Systems and methods for generating in-situ carbon dioxide driver gas for use in enhanced oil recovery

A method for generating carbon dioxide gas near an oil site for use in enhanced oil recovery, comprising:

• providing a source of superheated steam;
• providing a source of essentially pure oxygen;
• controlling an input oxygen-to-steam ratio based on a temperature, a pressure, and a gas composition of a driver gas in real-time;
• steam reforming a carbonaceous material with the superheated steam and the pure oxygen to generate a driver gas comprising primarily carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas, wherein the steam reforming reaction is performed adjacent to the oil site and in an absence of air;
• separating at least a portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the driver gas to generate a carbon dioxide-rich driver gas and a hydrogen-rich fuel gas;
• compressing the carbon dioxide-rich driver gas for use in enhanced oil recovery;
• and
• injecting the compressed portion of the carbon dioxide-rich driver gas, with substantially no oxygen, to a predetermined depth in order to enhance oil recovery at the oil site.

An in-situ apparatus for generating carbon dioxide gas near an oil site for use in enhanced oil recovery, comprising:

• a steam generator adapted to boil and superheat water to generate a source of superheated steam;
• a source of essentially pure oxygen;
• a steam reformer, located adjacent to the oil site, adapted to react a carbonaceous material with the superheated steam and the pure oxygen, in an absence of air, to generate a driver gas comprising primarily carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas, wherein at least a portion of the carbonaceous material is obtained from a location outside the oil site;
• a separator adapted to separate at least a portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the driver gas to generate a carbon dioxide-rich driver gas and a hydrogen-rich fuel gas, wherein the separator is a methanol-based separator operating in a temperature-swing cycle between approximately −60° C. and +40° C., or a pressure-swing cycle between approximately 1 bar and 100 bar.