Mining methane, sequestering carbon dioxide and farming in oceans

Abstract

The present invention is a multiple purposed system of producing methane from its hydrates and sequestering carbon dioxide into its hydrates. Methane hydrates mixed with mud, prepared with methane mining assembly 23 are brought to sea surface by a series of buckets 16 attaching to rotating chains 18. The decomposed methane is collected into the methane dome 50 and is processed into liquefied natural gas or synthetic liquid fuels. Liquid carbon dioxide is brought down through a tube 70 and a sequestering device 86 into the sea where the pressure and the temperature are adequate for carbon dioxide hydrates to form and settle down to the sea bottom. The unconverted gaseous carbon dioxide is collected into carbon dioxide dome 49 and is liquefied again for recycling. A specially designed marine plantation, comprising of plurality of planting units 352 and a fleet of seeding and harvesting boats, is employed to remove the residual carbon dioxide from the sequestering, to alleviate the global warming, to serves as an abundant source of renewable energy, and as a huge sink for carbon. In addition, it could provide a profusion of less-polluted seafood. The operations of mining methane, sequestering carbon dioxide and marine plantation are fully integrated and optimized

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 849,392 filed by the present inventor on Oct. 5, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of Invention [0003] This invention relates to the using of fleets of specially designed ships and boats on: (1) mining methane from methane hydrates, (2) alleviating global warming by sequestering carbon dioxide, fast growing of vegetables, and promoting the proliferation of diatoms; (3) harvesting renewable energies from sea-growing biomass, wind, sun, and (4) producing sea foods profusely. [0004] 2. Prior Art [0005] Human beings are suffering from: (1) the lack of cheap and convenient energy source, (2) the annually discharging of 29 billon tons of anthropologic carbon dioxide worldwide into the atmosphere to cause global warming, and (3) the insufficiency of foods to feed the poor. In the past few years, the oil price has increased threefold and it hovered between $60 and $70 a barrel for while a...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Human beings are suffering from: (1) the lack of cheap and convenient energy source, (2) the annually discharging of 29 billon tons of anthropologic carbon dioxide worldwide into the atmosphere to cause global warming, and (3) the insufficiency of foods to feed the poor.

Both of these regions are politically unstable.

Although efforts are carried out to substitute part of it by agricultural product, alcohol, but it has many other problems.

The situation becomes worse by the deforestation through land development and the ocean's decreasing ability to assimilate carbon dioxide.

On the other hand, oceans cover more than ⅔ of the global surface, and they are virtually untapped.

It has the disadvantages of possible leaking methane into atmosphere, and the pollution of environment by using large quantity of chemical.

It also incurs a high cost.

It has the risks of escaping liberated methane and unconverted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and polluting the environment by employing large quantity of acids.

The building of heat supplying device in methane-hydrate formation and methane-collecting system on top of the formation are extremely difficult, because the sites are located at least 1,500 ft. to several miles from sea-surface.

There is no light and the pressure is enormously high there.

It will be even more difficult when methane hydrates at one location are exhausted and relocation is needed.

The high cost of heat is another problem.

Again, to bring fuel and oxidizer to methane-hydrate formation is difficult, and the costs of fuel and oxidizer are high.

This method has a number of difficulties including 1) the neighboring aquifer with high temperature is not easy to come by and 2) it is difficult to control the flows of aquifer water and the produced methane at the ocean bottom.

However, supplying heat into the fracture is difficult and costly.

However, the exchanging reaction is rather slow.

This teaching has no means to prevent the leaking of unconverted carbon dioxide and the liberated methane into the environment.

The use of large quantity of chemical may pollute the environment.

Thus, it will increase the cost of implementation and the risk of pollution.

It has no means provided for collecting the un-converted carbon dioxide.

In addition, the use of chemicals increases the cost.

Limited number of oil wells suitable for EOR, cost of carbon dioxide transportation and leaking of carbon dioxide from the oil field, and the possibility of tragedy similar to the killing of thousands people in Cameroon some time ago, can limit the widespread use of EOR.

It provides no means to collect and recycle the un-sequestered carbon dioxide.

However, no practical and economical approach has been suggested.

Furthermore, there is no anchor to the sea-bottom to fix the system at one place.

These operations are only limited to shallow sea-bottoms.

It provides no means to raise fast growing plants to absorb carbon dioxide.

Many varieties of fish became scarce after many years of over fishing.

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