TY - JOUR
T1 - A new HYSYS model for underground gasification of hydrocarbons under hydrothermal conditions
AU - Alshammari, Y.M.
AU - Hellgardt, K.
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: Authors would like to thanks KAUST and the Saudi Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu for sponsoring this project. Mr. Alshammari would also like to thank Prof. Geoffrey Maitland for research guidance and support.
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - A new subsurface process model was developed using the ASPEN HYSYS simulation environment to analyse the process energy and gasification efficiency at steady-state equilibrium conditions. Injection and production wells were simulated using the HYSYS pipe flow utilities which makes use of the Beggs and Brill flow correlation applicable for vertical pipes. The downhole reservoir hydrothermal reactions were assumed to be in equilibrium, and hence, the Gibbs reactor was used. It was found that high W/C ratios and low O/C ratios are required to maximise gasification efficiency at a constant hydrocarbon feed flowrate, while the opposite is true for the energy efficiency. This occurs due to the dependence of process energy efficiency on the gas pressure and temperature at surface, while the gasification efficiency depends on the gas composition which is determined by the reservoir reaction conditions which affects production distribution. Another effect of paramount importance is the increase in reservoir production rate which was found to directly enhance both energy and gasification efficiency showing conditions where the both efficiencies are theoretically maximised. Results open new routes for techno-economic assessment of commercial implementation of underground gasification of hydrocarbons. © 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
AB - A new subsurface process model was developed using the ASPEN HYSYS simulation environment to analyse the process energy and gasification efficiency at steady-state equilibrium conditions. Injection and production wells were simulated using the HYSYS pipe flow utilities which makes use of the Beggs and Brill flow correlation applicable for vertical pipes. The downhole reservoir hydrothermal reactions were assumed to be in equilibrium, and hence, the Gibbs reactor was used. It was found that high W/C ratios and low O/C ratios are required to maximise gasification efficiency at a constant hydrocarbon feed flowrate, while the opposite is true for the energy efficiency. This occurs due to the dependence of process energy efficiency on the gas pressure and temperature at surface, while the gasification efficiency depends on the gas composition which is determined by the reservoir reaction conditions which affects production distribution. Another effect of paramount importance is the increase in reservoir production rate which was found to directly enhance both energy and gasification efficiency showing conditions where the both efficiencies are theoretically maximised. Results open new routes for techno-economic assessment of commercial implementation of underground gasification of hydrocarbons. © 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/597340
UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360319914015985
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84905256294&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.05.182
DO - 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.05.182
M3 - Article
SN - 0360-3199
VL - 39
SP - 12648
EP - 12656
JO - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
JF - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
IS - 24
ER -