Subsea CO2 Sequestration with Disposable Injection Trees
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for carbon dioxide removal and sequestration are insufficient to meet the scale and cost requirements needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change, as they rely on single location-based technologies and are economically infeasible for large-scale deployment, especially in deepwater subsea environments.
Innovation Solution
An integrated end-to-end process utilizing Direct-Air-Capture technology, advanced automation, robotics, and reusable field components for scalable and repeatable carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, which includes robotic offshore drilling and subsea automation to transport and solidify CO2 into geologic formations without requiring a single precise site location, using renewable energy and minimizing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If deepwater subsea oil and gas production fields are developed to store CO2, then CO2 sequestration capacity is provided, but capital expenditures for installation and equipment reach billions of dollars making it economically infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable, low-cost subsea injection trees and completion assemblies that can be rapidly deployed and abandoned after use. These single-use components eliminate the need for expensive, recoverable equipment while providing sufficient CO2 injection capability for each well, directly addressing the economic infeasibility of traditional deepwater field development approaches
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters by injecting CO2 at lower pressures and volumes compared to traditional oil and gas production. This allows the use of simpler, less expensive equipment designed for benign CO2 injection rather than high-pressure hydrocarbon production, significantly reducing installation and equipment costs while maintaining CO2 storage capacity
2Quantity of substance
If traditional subsea drilling and completion methods are used, then CO2 can be injected into geologic formations, but the process is too costly and time-consuming for large-scale deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-assembles complete injection trees and completion assemblies on the surface before deployment. These pre-configured units are ready for immediate installation on the seafloor, eliminating time-consuming on-site assembly operations and enabling rapid deployment of multiple wells in sequence, thus increasing overall productivity for large-scale CO2 sequestration
Solution Approach 2:
The injection trees are designed to be self-contained units that can be deployed and operated independently without requiring complex subsea intervention equipment. Each tree carries its own injection infrastructure, allowing multiple wells to be completed simultaneously by different vessels or teams, thereby scaling deployment speed linearly with the number of units deployed
3Ease of manufacture
If a single precise site location is required for CO2 storage, then injection infrastructure can be concentrated, but costs cannot be spread across large field deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the CO2 sequestration system into independent, modular well units that can be deployed across multiple geologic formations and locations. Each well functions as a standalone injection system, allowing costs to be distributed across many small-scale deployments rather than concentrated in a single large facility, thereby reducing overall infrastructure complexity and enabling broader geographic distribution
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 enables efficient, cost-effective, and scalable carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, achieving rapid and repeated CO2 storage at a low cost per ton, reducing the need for long-term monitoring and allowing for the use of abundant seawater for mineralization, thereby addressing the economic and scalability challenges of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
a direct air capture device (10) that captures one or more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
Implementation Method 2
an underwater disposal well (18) that injects the greenhouse gases into a geologic formation (12)
Implementation Method 3
allowing for the use of abundant seawater for mineralization
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of greenhouse gas removal and subsea sequestration are described herein. Disclosed systems and methods include a direct air capture device capturing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, a transport apparatus fluidly connected to the at least one direct air capture device, an underwater disposal well fluidly connected to the transport apparatus, and an underwater work apparatus operatively connected to the underwater disposal well. The transport apparatus transfers the greenhouse gases to the underwater disposal well, and the underwater disposal well injects the greenhouse gases into an underwater geologic formation. The greenhouse gases may be solidified as mineral deposits and permanently stored in the underwater geologic formation. Disclosed systems may include a loading system configured to be periodically connected to the transport apparatus. The loading system has a plurality of rotatable joint modules connected by independently actuatable joints.