Some Uses of CO2
- Enhanced oil recovery
- Refrigeration with dry ice
- Carbonation of beverages
- Noncombustible gas in fire extinguishers
- Shredding of old tires
- Stripping of insulation from scrap wire
- Removal of corn kernals from cob during food processing
- Removal of hair from hogs in slaughterhouses
- Cooling of metal cutting tools
- Stripping of paints
- Noncombustible atmosphere that can be introduced into grain silos to prevent grain dust explosions
- Noncombustible atmosphere for welding combustible materials
- Nontoxic aerosol propellant
- Branding of livestock
- Stimulation of plant growth in greenhouses
- Excellent solvent when in the supercritical state
Commercial Accumulations of CO2
Field & Location (County, State) | Depth to production (feet) | Reserves (trillion ft3) | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Bravo Dome Union & Harding Cos., NM | 1900-3000 | 16+ | Enhanced oil recovery; Minor dry ice production |
Sheep Mountain Huerfano Co., CO | 4500-5500 | 2.5 | Enhanced oil recovery |
McElmo Dome Montezuma Co., CO | 7900 | 17 | Enhanced oil recovery |
Des Moines Union Co., NM | 2000-2600 | Unknown | Field abandoned in 1966; CO2 was converted to dry ice and liquid |
Estancia Torrance Co., NM | 1200-2000 | Unknown | Fields abandoned in 1942; CO2 was converted to dry ice and liquid |
St. Johns Apache Co., AZ Catron Co., NM | Unknown | New discovery, not yet developed or in production |
References
References on Geology of CO2 Supply in the New Mexico Region
- Anderson, E.C., 1959, Carbon dioxide in New Mexico (1959): New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Circular 43, 13 pp.
- Broadhead, R.F., 1998, Natural accumulations of carbon dioxide in the New Mexico region - Where are they, how do they occur, and what are the uses for CO2?: Lite Geology, No. 20, pp. 2-7.
- Broadhead, R.F., 1993, LBTU-NM, Low-BTU gas in New Mexico, in Atlas of major Rocky Mountain Gas Reservoirs: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, p. 173.
- Broadhead, R.F., 1990, Bravo dome carbon dioxide gas field, in E.A. Beaumont and N.H. Foster, eds, Treatise of petroleum geology, Atlas of oil and gas fields, structural traps I: American Association of Petroleum Geologists: pp. 213-232.
- Broadhead, R.F., 1993, Carbon dioxide in northeast New Mexico: West Texas Geological Society, Bulletin, v. 32, no. 7, pp. 5-8.
- Broadhead, R.F., 1987, Carbon dioxide in Union and Harding Counties: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook to 38th field conference, pp. 339-349.
- Foster, R.W., and Jensen, J.G., 1972, Carbon dioxide in northeastern New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook to 23rd field conference, east-central New Mexico, pp. 192-200.
- Gerling, C.R., 1983, McElmo Dome Leadville carbon dioxide field, Colorado, in J. E. Fassett, ed., Oil and gas fields of the Four Corners area, V. III: Four Corners Geological Society, pp. 735-739.
- Johnson, R.E., 1983, Bravo Dome carbon dioxide area, northeast New Mexico, in J. E. Fassett, ed., Oil and gas fields of the Four Corners area, v. III: Four Corners Geological Society, pp. 745-748.
- Lang, W.B., 1959, The origin of some natural carbon dioxide gases: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 64, pp. 127-131.
- Phinney, D., Tennyson, J., and Frick, V., 1978, Xenon in CO2 well gas revisited: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 83, pp. 2313-2319.
- Roth, G., 1983, Sheep Mountain and Dike Mountain fields, Huerfano County, Colorado; a source of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, in J. E. Fassett, ed., Oil and gas fields of the Four Corners area, V. III: Four Corners Geological Society, pp. 740-744.
- Staudacher, T., 1987, Upper mantle origin for Harding County well gases: nature, v. 325, pp. 605-607.