West Virginia University

Leland Mink

Terence Musho

Daniel Hand

Various examples are provided related to airlift pumping of downhole geothermal fluids. In one example, an airlift system includes a compressor; a gas sparger head in a wellbore of a geothermal well, and a pressure head recycle assembly. The sparger head produces artificial lift of the geothermal fluids by injecting a gas resulting in a difference in density downhole. The entrained gas can be extracted by the pressure head recycle assembly, compressed, and reinjected downhole. The geothermal fluid at the well head can be used in direct use applications or in a thermodynamic cycle to make shaft power. The gas sparger head can include a venturi shaped passage extending through the gas sparger head and a bubble orifice including gas orifices radially spaced about a narrow portion of the venturi shaped passage. The gas orifices can have a corresponding resonant chamber through which the gas (e.g., air) is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Worley, ID, United States of America

Leland Mink