Measuring and testing – Borehole or drilling – Downhole test
Patent
1980-03-11
1982-02-02
Myracle, Jerry W.
Measuring and testing
Borehole or drilling
Downhole test
E21B 4900
Patent
active
043133428
ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for determining vertical heat flux of a geothermal field, and mapping the entire field, is based upon an elongated heat-flux transducer (10) comprised of a length of tubing (12) of relatively low thermal conductivity with a thermopile (20) inside for measuring the thermal gradient between the ends of the transducer after it has been positioned in a borehole for a period sufficient for the tube to reach thermal equilibrium. The transducer is thermally coupled to the surrounding earth by a fluid annulus, preferably water or mud. A second transducer comprised of a length of tubing of relatively high thermal conductivity is used for a second thermal gradient measurement. The ratio of the first measurement to the second is then used to determine the earth's thermal conductivity, k.sub..infin., from a precalculated graph, and using the value of thermal conductivity thus determined, then determining the vertical earth temperature gradient, b, from predetermined steady state heat balance equations which relate the undisturbed vertical earth temperature distributions at some distance from the borehole and earth thermal conductivity to the temperature gradients in the transducers and their thermal conductivity. The product of the earth's thermal conductivity, k.sub..infin., and the earth's undisturbed vertical temperature gradient, b, then determines the earth's vertical heat flux. The process can be repeated many times for boreholes of a geothermal field to map vertical heat flux.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3807227 (1974-04-01), Smith, Jr.
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patent: 3864969 (1975-02-01), Smith, Jr.
patent: 3981187 (1976-09-01), Howell
Christoffel, D. A. et al., A Geothermal Heat Flow . . . Conductivity Journal of Scientific Instruments, 1969, Series 2, vol. 2, pp. 457-465.
Besha Richard G.
Clouse, Jr. Clifton E.
Gaither Roger S.
Myracle Jerry W.
The United States of America as represented by the United States
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