Hydrogen production, storage and recovery

{
  "publication_number": "US2023167720A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Hydrogen production, storage and recovery",
  "abstract": "A method for operating a kerogen-rich unconventional gas reservoir characterized by there being multiple hydraulically-fractured wells drilled thereinto comprises: recovering a methane-containing gas from a first hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir, steam-methane reforming the recovered methane-containing gas to yield a hydrogen gas and an inorganic carbon-containing gas, injecting at least a portion of the hydrogen gas into a second hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir, and injecting at least a portion of the inorganic carbon-containing gas into a third hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of operating a kerogen-rich unconventional gas reservoir characterized by there being multiple hydraulically-fractured wells drilled thereinto, the method comprising: a. recovering a methane-containing gas from a first hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir; b. steam-methane reforming the recovered methane-containing gas to yield a hydrogen gas and an inorganic carbon-containing gas; c. injecting at least a portion of the hydrogen gas into a second hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir; and d. injecting at least a portion of the inorganic carbon-containing gas into a third hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir. 2 - 262. (canceled)"
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to methods and systems for production, storage and recovery of a hydrogen-containing gas in a geological formation comprising a partially-depleted unconventional gas reservoir, and particularly to methods and systems for recovering the hydrogen gas at a high level of purity.\n\nAchieving a diversified low-carbon emissions energy economy has been limited by economic and technological limitations. Economic limitations include the cost of renewable energy projects compared to the value of the energy production, as well as competition from low-cost fossil fuels. Technological limitations are related to the energy production efficiency, storage of enormous amounts of excess energy, and ability to connect energy sources to users. For example, renewable energy sources like solar and wind have intermittency challenges in which excess energy is produced with insufficient storage capacity. Thus, capital costs are increased because the solar and wind farms are built for peak power loads which are often twice or three times the mean (levelized) power loads. One of the ways to make renewable energy sources more economical is to provide large scale, inexpensive, geographically diversified, and energy efficient storage solutions. Currently, complex, expensive storage facilities are used to store excess energy (e.g. pumped hydroelectric storage, batteries, thermal storage), and the conversion efficiency is low.\n\nThe enormous scale of hydrogen storage that is required to support a green economy is so large that it necessitates some form of geological storage.",
  "cpc": [
    "E21B 43/006",
    "B65G 5/00",
    "C09K 8/62",
    "E21B 21/068",
    "E21B 41/0057",
    "E21B 43/12",
    "E21B 43/164",
    "E21B 43/2405",
    "E21B 43/2605",
    "E21B 47/11",
    "E21B 49/00",
    "E21B 49/0875",
    "E21B 49/088",
    "Y02P 20/133"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 5/00",
    "E21B 21/06",
    "E21B 41/00",
    "E21B 43/00",
    "E21B 43/12",
    "E21B 43/16",
    "E21B 43/26",
    "E21B 49/08"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "TerraH2 LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "VINEGAR EVA",
    "VINEGAR HAROLD J"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2022-11-23",
  "publication_date": "2023-06-01",
  "priority_date": "2021-02-08",
  "application_number": "US-202217993712-A",
  "family_id": "82703679"
}