METHODS OF OPERATING LITHIUM EXTRACTION PROCESSES, AND RELATED SYSTEMS

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/638,949, filed Apr. 26, 2024, entitled “METHODS OF OPERATING LITHIUM EXTRACTION PROCESSES, AND RELATED SYSTEMS”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Lithium is a key element for energy storage. Electrical storage devices, such as batteries, supercapacitors, and other devices commonly use lithium to mediate the storage and release of chemical potential energy as electrical current. As the demand for renewable energy increases, the demand for technologies to store the generated energy also grows to facilitate transport of the energy.

Lithium extraction from lithium-containing brines is a method of lithium recovery. Most development has been focused on the recovery of lithium from relatively high lithium concentration brines. However, sources of lower concentration lithium brines are plentiful and are a promising source of lithium. Lithium-containing brines may be produced from subsurface earth formations. Wellbore drilling operations include drilling a wellbore to access reservoirs of lithium and other subsurface compounds. Downhole tools may operate using drilling fluid pressure releasing different reservoir fluids from the bore. The reservoir fluids may be processed to recover lithium therefrom.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a method of operating a lithium extraction process comprises measuring a concentration of lithium in each of a plurality of produced fluids from a plurality of production wells extending through an earth formation, providing a feed material to the lithium extraction process, the feed material comprising a first flowrate of the first produced fluid and a second flowrate of the second produced fluid, using a simulation, based at least in part on the concentration of lithium in each of the produced fluids, determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition and at least one of maintain at least one of a concentration of at least another component in the feed material within a threshold concentration of the at least another component, or maintain an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process within a threshold energy consumption. The method further includes adjusting a flowrate of at least one of the produced fluids to adjust the feed material to the optimal feed composition.

In other embodiments, a system for optimizing a feed composition for a lithium extraction process comprises a first sensor in fluid communication with a first produced fluid from a first production well, the first sensor configured to measure a concentration of at least a first component in the first produced fluid, a second sensor in fluid communication with a second produced fluid from a second production well, the second sensor configured to measure the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid, a first valve configured to adjust a first flowrate of the first produced fluid, a second valve configured to adjust a second flowrate of the second produced fluid, a processor in operable communication with the first sensor, the second sensor, the first valve, and the second valve, memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to cause the processor to simulate an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process based on the concentration of the at least the first component in the first produced fluid and at least one of the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid, or an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process. The instructions are further configured to cause the processor to provide instructions to the first valve and the second valve based on the optimal feed composition to adjust a position of the first valve to adjust the first flowrate and adjust a position of the second valve to adjust the second flowrate.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments. The features and advantages of such embodiments may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to specific implementations thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. For better understanding, the like elements have been designated by like reference numbers throughout the various accompanying figures. While some of the drawings may be schematic or exaggerated representations of concepts, at least some of the drawings may be drawn to scale. Understanding that the drawings depict some example implementations, the implementations will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an environment for providing produced fluids to a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates functionalities related to providing the lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an optimal feed simulation with two components of two produced fluids, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a series of acts for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a series of acts for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates certain components that may be included within a computer system operating a lithium extraction process; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an energy management procedure of a system for of operating a lithium extraction process, according to at least one embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for operating a lithium extraction process. During the drilling of a wellbore through an earth formation, drilling fluids may be circulated through a drill pipe and drill bit into the wellbore, and may subsequently flow upward in an annulus between the drill pipe and the earth formation, facilitating the removal of cuttings from the wellbore. After drilling operations are complete, the wellbore may be completed and prepared for production operations. During production, the wellbore may produce fluids from the earth formation, such as reservoirs in the earth formation containing lithium. Wellbores that produce fluids may be referred to as “production wells” or “producing wells.”

Each production well may generate a produced fluid from the formation (also referred to as a “production fluid,” or a “reservoir fluid.”). The produced fluid from each production well may have a different composition, including a different concentration of each of lithium and/or other components, such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and silica, among others. The produced fluid may further include water and hydrocarbons (e.g., water-soluble hydrocarbons, or hydrocarbons in an emulsion). The produced fluids may be provided to the lithium extraction process to recover (e.g., selectively capture) the lithium from the produced fluids and form a lithium-rich effluent (a concentrated lithium effluent) and a lithium-poor (lithium-depleted) effluent. Examples of a selective capture process may include an ion withdrawal process, such as a sorption-desorption process, or an electrochemical process. For instance, in a sorption-desorption process, the produced fluids are contacted with a sorbent selective for lithium, leading to loading of the sorbent with lithium and forming a lithium-depleted fluid. An eluent is afterwards contacted with the loaded sorbent to unload lithium from said sorbent and form a lithium-rich effluent that is loaded with the lithium unloaded from the sorbent. Some of the components in the produced fluids may be desirable and other components in the produced fluids may be detrimental to the lithium extraction process.

