Steam-Expanded CO2 Fracturing for Clean Shale Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fracturing processes for shale and oil sands often rely on chemical contaminants that can harm workers, contaminate water sources, and require large amounts of non-recyclable water, posing environmental and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing CO2 and steam to fracture geological formations without chemical contaminants, where carbonated water is injected into wells, cooled to prevent vaporization, and then expanded by high-pressure steam to create fractures, allowing for the release of natural gases and oils while recycling the CO2 and water for reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If chemical contaminants are used in fracturing processes, then the effectiveness of fracturing and hydrocarbon recovery is improved, but environmental contamination and worker safety risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes harmful chemical contaminants from the fracturing process by replacing them with a clean alternative system using carbonated water and steam, thereby eliminating environmental contamination and worker safety risks while maintaining fracturing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates an inert environment by using carbonated water and steam instead of reactive chemical contaminants, preventing harmful interactions with groundwater and eliminating the need for chemical handling that poses worker safety risks
2Quantity of substance
If large amounts of water are used in fracturing processes, then the fracturing effectiveness is improved, but water recycling becomes difficult due to toxic chemicals
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables water recovery and recycling by eliminating toxic chemicals from the fracturing fluid, allowing the large volumes of water used in the process to be cleaned and reused without contamination concerns, thereby converting a loss into a recoverable resource
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the fracturing fluid by using carbonated water and steam instead of chemical contaminants, fundamentally altering the water's properties from toxic and non-recyclable to clean and recyclable while maintaining sufficient volume for effective fracturing
3Reliability
If chemical agents are used to fracture formations, then the permeability enhancement is improved, but groundwater contamination risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the potential harm of chemical leakage into a benefit by using inherently safe substances (carbonated water and steam) that cannot contaminate groundwater, thereby eliminating the harmful effect while preserving the permeability enhancement benefit
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 provides a clean, non-contaminating process that effectively releases natural gases and oils while minimizing environmental impact and ensuring worker safety by using a closed-loop system for water and CO2 reuse, reducing the risk of chemical contamination and excess pressure.
Implementation Method 1
cooling the CO2 below its freezing temperature and then inserting the frozen CO2 into the wellbore
Implementation Method 2
the frozen CO2 is then expanded by pressurized steam to cause fracturing of the walls of the wellbore and the surrounding formation
Implementation Method 3
high-pressure steam is injected into the wellbore to expand the frozen CO2
Implementation Method 4
expanded by high-pressure steam to create fractures
Implementation Method 5
carbonated water is injected into wells, cooled to prevent vaporization
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a system and method for providing a clean, non-contaminating process for producing fracturing of shale, limestone, sands and other geological and mining formations using high-pressure steam and CO2 to release natural gas, oil and minerals within a formation.