US 7,753,972 B2 · Portable apparatus for extracting low carbon petroleum and for generating low carbon electricity

Abstract

The Portable Renewable Energy System for Enhanced Oil Recovery (“PRESEOR”) is a truck mobile system that reforms biomass into CO2 and hydrogen, following which the gases are separated, with the CO2 sequestered underground for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and the hydrogen used to generate several megawatts of carbon-free electricity. In contrast to large central power plants that are generally not well-located to support EOR, the small PRESEOR can go directly to the oilfields where it is needed, and do so in a timely manner. The PRESEOR sequesters more biomass-derived carbon than is released by the burning of the oil it yields, thereby producing not only carbon-free electricity but carbon-free oil. Using PRESEOR, over 80 billion barrels of U.S. oil would be made recoverable, without the need to drill new wells in pristine areas.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A portable apparatus for extracting low carbon petroleum and for generating low carbon electricity from biomass and water, comprising:

a boiler adapted to boil the water to generate a high-pressure steam source;
a biomass hopper having a source of biomass;
a steam reformer adapted to react the biomass with the steam to generate a high-pressure gas comprising a majority of carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas;
a methanol CO2 separator adapted to separate at least a portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the high-pressure gas to generate a carbon dioxide-rich driver gas and a hydrogen-rich fuel gas;
a gas turbine adapted to utilize a portion of the hydrogen-rich fuel gas to generate low carbon electricity;
appropriate for injection into a petroleum reservoir to extract low carbon petroleum;
and
wherein the steam reformer, the methanol CO2 separator, the gas turbine and the compressor are located on a portable chassis.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Portable apparatus for extracting low carbon petroleum and for generating low carbon electricity

Life of this patent

Portable apparatus for extracting low carbon petroleum and for generating low carbon electricity

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20