DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 8 and 15 attempt to claim the heat buffer material in relation to an unspecified minimum and maximum temperature of the geothermal heat source as the minimum and maximum temperature are not clearly defined in the claims or specification it is unclear what materials would or would not meet this limitation as the meets and bounds of the claim are not clearly defined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Arefi (CA 3230116 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Arefi discloses (Figure 8A-8B) an enhanced closed-loop geothermal system, comprising: a wellbore (13), wherein at least a portion of the wellbore penetrates a geothermal heat source (the thermal energy reservoir); a closed-loop geothermal system deployed in the wellbore, wherein the closed-loop geothermal system comprises: a downhole heat exchanger deployed within the portion of the wellbore penetrating the geothermal heat source (as seen in figure 8A and 8B where the heat is transferred to the thermal production casing per paragraph 0053-0054), a bidirectional fluid conduit, wherein a first end of the bidirectional fluid conduit is fluidly connected to the downhole heat exchanger (at the bottom of the wellbore 13 at the heat production casing), and a heat utilization facility ( at the heat exchanger 2 which is connected to turbine 5 and electricity generator 6) , wherein a second end of the bidirectional fluid conduit is fluidly connected to the heat utilization facility (at the wellhead); and a heat-buffer comprising a heat-buffer material disposed within the portion of the wellbore penetrating the geothermal heat source (at the material with high thermal energy storage TES per paragraph 0053-0054 seen in figure 8B), configured to accumulate and store heat when the closed-loop geothermal system is not circulating working fluid and release it to the closed-loop geothermal system when working fluid is circulated (the material stores thermal energy per paragraphs 0039 and 0053-0054).
Regarding claim 2, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 1 above and Arefi further discloses a plurality of high thermal conductivity pathways disposed in a zone surrounding the wellbore (at the geothermal fracture Thermal energy storage seen in figure 8B per paragraph 0053).
Regarding claim 3, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 1 above and Arefi further discloses the heat-buffer material comprises a molten salt (salts can be used as the thermal energy storage materials per paragraph 0039-0040).
Regarding claim 4, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 3 above and Arefi further discloses the molten salt comprises at least one of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate (per paragraph 0039).
Regarding claim 5, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 2 above and Arefi further discloses the plurality of high thermal conductivity pathways comprises a plurality of fractures at least partially filled with a high thermal conductivity material (at the geothermal fracture Thermal energy storage seen in figure 8B per paragraphs 0039 and 0053).
Regarding claim 6, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 5 above and Arefi further discloses the high thermal conductivity material comprises graphene (graphene can be used as the thermal energy storage material per paragraph 0039).
Regarding claim 7, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 5 above and Arefi further discloses the plurality of fractures comprises hydraulic fractures (per paragraph 0041).
Regarding claim 8, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 1 above and Arefi further discloses the heat-buffer material has a melting point lower than a minimum temperature of the geothermal heat source and a boiling point higher than a maximum temperature of the geothermal heat source (the thermal energy storage material can be phase change materials per paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 9, Arefi discloses (Figure 8A-8B) a process of constructing an enhanced closed-loop geothermal system, comprising: obtaining a wellbore (wellbore 13), wherein at least a portion of the wellbore penetrates a geothermal heat source (the thermal energy reservoir seen in figure 8B); and disposing a downhole heat exchanger of a closed-loop geothermal system (as seen in figure 8A and 8B where the heat is transferred to the thermal production casing per paragraph 0053-0054), surrounded by an annulus of heat-buffer material in the portion of the wellbore penetrating a geothermal heat source (at the material with high thermal energy storage TES per paragraph 0053-0054 seen in figure 8B surrounding the wellbore), wherein a first end of the downhole heat exchanger is fluidly connected to a first end of a bidirectional fluid conduit (at the bottom of the wellbore 13 at the heat production casing); wherein a second end of the bidirectional fluid conduit is fluidly connected to a heat utilization facility (a second end at the wellhead in figure 8B, which is connected to a heat utilization facility at the heat exchanger 2 which is connected to turbine 5 and electricity generator 6), and wherein the heat-buffer material is configured to accumulate and store heat when the closed-loop geothermal system is not circulating working fluid and release it to the closed-loop geothermal system when working fluid is circulated (the material stores thermal energy per paragraphs 0039 and 0053-0054).
Regarding claim 10, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 9 above and Arefi further discloses forming a plurality of high thermal conductivity pathways disposed in a zone surrounding the wellbore by injecting a high thermal conductivity material into a plurality of fractures in the zone (at the geothermal fracture Thermal energy storage seen in figure 8B per paragraph 0053-0054).
