CORRUGATED HEATING CONDUIT AND METHOD OF USING IN THERMAL EXPANSION AND SUBSIDENCE MITIGATION

摘要

A method of maintaining the structural integrity of heating conduit used to heat a permeable body of hydrocarbonaceous material enclosed within a constructed permeability control infrastructure. The method includes obtaining a heating conduit with corrugated walls and configured for transporting a heat transfer fluid, burying the heating conduit at a depth within the permeable body of hydrocarbonaceous material and with an inlet end extending from the boundary of the constructed permeability control infrastructure, operably coupling the inlet end of the heating conduit to a heat source of the heat transfer fluid, and passing the heat transfer fluid through the heating conduit to transfer heat from the heat transfer fluid to the permeable body, with the corrugations in the corrugated walls mitigating longitudinal axis thermal expansion of the heating conduit and allowing the heating conduit to conformably bend in response to subsidence of the permeable body.