Phase change material based fluid emulsion for enhanced geothermal recovery

与化石燃料和核电站相比，常规地热发电厂的总体能源转换效率较低(&gt；30%)。提高这一效率是地热系统面临的一项关键挑战，也是更广泛采用该技术的必要步骤。Eavor Technologies Inc.率先采用了一种新的闭路地热方法，该方法采用了在非常规石油和天然气作业中首创的水平钻井方法，以清洁地热开采。Eavor-Loop利用强大的被动式热虹吸泵，作为一个封闭系统，允许使用工程设计的工质，可以更有效地从地下深处的岩层中提取热量。Sinton集团正与Eavor Technologies合作开发和测试工质，以提高Eavor Loop的热回收率和整体效率。热性能提高10%将对该行业产生广泛影响，并加快这项加拿大制造的闭环式地热技术的扩展和部署。相变材料是很好的候选材料，也是这一合作伙伴关系的主要重点。在像Eavor Loop这样的地热回收流体系统中，相变材料可以将热存储为潜热，从而在地热循环中增加流体混合的有效热容量。有许多相变材料适合在地热压力(如Al2(SO4)3-16H2O)下工作，以及Eavor感兴趣的扩展压力和温度范围。Sinton集团是基于微流体的化学性能测试领域的全球领导者，在地下能源应用以及相关的温度和压力方面具有特别的优势。正如Eavor的可再生能源方法是由最先为石油和天然气行业开发的技术实现的一样，这里建议的流体开发方法是由Sinton集团过去在石油和天然气行业进行化学有效性测试的经验实现的。通过这个联盟，这些技术将由Eavor和德克萨斯大学的团队成员一起创新、调整和应用，以促进可再生能源的发展。

The overall energy conversion efficiency for conventional geothermal power plants is low compared to fossil fuel and nuclear power plant (>30%). Improving this efficiency is a key challenge for geothermal systems, and a necessary step to wider adoption of the technology. Eavor Technologies Inc. has pioneered a new closed-loop geothermal approach, which adapts horizontal drilling methods pioneered in unconventional oil and gas operations to clean geothermal heat extraction. The Eavor-Loop levers powerful passive thermosiphon pumping and as a closed system, permits the use of engineered working fluids that can more effectively extract heat from rock formations deep underground.The Sinton group is partnering with Eavor Technologies to develop and test working fluids that will increase the heat recovery rate and overall efficiency of the Eavor Loop. A 10% increase in thermal performance would have broad implications for the industry and accelerate the scaling and deployment of this made-in-Canada closed-loop geothermal technology. Phase change materials are excellent candidates and are the primary focus of this partnership. In a geothermal recovery fluid system such as the Eavor Loop, phase change material can store heat as latent heat, which increases the effective heat capacity of the fluid blend during the geothermal cycle. There are many phase change material candidates that are suitable for working at geothermal pressures (such as Al2(SO4)3-16H2O), as well as the extended pressure and temperature range of interest to Eavor. The Sinton group is the global leader in the area of microfluidic-based chemical performance testing, with particular strength in subsurface energy applications and associated temperatures and pressures. Just as Eavor's renewable energy approach is enabled by technology first developed for the oil and gas industry, the proposed fluid development approach here is enabled by the Sinton group`s past experience in chemical effectiveness testing for the oil and gas industry. Through this Alliance, these technologies will be innovated, adapted and applied - by Eavor and U of T team members together - to advance renewable energy.