Hydrogen Production with Mafic Rock CO2 Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydrogen production from hydrocarbons with carbon capture and storage (CCS) is economically impractical due to high energy consumption, significant costs associated with CO2 purification, compression, and deep well requirements, as well as the need for long-term monitoring to ensure CO2 confinement.
Innovation Solution
The method involves co-producing hydrogen and CO2 from hydrocarbons, followed by injecting CO2 into reactive mafic or ultramafic rocks, where CO2 is permanently immobilized as precipitated carbonate minerals, reducing energy consumption and eliminating the need for deep wells and long-term monitoring, while allowing hydrogen to be converted into ammonia for safe storage and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional CCS is used to capture and store CO2, then CO2 storage is achieved, but energy consumption and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the storage parameter from compressed liquid/supercritical state (conventional CCS) to dissolved state in aqueous fluid. This allows CO2 to be stored at much lower pressures and temperatures, eliminating the need for energy-intensive compression while maintaining reliable storage through the chemical dissolution process in the hydrothermal reservoir.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary medium to transport and store CO2. Instead of directly injecting compressed CO2 gas into deep rock formations, the CO2 is dissolved in water which then serves as the transport and storage medium, significantly reducing the energy required for compression and injection.
2Quantity of substance
If CO2 is compressed to liquid state for transportation and injection, then storage capacity is improved, but costs and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of CO2 from compressed liquid/supercritical to dissolved gas state in aqueous solution. This allows high storage capacity to be achieved through dissolution rather than compression, eliminating the need for energy-intensive compression equipment and operations while maintaining effective storage density.
3Reliability
If deep wells are used for CO2 injection, then storage reliability is improved, but drilling and injection costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses water as an intermediary that facilitates CO2 storage at much shallower depths. The aqueous dissolution process provides reliable storage confinement at depths of hundreds to low thousands of meters, eliminating the need for expensive deep well drilling and injection operations while maintaining secure CO2 confinement through the chemical storage mechanism.
4Manufacturing precision
If high purity CO2 is produced through multiple purification steps, then CCS requirements are met, but process complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the purity requirement parameter from >98 mol% (conventional CCS requirement) to much lower purity levels sufficient for hydrothermal storage. This allows the use of simpler, less expensive purification processes that remove only the most problematic impurities, eliminating the need for complex multi-stage purification systems while still achieving adequate CO2 purity for reliable storage.
5Reliability
If long-term monitoring programs are implemented, then CO2 confinement is ensured, but operational complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses water as an intermediary that provides inherent monitoring capabilities through its chemical interactions with CO2. The dissolution process and subsequent mineralization reactions create natural tracers and chemical signatures that can be monitored over time, eliminating the need for complex artificial monitoring infrastructure while ensuring reliable CO2 confinement through the chemical storage mechanism.
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
This approach significantly reduces the energy and cost of hydrogen production and CO2 storage, tolerates impurities, eliminates the need for deep wells and monitoring, and ensures permanent CO2 removal, making hydrogen production nearly greenhouse gas emission-free.
Implementation Method 1
CO2 and/or other waste gases are permanently immobilized as precipitated carbonate minerals
Implementation Method 2
allowing components of the byproduct stream to react in situ with components of the mafic rock to precipitate and store components of the byproduct stream in the reservoir
Implementation Method 3
produced hydrogen can be converted reversibly to ammonia for safe storage and transportation in a reduced volume
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for producing hydrogen substantially without greenhouse gas emissions, one method including producing a product gas comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide from a hydrocarbon fuel source; separating hydrogen from the product gas to create a hydrogen product stream and a byproduct stream; injecting the byproduct stream into a reservoir containing mafic rock; and allowing components of the byproduct stream to react in situ with components of the mafic rock to precipitate and store components of the byproduct stream in the reservoir.