Flow management and co2-recovery apparatus and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017173520-A1
Application number	US-201514974825-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus and method for flow management and CO 2 -recovery from a CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream, such as a post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream. The apparatus including a flow control zone, a gas separation zone, a pretreatment zone, and a CO 2 -capture zone. The CO 2 -capture zone is in fluid communication with the pretreatment zone to provide CO 2 -capture from a pretreated flowback gas stream and output a captured CO 2 -flow stream. The CO 2 -capture zone includes a flow splitter to direct a first portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to a CO 2 -enricher to provide an enriched CO 2 -stream for mixing with a second portion of the pretreated flowback gas to form a mixed stream. The CO 2 -capture zone further includes at least one condenser to output the captured CO 2 -flow stream.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for flow management and CO 2 -recovery from a CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream comprising:
a flow control zone in fluid communication with the CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream to provide control of a flowrate of the CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream and output a modified CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream; a gas separation zone in fluid communication with the modified CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream to provide separation of a gas from the modified CO 2 containing hydrocarbon flow stream and output a CO 2 containing hydrocarbon process stream; a pretreatment zone in fluid communication with the gas separation zone to provide removal of one or more of trace solids, aerogels, oil, hydrogen sulfides, water and non-gas liquids from the CO 2 containing hydrocarbon process stream and output a pretreated gas stream; and a CO 2 -capture zone in fluid communication with the pretreatment zone to provide CO 2 -capture from the pretreated flowback gas stream and output a captured CO 2 -flow stream, the CO 2 -capture zone including a flow splitter to direct a second portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to a CO 2 -enricher to provide an enriched CO 2 -stream for mixing with a first portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to form a mixed gas stream, the CO 2 -capture zone further including at least one condenser to output the captured CO 2 -flow stream.

2 . An apparatus for flowback management and CO 2 -recovery from a post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream comprising:
a flow control zone in fluid communication with the post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream to provide control of a flowrate of the post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream and output a modified flowback stream; a gas separation zone in fluid communication with the modified flowback stream to provide separation of a gas from the modified flowback stream and output a flowback process stream; a pretreatment zone in fluid communication with the gas separation zone to provide removal of one or more of trace solids, aerogels, oil, hydrogen sulfides, water and non-gas liquids from the flowback process stream and output a pretreated flowback gas stream; and a CO 2 -capture zone in fluid communication with the pretreatment zone to provide CO 2 -capture from the pretreated flowback gas stream and output a captured CO 2 -flow stream, the CO 2 -capture zone including a flow splitter to direct a second portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to a CO 2 -enricher to provide an enriched CO 2 -stream for mixing with a first portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to form a mixed gas stream, the CO 2 -capture zone further including at least one condenser to output the captured CO 2 -flow stream.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a CO 2 -storage zone in fluid communication with the CO 2 -capture zone and a CO 2 -purification zone in fluid communication with the CO 2 -capture zone, the CO 2 -storage zone providing buffer storage and control of a flowrate of the captured CO 2 -flow stream to the purification zone, the purification zone providing purification of the captured CO 2 -flow stream and output of a CO 2 -product stream.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a gas cleanup zone in fluid communication with the CO 2 enricher to treat a portion of a CO 2 -lean gas retentate stream and output a pipeline quality natural gas stream and a CO 2 -rich permeate stream.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a CO 2 -transfer zone in fluid communication with the CO 2 -capture zone to provide transfer of the captured CO 2 -flow stream as a CO 2 -product stream for product end use.

6 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pretreatment zone includes one or more of mechanical filters, coalescers, H 2 S-scavengers, H 2 S-selective membranes, H 2 O-selective membranes and dessicants.

7 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the flow splitter is operational to vary the portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to the condenser to meet target CO 2 -stream specifications at one or more locations in the apparatus.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the target CO 2 -stream specifications are in one of CO 2 -concentration or undesired components concentration in a respective flow stream.

9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the flow splitter is operational to vary the portion of the pretreated flowback to the condenser between 0%-100%.

10 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the gas separation zone includes one or more gas separators providing varied operation in response to one or more of a flowrate and composition of the post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream.

11 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the CO 2 -purification zone employs at least one of a heater, a cooler, an expander, a distillation column.

12 . The apparatus of claim 2 , comprising a plurality of CO 2 -capture zones configured in parallel such that the combined capacity satisfies an anticipated maximum flowrate of the post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream.

13 . An apparatus for flowback management and CO 2 -recovery from a post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream comprising:
a flowback processing unit to receive and process post CO 2 -stimulation flowback stream and output a flowback stream at desired pressure and temperature; a pretreatment unit to receive and remove contaminants from the flowback stream and output a pretreated flowback stream; a flow splitter in fluid communication with the pretreatment unit to direct a first portion of the pretreated flowback stream to a condenser and a second portion of the pretreated flowback stream to a CO 2 -enricher to output an enriched CO 2 flow stream to mix with the first portion of the pretreated flowback stream and output from the condenser a captured CO 2 flow stream.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising one or more purification components to purify the captured CO 2 flow stream to a known specification and output a CO 2 -product stream.

15 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the flow splitter is operational to vary the portion of the pretreated flowback gas stream to the condenser to meet target CO 2 -stream specifications at one or more locations in the apparatus.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the target CO 2 -stream specifications are in one of CO 2 -concentration or undesired components concentration in a respective flow stream.

17 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the CO 2 -enricher includes a CO 2 -selective membrane formed of one or more of a polyetheretherketone (PEEK), cellulose acetate and polyimides.

18 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the CO 2 -enricher includes a CO 2 -selective membrane that is stable to hydrocarbon condensates.

19 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the enricher is operational to vary the enrichment of the enriched CO 2 flow stream output to the condenser to meet target CO 2 -stream specifications at one or more locations in the apparatus.

20 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the CO 2 -concentration in the enriched CO 2 flow stream is in a range of 85% to >99%.

21 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the CO 2 -enricher includes a plurality of parallel membrane systems, each of the plurality of parallel membrane systems having a separation capacity, wherein the separation capacity of the plurality of parallel membrane systems are one of equal or unequal to one another.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein a numbe

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Acharya Harish Radhakrishna
• Shisler Roger Allen

Classifications

• B01D53/227 Primary

  in parallel connexion · CPC title

• B01D2256/22

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C10L3/104

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• F25J3/0266

  separation of carbon dioxide (production of carbon dioxide in general C01B32/00) · CPC title

• F25J3/08

  Separating gaseous impurities from gases or gaseous mixtures {or from liquefied gases or liquefied gaseous mixtures}(cold traps B01D8/00) · CPC title