Great idea! How much electricity is discharged in one event? How do you remove the existing methane, methane released during electricity production, and how costly is it? How difficult is it to connect the well to the grid? How many years does it take to break even vs the life expectancy of the equipment/land lease costs?
interesting, but I'm skeptical that this would scale. Wells are required to be plugged and abandoned in Texas to prevent pollution and steel casing doesn't last forever in what is typically a corrosive environment. Go find a block of wells (go partner with an oil company that has something that works) with close enough spacing and existing electrical infrastructure that can be tied to the grid and monitored. Run the system for a year and publish your results. Good luck. Oh and PS: Eventually when the leases on the land are no longer held by production, then the owner of the surface rights is probably going to want to be compensated. Same with the mineral rights owner(s). And the ol company that drilled the well is going to want someone else to take over the liability for having an open hole that they don't properly plug to prevent groundwater contamination in the future. Again, interesting idea but lots of non-technical issues that have to be considered and addressed.
lightning always strikes twice, baby! what great ideas that can bring us together to help our planet, can't wait to see all the good these folks do together!
This is the biggest WIN WIN WIN I’ve ever seen. Absolute genius and simplicity. So many inventors will be scratching their heads wondering why they didn’t think of it!!!!!
Great idea! You guys need to consider making scalable versions of this that can be built into buildings so they can mechanically store energy through the day. It’s a good match for solar rooftop! Could be a market beyond just old oil wells. Could one day become building code for tall buildings.
What’s the net energy output per well (I.e., energy generated during the drop minus energy used to lift the total weight to the surface, minus cost of investment allocated per total round trip?)? Cool idea, but I’d have to see the total feasibility study and ROI calculations to make an informed decision. Why? Testing on a water well is one thing compared to O&G wells. O&G wells not producing and abandoned, are plugged…so, you’d have to get permits (good luck in California, I’d start in Texas where it’d be more reasonable). drill out the plug/cement in the casing bore to make this work, which is VERY expensive, plus remove junk in the well and test the integrity of the well casing and cement bond between the open hole and casing (needed to isolate oil/gas zones and protect fresh water zones). The energy required to spool a wireline cable and the tool weight is ENORMOUS. Wireline trucks (e.g., Schlumberger or Halliburton cased hole well logging units) use diesel engines to drive powerful hydraulic spools capable of hoisting tons of weight. You’d have to control the weight and generator “brake” gearing during the drop (or hydraulic brakes) to release in a controlled manner as the total weight supported increases (as the cable unspools).
That's ✅✅✅✅ four good reasons why this should be brought into play. Texas, Colorado, California, Tennessee, There's probably more states with dead wells and under current circumstances in the United States of America, with current laws and reforms this would be a more pliable solution, as apposed to filling and capping the wells. They say the sum of greatness of humankind is there determination too change the world for the better. God bless amen.
Is it possible to add on a recovery system to each installed unit so that methane can be recovered and sold? Sounds like a win-win-win and maybe even another win.
@@stefanstreckfus5360 ,, LOL THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR AGAINST THE OIL INDUSTRY. YOU WANT TO ELEMENATE GAS AND OIL.SO YOU HAVE NO COMPETION. GO AHEAD AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU WILL BENEIFIT FROM THIS. DO YOU EXPECT THE OIL INDUSTRY WILL GIVE YOU THERE WELLS. YOUR GONNA SELL THE PUBLIC A BILL OFF GOODS AND THEN RUN YOU EQUIMENT DOWN INTO A WELL THAT HAS BAD CASING WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLUG AND ABANDON.
@@stefanstreckfus5360Small scale on site power generation could be an option with enough gas. Run a trash gas generator to run the winch or charge a battery.
This is totally awesome, because I thought about it first, about two years after you did😊 One problem I invisioned is the presence of volatile gases and how to remediate that issue. If there was an ignition below your weight your weight that would be a big problem.
I guess I miss the main point of this system, how does it generate net electricity? I assume by dropping a weight, but doesn’t consume the equivalent energy bring it back up ? Or does the methane push it up
A lot of old water flood wells have high H2S content. How do you find wells that are safe to try this work on? Do you need to set cement plugs across the production zone prior to running your tool? How many wells are in the ideal state to work this or is your vision to sell it to O&G producers so they can deal with all of these issues themselves vs you guys having to get the well into a safe workable state?
