| abstract |
Hot geothermal water in liquid or vapor form rises, with the aid of a pump if necessary, in an insulated well and passes through a heat exchanger where its heat is utilized for urban heating. Subsequently, the spent water is reinjected through another well into the original geothermal body of water at a point sufficiently remote from the point at which it was extracted to prevent the cooled water from substantially lowering the temperature of the extracted water while ensuring a substantially steady hydrostatic pressure in the body of water. |