Atmospheric CO2 Capture Unit for Underground Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies for injecting carbon dioxide underground do not effectively capture and store CO2 from the atmosphere in a harmless and cost-effective manner, as they often require high-purity CO2 and involve harmful substances like NOx and SOx, and lack efficient methods for low-purity CO2 storage.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that combines a capturing unit to concentrate CO2 from the atmosphere and an injection well to pressurize and inject the mixture gas into underground reservoirs, adjusting the CO2 proportion to 25% or more, allowing for efficient storage in a supercritical state at a competitive cost, using a CPU, memory unit, and control unit to optimize CO2 density and concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere and injected into underground reservoirs, then carbon dioxide storage is achieved, but the cost increases due to the need for high-purity CO2 and harmful substance removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the purity parameter of CO2 from conventional high-purity requirements to low-purity acceptance (25% or more CO2 concentration). The capturing unit is designed to accept atmospheric CO2 mixed with atmospheric components (nitrogen, oxygen) without requiring removal of harmful substances like NOx and SOx, thereby reducing purification costs while maintaining effective underground storage
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different quality requirements to different parts of the CO2 mixture. Instead of requiring uniform high purity throughout, it accepts variable composition where CO2 concentration is 25% or more, allowing atmospheric components to remain in the mixture. This local quality approach enables cost-effective storage by treating the mixture as acceptable without full purification
2Productivity
If high-purity CO2 is used for underground injection, then storage efficiency is improved, but the complexity of the purification process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential requirement for effective storage (CO2 concentration of 25% or more) while leaving out the complex purification steps for removing harmful substances. The capturing unit directly processes atmospheric CO2 without intermediate purification stages, achieving storage efficiency through simple concentration threshold acceptance rather than complete purification
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of following the conventional approach of purifying CO2 to high purity before injection, the invention inverts the logic by accepting low-purity atmospheric CO2 directly. The system is designed to work with the mixture as-is, requiring only minimal concentration verification rather than extensive purification, thereby simplifying the overall process
3Volume of moving object
If CO2 concentration in the mixture gas is increased to 99%, then storage volume is reduced, but the capturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies partial action by accepting CO2 concentration at the minimum effective threshold (25% or more) rather than pursuing complete concentration (99%). This partial concentration approach achieves sufficient storage effectiveness while avoiding the excessive costs associated with near-complete CO2 separation from atmospheric components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention treats the CO2 mixture as a disposable resource that can be directly injected without expensive concentration processes. By accepting atmospheric CO2 at 25% or more concentration with atmospheric components, the system uses a cheaper capturing approach that doesn't require advanced separation technologies, reducing capturing costs while maintaining storage functionality
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the capture and injection of CO2 into underground reservoirs in a harmless state at a low cost, reducing the volume and energy required for storage, while avoiding the need for high-cost purification of CO2.
Implementation Method 1
a capturing unit for concentrating carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and capturing concentrated carbon dioxide as a mixture gas wherein the capturing unit adjusts a proportion of carbon dioxide in the mixture gas to 25% by volume or more
Implementation Method 2
an injection well for pressurizing the mixture gas and injecting the mixture gas into an underground reservoir
Implementation Method 3
an injection well connected to the capturing unit for pressurizing the mixture gas and injecting the mixture gas into an underground reservoir
Implementation Method 4
allowing for efficient storage in a supercritical state at a competitive cost
Implementation Method 5
reducing the volume and energy required for storage
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for injecting carbon dioxide into underground capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and injecting it into underground in a harmless state and at a low cost, the apparatus including: a capturing unit configured to concentrate carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and capture concentrated carbon dioxide as a mixture gas; and an injection well connected to the capturing unit for pressurizing the mixture gas and injecting the mixture gas into an underground reservoir, in which the capturing unit adjusts a proportion of carbon dioxide in the mixture gas to 25% by volume or more.