Regarding claim 11, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 10 above and Arefi further discloses the plurality of fractures comprises a hydraulic fracture (per paragraph 0041).
Regarding claim 12, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 10 above and Arefi further discloses the high thermal conductivity material comprises graphene (graphene can be used as the thermal energy storage material per paragraph 0039).
Regarding claim 13, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 9 above and Arefi further discloses the heat-buffer material comprises a molten salt (salts can be used as the thermal energy storage materials per paragraph 0039-0040).
Regarding claim 14, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 13 above and Arefi further discloses the molten salt comprises at least one of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate (per paragraph 0039).
Regarding claim 15, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 9 above and Arefi further discloses the heat-buffer material has a melting point lower than a minimum temperature of the geothermal heat source and a boiling point higher than a maximum temperature of the geothermal heat source (the thermal energy storage material can be phase change materials per paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 16, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 9 above and Arefi further discloses disposing the downhole heat exchanger surrounded by the annulus of heat-buffer material in the portion of the wellbore penetrating a geothermal heat source comprises: pumping a slurry of solid phases salts into the portion of the wellbore; allowing the solid phase salts to settle in the portion (the fractures can be created by pumping thermal energy storage material into the wellbore per paragraph 0042); allowing the solid phase salts to melt to form molten salt (in the case of phase change thermal energy storage materials per paragraph 0040); and inserting the downhole heat exchanger into the molten salt (as seen in figure 8B the heat exchange is in the thermal energy storage materials).
Regarding claim 17, Arefi discloses (Figure 8A-8B) a process of operating an enhanced closed-loop geothermal system, comprising: pumping, using a pump at an uphole end of a closed-loop flow-path, a cool working fluid in a first direction through a bidirectional fluid conduit disposed within a wellbore ( water is pumped down into the hot reservoir to be heated per at least paragraph 0003 this is the case in the wellbore 13 seen in figure 8B); receiving the cool working fluid flowing in the first direction by a downhole heat exchanger disposed within a portion of the wellbore (as seen in figure 8A and 8B where the heat is transferred to the thermal production casing per paragraph 0053-0054) penetrating a geothermal heat source (the thermal energy reservoir seen in figure 8B); forming, by heating with the downhole heat exchanger, a hot working fluid from the cool working, wherein the downhole heat exchanger transfers heat from the geothermal heat source to the cool working fluid (as seen in figure 8A and 8B where the heat is transferred to the thermal production casing per paragraph 0053-0054), wherein a heat-buffer, comprising a heat-buffer material, configured to accumulate and store heat (at the material with high thermal energy storage TES per paragraph 0053-0054 seen in figure 8B surrounding the wellbore) when the enhanced closed-loop geothermal system is not circulating working fluid and release heat to the closed-loop geothermal system when working fluid is circulated, is disposed in an annulus formed by an exterior surface of the downhole heat exchanger and a wall of the wellbore (as seen in figure 8B); channeling the hot working fluid in a second direction through the bidirectional fluid conduit to an uphole heat exchanger (heat exchanger 2) disposed in a heat utilization facility (a heat utilization facility at the heat exchanger 2 which is connected to turbine 5 and electricity generator 6); and forming, by cooling with the uphole heat exchanger, the cool working fluid by extracting heat from the hot working fluid (per paragraph 0003).
Regarding claim 18, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 17 above and Arefi further discloses the heat-buffer material comprises a single molten salt or a combination comprising multiple molten salts. (salts can be used as the thermal energy storage materials per paragraph 0039-0040)
Regarding claim 19, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 17 above and Arefi further discloses a plurality of high thermal conductivity pathways disposed in a zone surrounding the wellbore (at the geothermal fracture-Thermal energy storage seen in figure 8B per paragraph 0053).
Regarding claim 20, Arefi discloses the claim limitations of claim 19 above and Arefi further discloses the plurality of high thermal conductivity pathways comprises a plurality of fractures (at the geothermal fracture-Thermal energy storage in figure 8B) at least partially filled with a graphene (graphene can be used as the thermal energy storage material per paragraph 0039).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Werries et al. (US 20240228868 A1), Nevison et al. (US 20200191444 A1), Moncarz et al. (US 12331964 B2), Nguyen et al. (US 9896619 B2), and Buchi (US 4912941 A) disclose geothermal heat exchangers with heat transfer enhancement structures around the heat exchanger.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HANS R. WEILAND whose telephone number is (571)272-9847. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6-3 EST and alternating Fridays.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached at 571-272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HANS R WEILAND/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ERIC S RUPPERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