The features and functionalities described herein provide a number of advantages and benefits over conventional approaches and systems for recovering lithium from fluids produced from a wellbore extending through an earth formation. The produced fluids from each production well may be provided to a gathering network where the produced fluids are mixed to form a feed material provided to the lithium extraction process. The systems described herein provide features and functionality to optimize a composition of the feed material provided to the lithium extraction process to facilitate continuous operation of the lithium extraction process and substantially continuous provision of the feed material to the lithium extraction process. It will be appreciated that the advantages and benefits discussed herein are provided by way of example and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible advantages and benefits of implementations of the lithium extraction process and the methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a plurality of production wells extending through an earth formation may each be configured to generate a produced fluid, which may have a different lithium concentration and a different concentration of one or more additional components than the produced fluids from the other production wells. The produced fluid from each production well is provided to a gathering network where the produced fluids from the plurality of production wells are mixed to form a feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process. A composition of each of the produced fluids may be measured (e.g., sampled and analyzed in a laboratory, measured in-situ directly or indirectly with an in-line sensor). A flowrate of each of the produced fluids from each of the plurality of different production wells is adjusted individually to provide a feed material having an optimal composition including an optimal (for instance, a maximum) concentration of lithium in the feed material, wherein the optimal composition of the feed material optimizes (e.g., maximizes) the extraction of lithium from the feed material in the lithium extraction process and optimizes the recovery of lithium from the system including the plurality of production wells. Optimization of the concentration of lithium may include for instance a maximization of lithium concentration at a certain time or an optimization so that a maximum lithium content is recovered from the entire field. The optimal composition of the feed material may include a concentration of lithium greater than a minimum threshold concentration of lithium for the lithium extraction process. For instance, optimizing the lithium concentration may include providing the feed material to have a concentration of lithium above a certain threshold. In some embodiments, the feed material is formed from at least one produced fluid from a production well having a lithium concentration below the certain threshold. Optimization of the concentration of lithium may include maximizing the concentration of lithium in the feed material, maximizing profits, minimizing operation costs, or combinations thereof. The optimal composition of the feed material may be determined based on boundary conditions defined by one or more of (e.g., each of) the lithium extraction process (e.g., components that are advantageous to the lithium extraction process, components that are disadvantageous to the lithium extraction process, the capacity of the lithium extraction process), the current cost of energy, the amount of energy available including the amount of renewable energy available, the properties of the earth formation, the properties of the lithium reservoir(s) in the earth formation from which the produced fluids are produced, and a location of injection wells in the earth formation relative to the production wells.

In some embodiments, the optimal composition of the feed material is determined using a simulation (e.g., a model) configured to determine how to mix each of the produced fluids to generate the optimal composition of the feed material (e.g., the flowrate of each of the produced fluids to provide to the feed material) based, at least in part, on the composition of each of the produced fluids. The optimal composition may be a feed composition that maximizes the lithium concentration of the feed material while minimizing a concentration of one or more other components, minimizes the flowrate of the feed material while maximizing the amount of lithium recovered in the lithium extraction process, and/or minimizes the water content of the feed material, minimizes energy consumption (e.g., optimizing the use of renewable energy sources while minimizing the use of fossil fuel energy sources over a given period (e.g., a day)), maintains the concentration of different components in the feed material within predetermined (e.g., predefined) ranges or thresholds, and/or maintains a ratio of the lithium concentration in the feed material to a concentration of at least another component in the feed material at a predetermined ratio.

The methods and systems described herein may be configured to determine a minimum threshold of the lithium concentration to be provided to the lithium extraction process. In some embodiments, the operation of the lithium extraction process is simulated to determine the minimum threshold of the lithium concentration provided to the lithium extraction process to enable adequate operation of the lithium extraction process and recovery of lithium from the lithium extraction process.

