In-situ Mercury Removal via Wellbore Sorbent Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing mercury from produced fluids at the surface are costly due to corrosion hazards, safety risks, and high capital and operating costs associated with surface treatment systems, as well as challenges with hazardous waste disposal.
Innovation Solution
Injecting a solid sorbent into a wellbore intersecting a subterranean reservoir to contact hydrocarbon products, allowing in-situ sorption of mercury before the products are brought to the surface, utilizing porous support materials impregnated with compounds like copper oxide or silver sulfide to achieve high mercury removal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surface treatment vessels packed with sorbent are used for mercury removal, then mercury removal efficiency is improved, but capital costs and operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sorbent is injected into the wellbore before the hydrocarbon fluid reaches the surface, performing mercury removal in advance underground. This eliminates the need for expensive surface treatment vessels while maintaining effective mercury removal, as the sorbent is already in position to intercept mercury when the fluid arrives at the surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The mercury removal function is extracted from the surface treatment system and transferred to the subsurface environment. By placing the sorbent in the wellbore or formation fractures below ground, the harmful function of mercury removal is removed from the surface facility, eliminating associated capital and operating costs while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If surface treatment vessels are used for mercury removal, then mercury removal efficiency is improved, but operating costs increase due to hazardous waste disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The sorbent material, which would normally be considered waste after absorbing mercury, is injected into the subsurface formation where it remains to continue capturing mercury. This converts what would be hazardous waste requiring expensive disposal into a beneficial long-term mercury removal mechanism, eliminating disposal costs while maintaining removal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The sorbent injected into the wellbore or formation continuously serves its purpose of capturing mercury from the passing hydrocarbon fluid without requiring external intervention, replacement, or disposal infrastructure. The system is self-sustaining, eliminating the need for expensive hazardous waste disposal operations while maintaining effective mercury removal.
3Reliability
If surface treatment systems are used for mercury removal, then mercury removal efficiency is improved, but safety risks increase from occupational exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The mercury removal process is extracted from the surface environment and relocated to the subsurface. By placing the sorbent in the wellbore or formation below ground, occupational exposure risks are eliminated as workers never contact the mercury or sorbent material, while the system maintains its mercury removal function through the passing hydrocarbon fluid.
Solution Approach 2:
The sorbent acts as an intermediary that captures mercury in the subsurface environment, preventing direct contact between workers and hazardous mercury. The hydrocarbon fluid serves as the intermediary carrier that transports the sorbent-containing wellbore section through the formation, enabling continuous mercury removal without surface handling risks.
4Device complexity
If in-situ sorbent injection is used for mercury removal, then operating costs are reduced, but mercury removal efficiency may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The sorbent is placed locally in the wellbore or formation fractures where the hydrocarbon fluid flows, creating a targeted mercury removal zone. This localized placement ensures high contact efficiency between the sorbent and mercury-containing fluid, maintaining effective removal while avoiding the need for expensive surface treatment infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sorbent material is designed with porous structures that provide high surface area for mercury adsorption. When injected into the wellbore or formation, these porous materials maintain high mercury removal efficiency through their inherent porous properties, effectively capturing mercury from the passing hydrocarbon fluid without requiring complex surface treatment systems.
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 effectively reduces mercury levels in produced fluids by at least 90% before they reach the surface, minimizing corrosion risks, safety hazards, and operational costs, while enabling safe and environmentally friendly handling of the treated fluids.
Implementation Method 1
Passing the hydrocarbon products into contact with the sorbent results in sorption of heavy metal from the hydrocarbon products
Implementation Method 2
utilizing porous support materials impregnated with compounds like copper oxide or silver sulfide to achieve high mercury removal efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and system relate to in-situ treatment of fluid to remove a heavy metal, such as mercury. The treatment utilizes a sorbent injected into a wellbore and disposed in a flow path of the fluid being produced to above ground. The mercury retained by the sorbent upon contact with the fluid may remain within a reservoir from which the fluid is recovered.