APPARATUS, METHODS, AND SYSTEMS FOR EXTRACTING PETROLEUM USING A PORTABLE COAL REFORMER

• US 20080283249A1
• Filed: 05/19/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Zubrin, Robert M., Berggren, Mark H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,654,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/369
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0405 Purification by membrane separation
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/043 Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/047 the impurity being carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/0475 the impurity being carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/048 the impurity being an organic compound
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/501 by diffusion
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/505 Membranes containing palladium
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/56 by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids C01B3/508 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/093 Coal
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0973 Water
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/16 Integration of gasification processes with another plant or parts within the plant
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1606 Combustion processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1621 Compression of synthesis gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1671 with the production of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1838 Autothermal gasification by injection of oxygen or steam
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1853 Steam reforming, i.e. injection of steam only
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1876 with one stream being combustion gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1884 with one stream being synthesis gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/20 Apparatus; Plants
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/482 : Gasifiers with stationary fluidised bed
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/168 : Injecting a gaseous medium
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/34 : Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/00 : Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems for extracting oil or natural gas from a well using a portable coal reformer. In one example, the method may include reforming coal by reaction with water to generate driver gas (comprising carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas), and injecting the driver gas into the well. The driver gas reduces the viscosity and pressurizes the oil to help extract the oil from the oil well. The coal reforming operation may include combusting coal or other combustible material with ambient oxygen to release energy, and heating coal and water with the energy released to a temperature above that required for the coal reforming reaction to proceed, thereby reforming coal and water into driver gas. The driver gas may be purified by filtering out particles and sulfur before injecting into the well. A portion of the hydrogen gas may be separated from the driver gas and used to generate electrical power.

Claims

1. A portable oil recovery apparatus for extracting oil from an oil well, comprising:

a portable reformer adapted to react a quantity of coal with a quantity of water to generate driver gas;

a compressor module operatively connected to the portable reformer and adapted to compress the driver gas produced by the portable reformer to a pressure appropriate for the oil well; and

an injection line operatively connected to the compressor module and adapted to inject the compressed driver gas into the oil well.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a filter module, operatively coupled to the portable reformer and positioned between the portable reformer and the compressor module, and adapted to remove particles from the driver gas produced by the portable reformer before the driver gas is compressed by the compressor module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driver gas comprises hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a gas separator module, operatively coupled to the portable reformer and the compressor module, and adapted to separate at least a portion of the hydrogen gas from the carbon dioxide gas,

wherein the gas separator module transmits the carbon dioxide gas to the compressor module and transmits the separated hydrogen gas to a hydrogen outlet.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a power generator module having a hydrogen inlet operatively coupled to the hydrogen outlet of the gas separator module, and adapted to generate electric power using the hydrogen gas received from the gas separator module via the hydrogen inlet.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a heat recovery module operatively connected to the portable reformer and adapted to recover a portion of heat released by the portable reformer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a steam generator module operatively connected to the heat recovery module and adapted to convert water into steam,

wherein the steam generator module is positioned adjacent to the portable reformer such that heat from the heat recovery module is used to convert water into steam entering the portable reformer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a hopper operatively connected to an inlet on the portable reformer and adapted to feed coal into the portable reformer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coal and the water are mixed to create coal-water slurry that is fed via an inlet to the portable reformer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable reformer is a fixed bed reformer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable reformer is a fluidized bed reformer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a cyclone fluidly connected to the fluidized bed reformer and adapted to remove ash from the driver gas exiting the fluidized bed reformer.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable reformer is an entrained flow reformer.

14. A method for extracting oil from a near-depleted oil well, comprising:

providing a portable coal reformer at a site of the oil well;

feeding a quantity of coal and a quantity of water into the portable coal reformer;

reacting the coal and the water in the reformer to generate a driver gas comprising a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas;

compressing the driver gas to a pressure appropriate for the oil well;

injecting the compressed driver gas into the oil well; and

recovering the oil from the near-depleted oil well.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

purifying the driver gas by filtering particles from the driver gas existing the portable coal reformer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

recycling intermediate-sized particles into the portable coal reformer.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

adding a quantity of oxygen to the portable coal reformer;

reacting the oxygen with a combustible material in the portable coal reformer; and

reforming the coal and the water in the portable coal reformer utilizing energy released from combustion of the oxygen and the combustible material.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the combustible material is coal or a derivative of coal.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

removing sulfur from the driver gas exiting the portable reformer.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

separating the driver gas into a hydrogen stream and a carbon dioxide stream prior to injecting the driver gas into the oil well.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

injecting the carbon dioxide stream into the oil well; and

generating power from the hydrogen stream.

22. A portable apparatus for extracting oil from a near-depleted oil well, comprising:

transportation means for transporting the portable apparatus to the oil well;

reformation means for reforming a quantity of coal with a quantity of water to generate driver gas, the driver gas comprising a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas;

separation means for separating a portion of the hydrogen gas from the carbon dioxide gas, the separation means operatively connected to the reformation means to receive the driver gas;

generation means for generating power using the separated hydrogen gas, the generation means operatively coupled to the separation means to receive the hydrogen gas;

pressurization means for pressurizing the carbon dioxide gas to a pressure appropriate for injection into the oil well, the pressurization means operatively connected to the separation means to receive the carbon dioxide gas; and

injection means for injecting the pressurized carbon dioxide gas into the oil well, the injection means operatively coupled to the pressurization means to receive the pressurized carbon dioxide gas,

wherein the transportation means supports and transports the reformation means, the separation means, the generation means, the pressurization means, and the injection means.