In some embodiments, the placement of the production wells and/or the placement of the injection wells for reinjecting an effluent of the lithium extraction process (such as the lithium-depleted effluent) are simulated and optimized to match the requirements of the lithium extraction process. In some embodiments, a borefield is optimized to include optimal locations of the production wells and the injection wells to optimize the composition of the feed material to the lithium extraction process and/or to optimize the production of lithium relative to the costs (e.g., maximize the amount of lithium recovered per unit cost).

Advantageously, the methods and systems described herein facilitate providing the lithium extraction process with the optimal concentration of lithium in a continuous manner and in-situ, even as the composition of the produced fluids changes in real time. In other words, the system may be configured to adjust a flowrate of each of the produced fluids to achieve the optimal composition of the feed material. In some embodiments, the flowrate of each of the produced fluids may be adjusted in-situ based on the determined optimal feed composition and while maintaining an energy consumption by the system within or below a threshold energy consumption. For example, the cost of energy may vary through a day, between different seasons, or based on the availability of different energy sources during different times. In some embodiments, the system is configured to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition while also maintaining an energy consumption over a duration (e.g., a day, a month, three months) within a threshold to facilitate a cost-efficient lithium extraction process at all times and/or a continuous lithium extraction process (e.g., such as in locations where fossil fuel energy sources may be limited).

In addition, by measuring a concentration of lithium and a concentration of at least one additional component in the produced fluids described herein, the systems and methods described herein may be configured optimize the feed composition including a desired lithium concentration and a desired concentration of at least one additional component. The at least one additional component may include one or more of (e.g., each of) calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, hydrocarbons, and water. In some embodiments, if the at least one additional component is an undesired component in the lithium extraction process, the systems and methods described herein minimize the at least one additional component in the feed material while maximizing the lithium concentration in the feed material. If the at least one additional component is a desirable component in the lithium extraction process, the methods and systems described herein facilitate optimizing both the lithium concentration and the at least one additional component concentration in the feed material. For example, in some embodiments, an optimal feed composition is determined based on the concentration of lithium and the concentration of the at least one additional component in each of the plurality of produced fluids using a simulation. Furthermore, based on the determined optimal feed composition, the flowrate of the produced fluids from each of the plurality of production wells can be adjusted to achieve a feed material having the optimal feed composition. For example, the flowrate of each produced fluid may be adjusted by opening or closing a valve (e.g., a choke valve) in fluid communication with the production well and/or by adjusting an operating speed of an electric submersible pump (ESP) of the production well.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The system 100 includes plurality of production wells including a first production well 102-1, a second production well 102-2, and a third production well 102-3 (collectively 102 herein) providing a plurality of produced fluids including a first produced fluid 104-1, a second produced fluid 104-2, and a third produced fluid 104-3 (collectively 104) (also referred to as “production fluids” or “wellbore fluids”) in piping 105 in fluid communication with each respective production well 102-1, 102-2, and 102-3.

The production wells 102 may extend through an earth formation 103. The earth formation 103 may include or define one or more lithium-containing reservoirs. The production wells 102 may also be referred to as “producing wells” herein. The produced fluids 104 may be mixed to form a feed material 106 that is provided to a lithium extraction processing facility 108 to extract lithium, such as in the form of a concentrated lithium material 110. The lithium extraction processing facility 108 processes the feed material 106 to generate a concentrated lithium material 110 having a higher concentration of lithium than the feed material 106; and an effluent 118 having a lower concentration of lithium (e.g., a dilute lithium stream) than the feed material 106. The lithium extraction processing facility 108 may include a direct lithium extraction (DLE) system, such as an ion withdrawal process (for instance sorption-desorption, ion exchange or solvent extraction) or an electrochemical process. The produced fluid 104 from each production well 102 is individually in fluid communication with the lithium extraction processing facility 108 by means of piping 105. A gathering network may include a manifold where the piping 105 of each of the produced fluids 104 mixes to form the feed material 106.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of production wells 102 is in fluid communication with a respective a valve 112-1, 112-2, and 112-3 (collectively 112 herein), which may include a flow control valve, such as a choke valve. For example, the valves 112 may be located in the piping 105 of each of the produced fluids 104 such that the flowrate of each of the produced fluids 104 may be controlled by means of the valves 112. The valves 112 may each include a surface wellhead choke valve. Other types of valves or valves located elsewhere between the reservoir and the DLE extraction process may be used. In some embodiments, the valves 112 are located in the piping 105. In some embodiments, the plurality of valves 112 may be controlled by the lithium extraction processing facility 108, as discussed herein. For example, the lithium extraction processing facility 108 may adjust the valves 112 to adjust a flowrate of produced fluid from each production well 102 individually.