This was an inspiring story. Wasn’t really about the tech at all as the story focused on the journey of two sets of innovation entrepreneurs, each in their own phase of business innovation - one early, one later. The combination of both seemed to have given each a purpose.
no on the first, you might net out at about 70% energywise on an up/down cycle. on the second, that would be interesting to pull off but even then the volume being recovered might not be feasible to capture for sale... it's a good question.
It takes more energy to lift the weight or "charge" the system, which is the case for all energy storage technologies. This is referred to as the "round-trip efficiency" or RTE. The goal here is not to generate more electricity, but rather to store the power generated when wind and solar are producing until times when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing and we still need power on the grid.
Gravity storage has two limitations. The efficiency of the motor lifting the weight, water,, and the efficiency of the generator to produce electricity. 75% efficiency for either is generous. Keep in mind,, the actual motor is 75% efficient,, that does not include the mechanical efficiency of the reel, cable, bearings, blocks, sheaves, etc. So too the power goes through step down transformers and then step up transformers when taking grid power or putting it back. So take 100 watts of power from the grid and you finish with 75 watts of potential once the weight is raised. Drop it and you get back 75% of 75 watts = 56 watts. now subtract from that the transformer steps up and down , 2 to 5% for each step, mechanical losses, friction, etc Put 100 watts in and you are going to get a usable approx 46 watts back. The one golden aspect of pumped storage,, power exactly when you want it. And no degradation of the stored power,,, use it today or use it a year from now. Mile deep well casings,, how many have refilled with oil or water?
I like your take on it with at least estimated numbers. It would be prudent to put solar panels on the rigs and slowly wind the weight up during the day using just solar power. The video was posted 2 years ago, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. They should have some real world experience by now, good or bad.
@@woods-garage I learned (the hard way) that I ain't so smart. So you can laugh with me, (at me). Years ago I was challenged to design an ultra energy efficient home for New Mexico. Lotsa Michigan experience,, so New Mexico was a welcome challenge. (Hmm passive solar, super insulated,, pre computer for me,, a week's worth of paper and pencil. Time spent at the University of Michigan library for climate research,, yada, yada, I finally arrived at an over hang length, with air vent, 9 inches of masonry exterior, 6 inch fiberglass interior, percentage of windows,,, Yeah, yeah,, and then it whacked right between the eyes, What are the dimensions of an adobe brick? uh,, 9 inches,, and The logs that stick out of the roof in an adobe dwelling? Vigas. And they are supposed to stick out far enough to shade the wall during the summer day,, with a space to allow the wall to cool convectively at night. I found out I wasn't so smart. The Ancient ones, the Anasazi, the Navajo, the Aztec,, had been doing itt for 2,000 years. I don't think they have millions of wells available to them. Every last one of those wells has been sitting for 2 years, 20 years, 50 or 100 years,, They have refilled (oil or water), the steel casings have rusted through and collapsed. I do not think they can come even to an efficiency of 46% More likely 20% plus or minus. The are climbing a very steep hill. We currently pump water for energy storage,, and the best idea to float along is use the excess power in and around Las Vegas to pump Colorado River water back up hill into Lake Mead. The generators already exist. If you have a wind turbine,, don't even use the step of electrical generation. Pump it directly, mechanically, back up into Lake Mead.
Yes. can this be scaled to make economic sense? I don't think you have the physical density of wells in a given area for this to make sense, much less account for the necessary compensation to surface and mineral right owners and to insure yourself for the liability of future pollution of groundwater in an old open hole once the casing fails. This is the primary reason wells are required by law to be plugged and abandoned.
Actually makes no net electricity. This machinery actually could never pay for itself and is absolutely not practical for anything. Just a feel good about people video production.
Grid energy storage has a few ways to make money, for example beyond the passive "buy low, sell high" between different times of the day, you can be paid extra for being actively controlled absorbing power and releasing it as the grid operator requires.
Yes but right now it's still the most efficient way to do that is called pump storage and the reason it's so efficient is because of how long it runs key part in this is storage there's not much storage in a single well let alone a bunch of them once it hits the bottom it's done you have to wait until the power becomes affordable again to wind them all back up which means the volume of storage compared to the volume of cost is no longer efficient @@backacheache
Sorry but you don't get it. There are plenty of times when the grid has a surplus. That's when the weight is brought to the surface. Then when the grid has a deficit, that's when the weight is utilized to generate energy. We already do that all over America.
