Integrated Wellsite CO2 Capture For Direct Subsurface Sequestration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies fail to effectively capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions from wellsite operations, leading to significant atmospheric release of this greenhouse gas.
Innovation Solution
An integrated system for capturing carbon dioxide at the wellsite, mixing it with water to form a carbonated fracking fluid, and injecting it into a subsurface formation for sequestration, utilizing a modular, scalable, and transportable in-situ closed loop process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If carbon dioxide is captured and transported to surface storage facilities, then atmospheric emissions are reduced, but transportation infrastructure and long-term surface storage are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts carbon dioxide from exhaust streams at the source (engines, furnaces, incinerators) and directly injects it into subsurface geological formations through injection wells. This eliminates the need for complex surface transportation infrastructure and long-term surface storage facilities by delivering the captured CO2 directly to its final sequestration location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses carbonated water as an intermediary medium to transport CO2 from capture points to injection wells. The CO2 is dissolved in water under pressure to form carbonated fracking fluid, which serves as a carrier that simplifies the transportation process compared to compressing and piping pure CO2 gas over long distances.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If carbon dioxide is dissolved in water to form carbonated fracking fluid, then CO2 can be injected into subsurface formations, but the system requires integration with existing fracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the carbonation system compatible with existing hydraulic fracturing equipment by carbonating the water that would normally be used for fracking. This allows the same injection wells, pumps, and piping infrastructure to serve dual purposes: both oil/gas extraction through fracking and CO2 sequestration, thereby reducing the need for separate dedicated CO2 injection infrastructure.
3Productivity
If modular carbonation units are deployed at multiple locations, then CO2 capture is scalable, but the system requires multiple distributed units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs modular carbonation units that can be independently deployed at various CO2 emission sources (engines, furnaces, incinerators). Each module captures CO2 from its local source and processes it through carbonation, allowing the system to be scaled by adding or removing individual modules rather than requiring a single large centralized facility. This segmentation enables flexible deployment matching the distributed nature of CO2 emission sources.
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
Efficient capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide, reducing atmospheric emissions by transforming it into a carbonated fracking fluid for injection and chemical attraction into the formation, thereby minimizing long-term surface storage and transportation.
Implementation Method 1
a carbonation equipment configured to dissolve the carbon dioxide into water and form a carbonated fracking fluid portion
Implementation Method 2
injecting it into a subsurface formation for sequestration, thereby minimizing long-term surface storage and transportation
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a system to capture on-site greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide, from exhausts of greenhouse gas emission sources. The carbon dioxide is mixed with water to form a carbonated fracking fluid portion to combine with a proppant fracking fluid to form the fracking fluid for injection into a subsurface. The carbon dioxide in the carbonated fracking fluid portion is then sequestered into the formation through chemical attraction. The system can be an in-situ closed loop system in that the capture of the wellsite's carbon dioxide emissions and injection into the formation occur at the same wellsite or nearby wellsites in the same field to avoid long-term surface storage and transportations. The system can be modular, scalable, and transportable. The system can be installed as decentralized individual units coupled with each greenhouse gas generating equipment at the wellsite.