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A set of technologies that is expected to achieve the first results in four years. It aims to solve one of the world ’s biggest oil and gas extraction challenges: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions in the atmosphere.
This innovation is the result of a patent applied for in 2018. It includes the injection of carbon dioxide and methane produced by oil wells during oil recovery into salt caverns to reduce carbon gas emissions.
The first experimental cave may be completed in 2022, and is the result of research conducted by FAPESP and the Gas Innovation Research Center (RCGI) established by Shell, which is headquartered at the University of Sao Paulo Institute of Technology (Poli-USP). RCGI is one of the Engineering Research Centers (ERC) funded by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and companies.
This is the concept of carbon capture storage (CCS). In this case, carbon dioxide is stored in a large cave in the salt layer itself. This may be one of the best ways to obtain clean energy from fossil fuels in the production process, said Professor Poli-USP and RCGI coordinator Julio Meneghini.
On February 11-12, 2019, FAPESP London Week was held in London, and Menigini was one of the first day's speakers.
The location of the cave where the preliminary test was conducted has not been determined, but it is expected to be located in one of the areas where Yanxia Oilfield is located. At this initial stage, it may be only half the size of the cave used when the technology is operating at full capacity: 450 meters high and 150 meters wide.
According to Meneghini, Brazil will be the first country in the world to use this concept, and the model can be exported to other countries. In addition to storing carbon dioxide, the cave can also store methane and use gravity to separate the two gases. Because CH4, also known as natural gas, has a lower density, it will remain on top of the cave for future use. Carbon dioxide is stored in the lower part.
Researchers expect that at least preliminary cave construction tests will be conducted by 2022. The most optimistic forecast is that 2022 will be the first year of operation of this cave.
Carbon gas capture
The researchers said that not only caves, but also various innovations that followed, such as supersonic gas separators, compressors with optimized topology, and graphene nanotube films used to separate gases.
Taking into account the extreme pressure conditions there, the new CO2 compressor is critical to the operation of the project. The distance from the waterline to the sea floor is 2000 to 3000 meters. This and other variables put the gas in a supercritical state.
It has the density of liquid and the viscosity of gas. Therefore, it is necessary to design a compressor for this purpose. Menigini said: "We have developed a new method that can accurately optimize the compressor to adapt it to the conditions of supercritical fluids."
Another technology related to carbon dioxide caves is gas separators. In addition, due to the existence of sub-salt conditions, people are developing variable geometry supersonic separators for each component of the carbon dioxide and methane mixture.
In addition, graphene nanotube films have been developed to separate gases with as little energy loss as possible.
Carbon gas capture also occurs during ethanol production. The captured gas can be stored or used in the food industry for the production of carbonated beverages. Menigini said that by doing this, you can get a negative emission value. He explained that the experiment is still carried out on a small scale.
These technologies are emerging against the background of increasing energy demand per capita in the world and the need to reduce emissions according to global climate change.
(Originally from: Daily Science China New Energy Network Synthesis)
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