Is there any redundancy in the system? Such as a sprocket/latch mechanism in case the cable breaks. So the GPE weight is not lost. Also, since the wells are quite deep could you use saltwater and pump it back and forth with out increasing the surrounding soil Ph. A different version of pumped hydro. It might be a bit more upfront cost but it has less moving parts.
#reversefracktheearth also recreates Petrol same use the sewage systems to create saline aquifers sucks carbon from the air and lots cheaper on fresh ground water
Nice idea but who is now responsible for the physically integrity of the well. If if the well was once producing the operator has to set cement plugs across the pay zone then cement plugs across the fresh / saline water interface. Note I have only experience in California with drilling, producing and plugging & abandonment of oil and gas wells on shore. I would hope to think Texas regulations are similar.
Leaking methane wells should be used to power motors that raise the weight up the hole. Now, instead of a battery, its a on-demand generator. Great idea. Not so good of a documentary.
Love the innovation and turning a local problem - methane leaking from wells - into an economic opportunity!
THIS WORLD DEPENDS ON METHANE GAS FOR LIFE SUPPORT.
Great idea! How much electricity is discharged in one event? How do you remove the existing methane, methane released during electricity production, and how costly is it? How difficult is it to connect the well to the grid? How many years does it take to break even vs the life expectancy of the equipment/land lease costs?
Ya this video is nice and all but we have questions
How much energy does it take to lift whatever they are dropping back up
This is such an ingenious energy solution and a great step forward in protecting our planet.
REALLY AT WHAT COST?
Methane is not a pollutant. Collect it and heat homes.
interesting, but I'm skeptical that this would scale. Wells are required to be plugged and abandoned in Texas to prevent pollution and steel casing doesn't last forever in what is typically a corrosive environment. Go find a block of wells (go partner with an oil company that has something that works) with close enough spacing and existing electrical infrastructure that can be tied to the grid and monitored. Run the system for a year and publish your results. Good luck. Oh and PS: Eventually when the leases on the land are no longer held by production, then the owner of the surface rights is probably going to want to be compensated. Same with the mineral rights owner(s). And the ol company that drilled the well is going to want someone else to take over the liability for having an open hole that they don't properly plug to prevent groundwater contamination in the future. Again, interesting idea but lots of non-technical issues that have to be considered and addressed.
lightning always strikes twice, baby! what great ideas that can bring us together to help our planet, can't wait to see all the good these folks do together!
HOW MANY HOMES CAN ONE 10,000 LBS MACHINE SUPPORT.
This is the biggest WIN WIN WIN I’ve ever seen. Absolute genius and simplicity. So many inventors will be scratching their heads wondering why they didn’t think of it!!!!!
Super cool 😎
This is genius!!
YES THEY WILL GET RICH OFF OF YOUR BACK.
The elegance of simplicity! Between this and geothermal with heat pumps oil& gas wells have a lot of potential!
Great idea! You guys need to consider making scalable versions of this that can be built into buildings so they can mechanically store energy through the day. It’s a good match for solar rooftop! Could be a market beyond just old oil wells. Could one day become building code for tall buildings.
What’s the net energy output per well (I.e., energy generated during the drop minus energy used to lift the total weight to the surface, minus cost of investment allocated per total round trip?)?
Cool idea, but I’d have to see the total feasibility study and ROI calculations to make an informed decision. Why? Testing on a water well is one thing compared to O&G wells. O&G wells not producing and abandoned, are plugged…so, you’d have to get permits (good luck in California, I’d start in Texas where it’d be more reasonable). drill out the plug/cement in the casing bore to make this work, which is VERY expensive, plus remove junk in the well and test the integrity of the well casing and cement bond between the open hole and casing (needed to isolate oil/gas zones and protect fresh water zones). The energy required to spool a wireline cable and the tool weight is ENORMOUS. Wireline trucks (e.g., Schlumberger or Halliburton cased hole well logging units) use diesel engines to drive powerful hydraulic spools capable of hoisting tons of weight. You’d have to control the weight and generator “brake” gearing during the drop (or hydraulic brakes) to release in a controlled manner as the total weight supported increases (as the cable unspools).
That's ✅✅✅✅ four good reasons why this should be brought into play. Texas, Colorado, California, Tennessee, There's probably more states with dead wells and under current circumstances in the United States of America, with current laws and reforms this would be a more pliable solution, as apposed to filling and capping the wells. They say the sum of greatness of humankind is there determination too change the world for the better. God bless amen.