In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a first electric submersible pump (ESP) 114-1, a second ESP 114-2, and a third ESP 114-3 (collectively ESPs 114) in each of the respective production wells 102. Each of the ESPs 114 are configured to individually adjust the flowrate of produced fluid 104 from each respective production well 102. For example, the produced fluid 104 may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed (e.g., RPM) of the ESPs 114, respectively.

In some embodiments, the system 100 further includes a first sensor 116-1, a second sensor 116-2, and a third sensor 116-3 (herein collectively called sensor(s) 116). For example, the sensor 116 may be a fluid test meter, such as a multiphase flow meter (e.g., using full gamma spectroscopy) configured to measure a flowrate and a composition of the produced fluids 104. By way of non-limiting example, the sensors 116 may individually include a Vx Spectra surface multiphase flowmeter (commercially available from SLB of Houston, TX, USA). In some embodiments, the sensor 116 is included in the piping 105 between the production wells 102 carrying the produced fluids 104 and the lithium extraction processing facility 108. In some embodiments, the sensor 116 is included in the production well 102. The first sensor 116-1 may be configured to measure a first composition of the first produced fluid 104-1 from the first production well 102-1, including a first concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid 104-1. The second sensor 116-2 may be configured to measure a second composition of the second produced fluid 104-2 from the second production well 102-2, including a second concentration of lithium in the second produced fluid 104-2. Similarly, the third sensor 116-3 may be configured to measure a third composition of the third produced fluid 104-3 from the third production well 102-3, including a third concentration of lithium in the third produced fluid 104-3. In addition, each of the first sensor 116-1, the second sensor 116-2, and the third sensor 116-3 may be configured to measure a respective first, second, and third concentration of at least one additional component (e.g., one or more of calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, hydrocarbons, and water) in the respective produced fluid 104.

Each of the sensors 116 may include a plurality of sensor modules, a first module being for instance a flow meter and a second module being for instance a conductivity sensor, a capillary electrophoresis sensor, etc., wherein the modules facilitate determining (e.g., directly or indirectly) the concentration of lithium. By way of non-limiting example, the concentration of lithium in the produced fluids 104 may be within a range of from about 200 mg/L to about 1,400 mg/L, such as from about 200 mg/L to about 400 mg/L, from about 400 mg/L to about 600 mg/L, from about 600 mg/L to about 800 mg/L, from about 800 mg/L to about 1,000 mg/L, from about 1,000 mg/L to about 1,200 mg/L, or from about 1,200 mg/L to about 1,400 mg/L. However, the disclosure is not so limited, and the concentration of lithium in the produced fluids 104 may be different than that described.

In some embodiments, the system 100 further includes additional sensors for measuring one or more of (e.g., each of) a temperature, a pressure, and/or a flowrate of the produced fluids 104, a temperature within each of the production wells 102, a pressure within each of the production wells 102, a temperature of the earth formation 103, or a pressure of the earth formation 103. Further, the system 100 may include additional sensors for measuring a flowrate of effluent 118 in piping 126 in fluid communication with each of a plurality of injection wells 120, a temperature of the effluent 118 in the piping 126, and a pressure of the effluent 118 in the piping 126.

While FIG. 1 illustrates that the system 100 includes three production wells 102 and associated produced fluids 104, valves 112, ESPs 114, and sensors 116, the disclosure is not so limited. In other embodiments, the system 100 includes two production wells 102, or a larger number of production wells (e.g., four, five, six, etc.) and associated produced fluids 104, valves 112, ESPs 114, and sensors 116.

In some embodiments, the lithium extraction processing facility 108 extracts lithium from the feed material 106 to generate the concentrated lithium material 110 and the effluent 118 including a reduced concentration of lithium (e.g., also referred to as “a diluted effluent,” “a lithium-depleted material,” or a lithium-poor material). The effluent 118 may be reinjected into the subsurface of the earth formation 103 by a compression system 122. The compression system 122 may include at least one pump configured to recompress the effluent 118 and provide the effluent 118 to one or more injection wells 120-1, 120-2 (collectively 120). The injection wells 120 extend through the earth formation 103 and effluent 118 reinjected into the earth formation 103 through the injection wells 120 may sweep through the earth formation 103 and/or lithium reservoir(s) to facilitate recharging of lithium in the produced fluids 104. The effluent 118 may be directed to one or more different injection wells 120 by means of piping 126-1, 126-2 (collectively 126), each individually in fluid communication with a separate one of the injection wells 120. The piping 126 fluidly connecting the effluent 118 to each of the injection wells 120 may each include a valve 128 configured to control a flowrate of the effluent 118 to the injection well 120 to which it is fluidly coupled. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the system 100 includes two injection wells 120, the disclosure is not so limited. In other embodiments, the system 100 includes one injection well 120, or a greater number (e.g., three, four, five, etc.) of injection wells 120.

