Concentric Pipe Shielding Natural Gas Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural gas lines face leakage issues, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, as they transport gas from extraction sites to consumption points, and byproducts like carbon dioxide from fuel cell systems are not effectively sequestered, leading to environmental damage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a concentric pipe system where an inner pipe carries natural gas and an outer pipe carries carbon dioxide in opposite directions, with the carbon dioxide acting as a shield to prevent leakage and sequester the gas by flowing it back to the extraction site, reducing atmospheric emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If natural gas is transported through a single pipe from extraction site to consumption point, then gas delivery is achieved, but natural gas leakage occurs contributing to greenhouse gas emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a concentric pipe configuration where an inner natural gas pipe is nested within an outer carbon dioxide pipe. This nested structure allows the CO2 to flow in the annular space surrounding the natural gas pipe, creating a protective barrier that prevents natural gas leakage while maintaining efficient gas delivery through the inner pipe.
Solution Approach 2:
Carbon dioxide serves as an intermediary substance that flows in the annular space between the inner and outer pipes. This CO2 barrier mediates between the natural gas in the inner pipe and the external environment, preventing direct contact and potential leakage of natural gas to the atmosphere, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
2Power
If carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of fuel cell systems, then energy conversion is achieved, but environmental damage occurs due to greenhouse gas emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful carbon dioxide byproduct from fuel cell systems into a beneficial protective barrier. By routing the CO2 through the annular space of the concentric pipe system, it serves as a shield preventing natural gas leakage, thus transforming an environmental pollutant into a protective element that reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as waste, the system recovers and repurposes it by channeling it through the outer pipe to serve as a protective barrier around the natural gas line. This recovery approach eliminates the need for separate CO2 sequestration infrastructure while providing dual environmental benefits.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a concentric pipe system with outer carbon dioxide pipe is implemented, then natural gas leakage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The outer carbon dioxide pipe serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a protective barrier against natural gas leakage, provides structural support for the inner pipe, and serves as a conduit for CO2 transport from fuel cell systems. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the CO2 transport function with the natural gas delivery function by combining them into a single concentric pipe structure. This integration eliminates the need for separate CO2 piping infrastructure and combines two fluid transport functions into one unified system, reducing overall system complexity despite the added protective barrier.
Data Source
AI summary
A natural gas line comprises a concentric pipe having an inner natural gas pipe and an outer carbon dioxide pipe surrounding the inner pipe. Carbon dioxide in the outer pipe comprises a shield which prevents or decreases natural gas leakage to the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide may be supplied from an exhaust of a fuel cell system, such as carbon dioxide separated from the fuel exhaust of a fuel cell system by a carbon dioxide separator. The natural gas may flow from a natural gas field to the fuel cell system via the inner pipe while the carbon dioxide may flow from the fuel cell system to the natural gas field via the outer pipe. The carbon dioxide may be sequestered in the empty space underground in natural gas field created by the extraction of the natural gas.