WOW I'LL BET YOUR GOING TO SAVE $1000'S OF DOLLARS JUST LIKE YOU BIRD KILLING WINDMILLS DID.FOR YOU.
Wonderful story! A solution [ energy storage ] while removing a problem [ methane leaking abandoned wells ].
Is it possible to add on a recovery system to each installed unit so that methane can be recovered and sold? Sounds like a win-win-win and maybe even another win.
It could be in some cases, but this is an option we have not yet fully explored!
@@stefanstreckfus5360 ,, LOL THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR AGAINST THE OIL INDUSTRY. YOU WANT TO ELEMENATE GAS AND OIL.SO YOU HAVE NO COMPETION. GO AHEAD AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU WILL BENEIFIT FROM THIS. DO YOU EXPECT THE OIL INDUSTRY WILL GIVE YOU THERE WELLS. YOUR GONNA SELL THE PUBLIC A BILL OFF GOODS AND THEN RUN YOU EQUIMENT DOWN INTO A WELL THAT HAS BAD CASING WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLUG AND ABANDON.
I think if there was any economic methane there, the well would not be inactive.
@@stefanstreckfus5360Small scale on site power generation could be an option with enough gas. Run a trash gas generator to run the winch or charge a battery.
This is totally awesome, because I thought about it first, about two years after you did😊
One problem I invisioned is the presence of volatile gases and how to remediate that issue.
If there was an ignition below your weight your weight that would be a big problem.
Bait and switch ! All this talk about being in Texas just to move to Califas??
Just brilliant - and cleans up the mess from oil and gas!!
I guess I miss the main point of this system, how does it generate net electricity? I assume by dropping a weight, but doesn’t consume the equivalent energy bring it back up ? Or does the methane push it up
Wow, Stefan has some great hair!
This is just a feel-good story because unfortunately when you consider the volume of storage to the volume of cost it is still very inefficient
A lot of old water flood wells have high H2S content. How do you find wells that are safe to try this work on? Do you need to set cement plugs across the production zone prior to running your tool? How many wells are in the ideal state to work this or is your vision to sell it to O&G producers so they can deal with all of these issues themselves vs you guys having to get the well into a safe workable state?
This was an inspiring story. Wasn’t really about the tech at all as the story focused on the journey of two sets of innovation entrepreneurs, each in their own phase of business innovation - one early, one later. The combination of both seemed to have given each a purpose.
Does it produce more than it takes to bring the weight back up? Can you also collect the methane from the well at the same time?
no on the first, you might net out at about 70% energywise on an up/down cycle. on the second, that would be interesting to pull off but even then the volume being recovered might not be feasible to capture for sale... it's a good question.
It takes more energy to lift the weight or "charge" the system, which is the case for all energy storage technologies. This is referred to as the "round-trip efficiency" or RTE. The goal here is not to generate more electricity, but rather to store the power generated when wind and solar are producing until times when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing and we still need power on the grid.
We all can get behind this. American ingenuity with persistence will solve the problems. Not Government
As long as you don't mind the methane pouring out of the well...
Super easy fix to that
@@boblatkey7160 Go right ahead!
Gravity storage has two limitations. The efficiency of the motor lifting the weight, water,, and the efficiency of the generator to produce electricity. 75% efficiency for either is generous. Keep in mind,, the actual motor is 75% efficient,, that does not include the mechanical efficiency of the reel, cable, bearings, blocks, sheaves, etc. So too the power goes through step down transformers and then step up transformers when taking grid power or putting it back.
So take 100 watts of power from the grid and you finish with 75 watts of potential once the weight is raised. Drop it and you get back 75% of 75 watts = 56 watts. now subtract from that the transformer steps up and down , 2 to 5% for each step, mechanical losses, friction, etc Put 100 watts in and you are going to get a usable approx 46 watts back. The one golden aspect of pumped storage,, power exactly when you want it. And no degradation of the stored power,,, use it today or use it a year from now.
Mile deep well casings,, how many have refilled with oil or water?
I like your take on it with at least estimated numbers. It would be prudent to put solar panels on the rigs and slowly wind the weight up during the day using just solar power.
The video was posted 2 years ago, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. They should have some real world experience by now, good or bad.
