GeoTek is developing a geothermal-based pumping technology called ThermalDrive™ with applications in both the oil & gas industry and the geothermal power industry. Both the oil & gas and geothermal industries rely heavily on high volume pumping technologies for their production wells. These pumping technologies suffer from high energy consumption and reliability issues due to harsh well environments.

GeoTek’s groundbreaking technology replaces these pumps’ electric motors with a thermally-driven motor called ThermalDrive. Whether deployed in oil & gas production wells or geothermal wells for power generation, the ThermalDrive Submersible Pump™ cuts power consumption and improves uptime. Designed to operate in the harshest well conditions, ThermalDrive thrives in reservoir temperatures up to 400 °F. View the video below to see how this geothermal-based pump technology works.

GeoTek is developing a geothermal-based pumping technology called ThermalDrive™ with applications in both the oil & gas industry and the geothermal power industry.

Both the oil & gas and geothermal industries rely heavily on high volume pumping technologies for their production wells. These pumping technologies suffer from high energy consumption and reliability issues due to harsh well environments.

GeoTek’s ground breaking technology replaces these pumps’ electric motors with a thermally driven motor called ThermalDrive. Whether displacing electrical submersible or line shaft pumps on oil, gas or geothermal wells, our patent pending solution replaces the down-hole electric motor, cable and seals on an electrical submersible pump (ESP) with a thermally-driven motor to propel the well’s produced fluid to the surface. The elimination of the electrical energy load of the pump motor combined with highly improved pump drive reliability and performance will significantly enhance the economics of well production. For wells with a sufficient heat resource, this disruptive technology also can provide for co-generation of electricity at the surface.

The early work by GeoTek on its Gravity Head Energy System (“GHES”) for the geothermal power industry has provided the foundation for the development of a down-hole pump powered by a thermal motor called ThermalDrive. Whether used for pumping production fluids from oil wells or pumping geothermal fluid for power generation, the ThermalDrive Submersible Pump™ offers efficiency gains over your typical electric submersible or line shaft pump.

ThermalDrive PATENT-PENDING TECHNOLOGY

The key component of our patent-pending technology is the ThermalDrive, which serves as the prime mover for the down-hole pump through a magnetic coupling. The ThermalDrive, designed for reservoir temperatures up to 400 °F, is powered by a highly efficient thermo-siphon loop which circulates a working fluid (e.g. a refrigerant). Down-hole, this working fluid absorbs heat from the resource fluid resulting in a highly energetic vapor which drives a turbo-expander. In the ThermalDrive Submersible Pump this turbo-expander drives the pumping of the produced fluid (e.g. the oil/water mixture or geothermal brine) to the surface. High geothermal energy from the working fluid will also be used for co-generation of electricity at the surface. To further improve performance and minimize well downtime during maintenance, the pump section has been designed for wire-line retrieval

Key Benefits:

Improved product reliability leading to greater well productivity and longer economic life
Elimination of the electrical load of pump motor for operation of the well
Reduced costs for major well work-overs due to elimination of electrical component failures
Allows for reliable pumping in 400 degree F reservoir temperature regimes
MODELING THE ThermalDrive SYSTEM

Working in conjunction with Blade Energy Partners, GeoTek has developed a proprietary software model for sizing the ThermalDrive System. This Thermal Hydraulic Model, or THYMO™, considers the various well characteristics and pumping requirements such as reservoir pressure and temperature, specific gravity of fluid, casing size, required flow rate and head, etc. in order to appropriately size system components and determine performance characteristics.