In some embodiments, the system 100 (e.g., the lithium extraction processing facility 108) includes one or more computing nodes (discussed in connection to FIG. 3) configured to simulate an optimal feed composition of the feed material 106, including an optimal concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 based on the composition of at least two produced fluids 104. For example, the computing node may be configured to simulate an optimal feed composition based on the first composition of the first produced fluid 104-1 and at least one of the second composition of the second produced fluid 104-2 and the third composition of the third produced fluid 104-3. The computing node may be configured to determine the optimal feed composition based on the composition of the each of the produced fluids 104. In some embodiments, the one or more computing nodes are configured to simulate a maximized concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while also maintaining an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process (e.g., including the production of the produced fluids 104, the operation of the production wells 102, the operation of the lithium extraction processing facility 108, and the operation of a compression system 122) within or below a threshold. For example, if providing the highest maximum lithium concentration in the feed material 106 also causes an energy consumption per unit of lithium recovered and/or a total energy consumption to exceed a predetermined (e.g., predefined) threshold, the simulation may maximize the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 within the constraint of maintaining the energy consumption below the predetermined threshold. More generally, the computing nodes may be configured to determine an optimal feed composition based on one or more criteria that relate to the efficiency of the extraction process (e.g., DLE extraction process) of the lithium extraction processing facility 108.

In some embodiments, the computing node is configured to simulate the lithium extraction process performed by the lithium extraction processing facility 108. For example, the computing node may determine a minimum concentration of lithium to be provided to the lithium extraction processing facility 108 in the feed material 106 to facilitate efficient and optimal operation of the lithium extraction processing facility 108, based on the operating conditions of the lithium extraction process performed by the lithium extraction processing facility 108.

The system 100 further includes an energy management unit 124. The energy management unit 124 is configured to control the acquisition and allocation of energy to the well production system including the ESPs 114, the sensors 116, the valves 112, the one or more computing nodes, and the compression system 122. In some embodiments, the energy management unit 124 is connected to one or more energy supply units, such as solar power, wind power, a power grid, internal and external power supply units. Some of the energy supply units may be renewable (e.g., solar, wind) and some of the energy supply units may be non-renewable, such as those based on fossil fuels. In some embodiments, the energy management unit 124 is configured to maintain energy consumption of the system 100 within the threshold energy consumption, such as by providing energy to the lithium extraction process based on an availability of renewable energy sources. Maintaining the energy consumption of the system 100 within the threshold energy consumption may include maintaining the energy under energy available from renewable energy sources for a given period of time.

In some embodiments, the computing node is configured to use a simulation to determine a maximum concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while also maintaining a concentration of at least another component in the feed material 106 within at a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the predetermined threshold for the at least another component includes a predefined constraint (e.g., concentration limit(s), concentration constraint(s), concentration boundary) for the at least another component. By way of non-limiting example, the predetermined threshold may be a predetermined range, a predetermined ratio of the at least another component to lithium, a predetermined minimum threshold, or a predetermined maximum threshold for the at least another component. The at least another component may be at least one of silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, or water. In some embodiments, maintaining a concentration of at least another component in the feed material 106 at a threshold comprises maintaining the concentration of the at least another component in the feed material below a predetermined limit or constraint while maximizing the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106. In some embodiments, a ratio of the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 to the concentration of the at least another component in the feed material 106 may be maintained greater than a threshold. For example, the simulation may optimize the feed composition such that the concentration of lithium will be greater than a concentration of silica in the feed material 106 or so that the concentration of silica is below a certain threshold. This may mean that the lithium extraction processing computing node opens or closes one or more valves 112 (or causes the one or more valves 112 to be opened or closed) and/or adjusts an operating parameter of one or more ESPs 114 (or causes an operating parameter of the one or more ESPs to be adjusted) to adjust a flowrate of a respective produced fluid 104. Adjusting the operating parameter of the one or more ESPs 114 may include adjusting a rotation speed of the one or more ESPs 114. In another example, adjusting the operating parameter of the one of more ESPs 114 includes adjusting a power provided to the one or more ESPs 114. In some embodiments, the flowrate of the first produced fluid 104-1 may be reduced or adjusted to zero when the first concentration of lithium is below the concentration of at least another component in the first produced fluid 104-1. In some embodiments, the first produced fluid 104-1 may be adjusted above zero when the first concentration of lithium is above the concentration of at least another component in the first produced fluid 104-1.

