Method for producing nitrogen to use in under balanced drilling, secondary recovery production operations and pipeline maintenance
View Patent ↗The invention uses a feed of atmospheric air and mixes the air with hydrogen. The hydrogen and air mixture is fed into a catalytic reactor where a deoxygenation reaction occurs. The deoxygenation reaction uses a platinum catalyst to produce water from oxygen and hydrogen. The nitrogen passes through the catalytic reactor without reacting with the hydrogen, the oxygen, or the water. The water is separated from the nitrogen in a dryer. The nitrogen may then be used in drilling and production operations. The water is fed into an electrolyzer where an electrolysis reaction occurs. The electrolyzer passes an electrical current through the water to produce gaseous oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is recycled back to the catalytic reactor and the oxygen may be vented or sold.
1. A method for producing nitrogen for a well site operation, the method comprising:
mixing air and a reducing gas to obtain an inlet gas;
wherein the air comprises oxygen and nitrogen;
feeding the inlet gas into a reactor;
in a reactor, reacting the reducing gas with the oxygen in the air to substantially eliminate the oxygen, thereby producing an effluent gas comprising nitrogen and water;
separating the nitrogen in the effluent gas from the water in the effluent gas; and
using the nitrogen in a well site operation.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
separating the water in the effluent gas into a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas;
selling the oxygen gas; and
recycling the hydrogen gas into the inlet gas.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the separation of the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas from the water is by electrolysis.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
separating the water into a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas; and
selling or venting the oxygen gas.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the separation of the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas from the, water is by electrolysis.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the reaction between the reducing gas and the oxygen is a catalyzed reaction.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the catalyst is platinum. pg, 19
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the reaction between the reducing gas and the oxygen is a deoxygenation reaction.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the reactor maintains a temperature high enough to support the reaction and low enough to prevent damage to the catalyst.
10. The method of claim 2 wherein the reactor maintains a temperature between approximately 200° F. and approximately 1000° F.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the reducing gas is hydrogen.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the reducing gas is a gaseous hydrocarbon.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the well site operation is drilling.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the well site operation is under balanced drilling.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the well site operation is production.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the well site operation is secondary recovery.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the well site operation is pipeline cleaning.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein a heat exchanger is used to regulate the temperature of the reactor.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the heat exchanger is an air cooler.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the nitrogen in the effluent gas is separated from the water in the effluent gas using a dryer.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the dryer is a heat exchanger.
22. The method of claim 20 wherein the dryer is a chemical dryer.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein the heat from the reaction between the reducing gas and the oxygen is used to produce electricity.