Granted Patent B2

US 12,467,341 · App. 17/993,712 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

Inventors: Eva Vinegar (Austin, TX); Harold J. Vinegar (West Lake Hills, TX)

Assignee: TerraH2 LLC

E21B43/006B65G5/00E21B21/068E21B41/0057E21B43/12E21B43/164E21B43/2605E21B49/0875E21B49/088

Abstract

Claims (29)

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, wherein the second hydraulically-fractured well is partially depleted by a methane-containing-gas recovery process characterized by (i) a maximum flow rate and (ii) a minimum flow rate that is not more than 20% of the maximum flow rate and that is selected to ensure that a hydrogen-containing gas having subsequently recovered from the second hydraulically-fractured well has an H 2 molar fraction of at least 85%, and the method additionally comprises: recovering, from the second hydraulically-fractured well, a hydrogen-containing gas having an H 2 molar fraction of at least 85%.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the third hydraulically-fractured well is partially depleted by a methane-containing-gas recovery process characterized by (i) a maximum flow rate and (ii) a minimum flow rate that is at least 10% of the maximum flow rate.

3 . The method of claim 1 , additionally comprising, after the injecting of at least a portion of the inorganic carbon-containing gas into the third hydraulically-fractured well: further recovering, from the third hydraulically-fractured well, a methane-containing gas.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple hydraulically-fractured wells are non-communicating and non-intersecting with each other.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic carbon-containing gas includes at least one of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

6 . A method of operating a kerogen-rich unconventional gas reservoir characterized by there being multiple hydraulically-fractured wells drilled thereinto by multiple hydraulically-fractured wells, the method comprising:

a. receiving a methane-containing gas;

b. steam-methane reforming the 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 first hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir;

d. injecting at least a portion of the inorganic carbon-containing gas into a second hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir;

e. recovering, from the first hydraulically-fractured well, a hydrogen-containing gas having an H2 molar fraction of at least 85%; and

f. generating electricity from at least a portion of the recovered hydrogen-containing gas.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the received methane-containing gas is recovered from a third hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the gas reservoir.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the received methane-containing gas is recovered from the second hydraulically-fractured well after the injecting of the at least a portion of the inorganic carbon-containing gas into the second hydraulically-fractured well.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the received methane-containing gas is received from a pipeline.

10 . A system for producing, storing and subsequently recovering a hydrogen-containing gas by performing the method of claim 6 , the system comprising:

a. a steam-methane reformer for receiving and steam-reforming a methane-containing gas to yield a hydrogen gas and an inorganic carbon-containing gas;

b. pumping arrangements for the hydrogen-containing gas, disposed in fluid communication with the first partially-depleted, hydraulically-fractured well, and operative to inject the hydrogen gas through a respective horizontal wellbore into the first hydraulically-fractured well at a pressure higher than a current gas pressure at the wellbore;

c. pumping arrangements for the inorganic carbon-containing gas, disposed in fluid communication with the second partially-depleted, hydraulically-fractured well drilled into the kerogen-rich, unconventional reservoir, and operative to inject the carbon-containing gas through a respective horizontal wellbore into the second hydraulically-fractured well at a pressure higher than a current gas pressure at the wellbore; and

d. gas-recovery equipment disposed in fluid communication with the first hydraulically-fractured well and operative to recover a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas through the respective horizontal wellbore.

11 . The system of claim 10 , additionally including an electrical generator arranged to receive at least a portion of the recovered hydrogen-containing gas to generate electricity therefrom.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the electrical generator is also arranged to receive a least a portion of the yielded hydrogen gas from the steam-methane reformer.

13 . The system of claim 10 , additionally including a separator facility for separating hydrogen gas from methane gas.

14 . The system of claim 10 , additionally including a separator facility for separating hydrogen gas from the inorganic carbon-containing gas.

15 . The system of claim 10 , additionally including electricity transmission arrangements for delivering electricity from the electrical generator to the steam-methane reformer.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (7)

References Cited (57)