System and process for flue gas processing

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a new and improved method for sequestration of carbon dioxide, the method including the steps of injecting a carbon dioxide-containing injection gas into a subsurface containment region with a series of captures zones; providing sufficient time for said injection gas to at least partially stratify and form constituent gas mixtures which at least partially accumulate in the capture zones; providing a vent associated with one of the capture zones; and, evacuating at least a portion of the constituent mixtures through the associated vent.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 C.F.R. 1.78(a)(4) based upon copending U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 61 / 304,580 for SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR FLUE GAS PROCESSING, filed Feb. 15, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a system and process for flue gas processing, more specifically to a system and process for processing and sequestration of flue gas constituents in subsurface structures. The present invention also relates to a system for using the gas processing to enhance hydrocarbon recovery from low pressure subsurface geological formations.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere are a subject of concern. It is feared that emission of these gases into the atmosphere could lead to global warming, sea-level changes, and different weath...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is about a way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The method involves injecting a gas containing carbon dioxide into a subground area with a series of traps. The gas has enough time to separate and accumulate in the traps. A vent is also provided to remove some of the gas. The technical effect of this invention is to provide a way to capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can help to reduce the impact of this gas on the environment."

Problems solved by technology

It is feared that emission of these gases into the atmosphere could lead to global warming, sea-level changes, and different weather patterns, among other detrimental effects.

Response to this concern has lead to governmentally limited prohibitions and restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions, or fees associated with the emissions of such gases.

Those approaches lead to high economic costs for industries that emit green house gases, especially those that emit flue gases into the atmosphere.

However, current technologies have not developed systems or processes that make large scale sequestration of CO2 financially feasible.

Rather than sequestering the CO2, which currently is not financially feasible for most large-scale operations, some methods utilize it in purified form to enhance oil recovery from underground formations.

However, using purified CO2 for this purpose also presents a number of problems for the producer of the well.

In most large-scale enhanced oil recovery operations utilizing purified CO2, the primary cost of the recovery is the purchase of CO2, which may represent operating costs as much as 68% of the total cost of the revenue from the project.

The cost of acquiring purified CO2 in large quantities is driven by the very high cost of separation of CO2 from flue gases and its subsequent transportation to the sequestration site where it can then be injected into the subsurface formation.

Moreover, the relative cost of large scale CO2 capture, injection, and sequestration increases as oil prices decline.

Moreover, potential sequestration locations for CO2 injection are seldom located in close proximity to coal-fired electric power plants and other large scale flue gas sources.

The cost of transporting purified liquid CO2 by truck or pipeline is considerable.

Therefore, the significant costs of carbon capture include the additionally significant costs of transporting liquefied CO2 by tanker truck or pipeline.

The combination of such energy costs and limited commercial demand for CO2 do not make the sale of CO2 captured by above-ground mechanical technologies commercially viable in many situations.

Additionally, the capital costs of the equipment necessary for large-scale separation and capture of CO2 from power plant flue gases are enormous, generally in excess of $1.2 billion per plant.

Furthermore, the cost of large-scale separation and capture of CO2 from flue gases has generally been considered commercially prohibitive for waste disposal due to the enormous volumes of energy required to condense the gases to the point where liquid CO2 can be extracted.

The result of combined capital and energy cost of large-scale CO2 separation and capture from power plant flue gases could be very substantial increases in the price of electricity to consumers.