Wellsite Greenhouse Gas Capture and Sequestration System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies fail to effectively capture and sequester greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, at wellsites, leading to significant atmospheric emissions from fossil fuel-powered equipment used in oilfield operations, which contribute to climate change.
Innovation Solution
An integrated system for capturing greenhouse gases at wellsites, comprising exhaust gas collection, capture, liquification, storage, and injection into subsurface formations, allowing for on-site or nearby geological sequestration, and enabling the use of captured gas for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If fossil fuel-powered equipment is used for wellsite operations, then operational power is provided, but greenhouse gas emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures greenhouse gases (harmful emissions) from exhaust streams and converts them into a beneficial product by injecting them into subsurface formations for sequestration and enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. This transforms the harmful emissions into a useful resource that enhances oil and gas recovery while reducing atmospheric pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, the system recovers them through capture equipment, processes them through liquification and compression, and reinjects them into subsurface formations. This recovery process eliminates waste and creates value from what would otherwise be discarded harmful emissions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If greenhouse gas capture and sequestration equipment is added to wellsite operations, then emissions are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the greenhouse gas capture, processing, and injection functions into an integrated workflow that leverages existing wellsite infrastructure. The capture equipment is coupled with existing exhaust streams, and the injection process utilizes existing subsurface formation access, combining multiple functions into a unified system that reduces overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it captures greenhouse gases for emissions reduction, processes them through liquification and compression, stores them temporarily, and reinjects them for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise be separate systems into a single integrated solution.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If greenhouse gas is captured and stored on-site, then atmospheric emissions are reduced, but storage capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts greenhouse gases from the exhaust stream and removes them from the atmospheric emission pathway. By taking the harmful emissions out of the traditional release path and redirecting them into subsurface formations, the system eliminates the need for large surface storage facilities while achieving emissions reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions the storage dimension from surface-level atmospheric release to subsurface geological formation injection. By moving the storage location to another dimension (deep underground), the system achieves effective emissions reduction without requiring large surface storage capacity, utilizing the vast storage potential of subsurface formations instead.
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
The system efficiently reduces atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, enhancing hydrocarbon recovery through reduced oil interfacial tension and methane desorption, and providing a modular, scalable solution for both centralized and decentralized applications.
Implementation Method 1
separate the greenhouse gas to be captured from the exhaust gas
Implementation Method 2
separate the greenhouse gas to be captured from the exhaust gas
Implementation Method 3
reduce the greenhouse gas to a greenhouse gas fluid
Implementation Method 4
reduce the greenhouse gas to a greenhouse gas fluid
Implementation Method 5
enhancing hydrocarbon recovery through reduced oil interfacial tension
Implementation Method 6
methane desorption
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a modular, scalable, and transportable system for capture and sequestration of wellsite greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, by integrating exhaust gas collection equipment, greenhouse gas capture equipment, greenhouse gas compression equipment, and a method enabling sequestration of the gas into well construction equipment and processes. The captured gas can be compressed or otherwise formed into a denser gas fluid, and injected into a geological formation, such as a shale formation. Enhancements to fracking processes can be provided by intercalating or otherwise mixing the gas fluid with fracking fluid. The gas fluid can be geologically sequestered by its interaction with and adsorption into the formation. The sequestered gas fluid can enhance hydrocarbon recovery by reduction of oil interfacial tension in the formation and desorption of methane from the formation. The gas fluid can also be absorbed into the formation or sequestered in other wells or storage facilities.