrostatic pressure in the geothermal well. The said valve diagram (111) has the ability to operate and direct air and gases in the heat range of 130 - 260 °C under high pressure. The valve piston (112), which is positioned in connection with the valve diaphragm (111) inside the said j - lift unit (110), controls the mechanisms and air ducts in the j - lift (110) and releases air from the compressor into the geothermal fluid under high pressure. The said valve piston (112) is resistant to high corrosion and deformation at high temperatures while directing the flow of air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gas. The pressure unit (113), positioned in connection with the valve piston (112) inside the said j - lift unit (110), provides sealing at high heat and at bottom pressures in geothermal wells. The air - jet unit (120) shown in Figure - 3 was used for the measurement and design of the j - lift units (110). Multiple j - lift units (110) are positioned on the said air - jet unit (120). The said j - lift unit (110) and the air - jet unit (120) consist of mechanical parts instead of electrical energy and that resulted in reducing the total weight, reducing the risk of failure and therefore maintenance and repair costs.

The said valve block (100) allows the geothermal fluid at the bottom of the well to be brought up by pressing high - pressure air, gas, nitrogen or carbon dioxide. The said valve block (100) works by high - pressure air, gas, nitrogen or carbon dioxide, under high pressure, distributing equal amount of high - pressure air to the desired j - lift unit (110). The valve diagram (111), the valve piston (112) and the pressure unit (113) control the pressure of the air. The said j - lift unit (110) distributes the controlled air in an equal amount into the geothermal fluid at the bottom of the well and thus raises the geothermal fluid at the bottom of the well.

The said valve block (100) provides the direction of air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gas fluids in air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide compression applications up to depths of 0 - 2500 meters in geothermal wells with high temperatures such as 130 - 260 °C. The j - lift unit (110) used in the said valve block (100) provides the push and release movement in addition to high strength due to the material it is manufactured. The air - jet unit (120) located in the valve block (100) shown in Figure - 4, comprising of j - lift units (110) on it, aims to operate at high temperatures such as 130 - 260°C, between well bottom pressure of 20 - 250 bar, liquid, gas and aims to keep the lift units (110) working actively by preventing leakage in acidic environments.