@@woods-garage I learned (the hard way) that I ain't so smart. So you can laugh with me, (at me). Years ago I was challenged to design an ultra energy efficient home for New Mexico. Lotsa Michigan experience,, so New Mexico was a welcome challenge. (Hmm passive solar, super insulated,, pre computer for me,, a week's worth of paper and pencil. Time spent at the University of Michigan library for climate research,, yada, yada, I finally arrived at an over hang length, with air vent, 9 inches of masonry exterior, 6 inch fiberglass interior, percentage of windows,,, Yeah, yeah,, and then it whacked right between the eyes, What are the dimensions of an adobe brick? uh,, 9 inches,, and The logs that stick out of the roof in an adobe dwelling? Vigas. And they are supposed to stick out far enough to shade the wall during the summer day,, with a space to allow the wall to cool convectively at night. I found out I wasn't so smart. The Ancient ones, the Anasazi, the Navajo, the Aztec,, had been doing itt for 2,000 years.
I don't think they have millions of wells available to them. Every last one of those wells has been sitting for 2 years, 20 years, 50 or 100 years,, They have refilled (oil or water), the steel casings have rusted through and collapsed. I do not think they can come even to an efficiency of 46% More likely 20% plus or minus. The are climbing a very steep hill. We currently pump water for energy storage,, and the best idea to float along is use the excess power in and around Las Vegas to pump Colorado River water back up hill into Lake Mead. The generators already exist. If you have a wind turbine,, don't even use the step of electrical generation. Pump it directly, mechanically, back up into Lake Mead.
What are the economics of this process?
Yes. can this be scaled to make economic sense? I don't think you have the physical density of wells in a given area for this to make sense, much less account for the necessary compensation to surface and mineral right owners and to insure yourself for the liability of future pollution of groundwater in an old open hole once the casing fails. This is the primary reason wells are required by law to be plugged and abandoned.
THE 1ST GOOD QUESTION I HAD SEEN. HOPE YOU GET A ANSWER.
Does this mean that the used wells you use for this technology will permanently cap the disused wells so they will not release methane anymore?
These things could operate with the well completely sealed
Maybe a windmill on a gear should winch the weight up when energy isn’t needed
all things yield to persistence
!!
Actually makes no net electricity. This machinery actually could never pay for itself and is absolutely not practical for anything. Just a feel good about people video production.
Grid energy storage has a few ways to make money, for example beyond the passive "buy low, sell high" between different times of the day, you can be paid extra for being actively controlled absorbing power and releasing it as the grid operator requires.
Energy storage. It says energy storage
Yes but right now it's still the most efficient way to do that is called pump storage and the reason it's so efficient is because of how long it runs key part in this is storage there's not much storage in a single well let alone a bunch of them once it hits the bottom it's done you have to wait until the power becomes affordable again to wind them all back up which means the volume of storage compared to the volume of cost is no longer efficient @@backacheache
I especially like your optimism
Cool.
i want to know more about efficiency
Nice idea, but because you use power from grid, you potential use more energy than it makes, sorry 😊😊
Sorry but you don't get it. There are plenty of times when the grid has a surplus. That's when the weight is brought to the surface. Then when the grid has a deficit, that's when the weight is utilized to generate energy. We already do that all over America.
Makes no sense to put the music volume at the same level as the speakers. Annoying
Is there any redundancy in the system? Such as a sprocket/latch mechanism in case the cable breaks. So the GPE weight is not lost. Also, since the wells are quite deep could you use saltwater and pump it back and forth with out increasing the surrounding soil Ph. A different version of pumped hydro. It might be a bit more upfront cost but it has less moving parts.
#reversefracktheearth also recreates Petrol same use the sewage systems to create saline aquifers sucks carbon from the air and lots cheaper on fresh ground water
Nice idea but who is now responsible for the physically integrity of the well. If if the well was once producing the operator has to set cement plugs across the pay zone then cement plugs across the fresh / saline water interface. Note I have only experience in California with drilling, producing and plugging & abandonment of oil and gas wells on shore. I would hope to think Texas regulations are similar.
One thing's for sure you need to get started ,because Climate Change is completely out of control !
Leaking methane wells should be used to power motors that raise the weight up the hole. Now, instead of a battery, its a on-demand generator.
Great idea. Not so good of a documentary.
Williams George Martinez Sarah Taylor Elizabeth
This is incredibly misleading.
IS THE GUY ON THE LEFT TRANSGENDER? A MAN IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE LONG HAIR.