In some embodiments, the optimal composition of the feed material 106 is a target composition of the feed material 106 which may be based on the specific lithium extraction process. The simulation may include a predefined target composition of the feed material 106. In some embodiments, the computing node is configured to determine the optimal composition of the feed material 106, wherein the optimal composition comprises the composition of the feed material 106 that is closest to the target composition by mixing different amounts of the produced fluids 104 without exceeding various limits or constraints (also referred to as “boundary conditions”) for each of the components of the produced fluids 104. The constraints may be predefined and may include, for example, a minimum concentration of lithium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of magnesium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of calcium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of aluminum in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of manganese in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of iron in the feed material 106; a maximum amount or concentration of silica in the feed material 106; a maximum amount of water in the feed material 106; a maximum amount of hydrocarbons in the feed material 106; and a ratio of lithium or a range of ratios of lithium to one or more of (e.g., each of) magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, and hydrocarbons in the feed material 106; a maximum energy consumption of the lithium extraction process; an energy consumption or a range of energy consumption of the lithium extraction process per unit of lithium recovered; the current cost of energy; the amount of stored energy available for use; another parameter; conditions of the earth formation 103; lithium reservoir properties; or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the limits may include the maximum amount of one or more of (e.g., each of) magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, iron, or silica in a produced fluid 104. For example, responsive to determining that a produced fluid 104 has a concentration of one or more of magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, iron, or silica exceeding the limit, the simulation performed by the computing node may determine that the feed material 106 should not include any of the produced fluid 104 or should include less of the produced fluid 104 than of other produced fluids 104.

In some embodiments, using a simulation to determine the optimal feed composition further includes determining one or more of the optimal feed composition based on a model of a lithium reservoir through which the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2 extend, wellbore properties of the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2, a diameter of the piping 105 between the lithium extraction processing facility 108 and each of the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the one or more computing nodes (FIG. 3) are configured to simulate a composition of the effluent 118 from the lithium extraction processing facility 108 and determine an optimal flowrate of the effluent 118 to reinject to the earth formation 103 via each of the injection wells 120. In some embodiments, determining the optimal flowrate of the effluent 118 to provide to each injection well 120 includes determining the optimal flowrate based on the simulated composition of the effluent 118, properties of the lithium reservoir in the earth formation 103, and/or properties of the earth formation 103 (e.g., porosity, composition, formation pressures). For example, the simulation may be configured to determine a flowrate of the effluent 118 to provide to each injection well 120 to optimize a recharge of one or more of lithium and/or the at least another component as the reinjected fluid traverses through the earth formation 103 and/or interacts in the lithium reservoir. A flowrate of effluent 118 from the compression system 122 to each injection well 120 may be controlled by controlling a speed of a compression pump and/or altering a position of a valve 128 in the fluid communication with the piping 126 associated with each injection well 120. In some embodiments, the simulation is configured to optimize the rejection of the effluent 118 over time and the simulation is performed over multiple time steps to determine the optimal distribution of effluent 118 flowrates to the injection wells 120.

In some embodiments, as described in additional detail herein, the simulation is configured to determine optimal placement of the production wells 102 and the injection wells 120 to achieve a feed material 106 having at least the minimum threshold concentration of lithium for the lithium extraction process performed by the lithium extraction processing facility 108.

FIG. 2 illustrates an environment 200 for providing produced fluids to a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the environment 200 may include a plurality of produced fluids 202 (e.g., a first produced fluid 202-1, a second produced fluid 202-2, a third produced fluid 202-3) from each of a plurality of respective production wells. In some embodiments, each of the production wells may produce a consistent flowrate (e.g., volume) of produced fluid 202 within a given timeframe. For example, the flowrate of each produced fluid 202 may be the same. In some embodiments, physical restrictions, such as the length and diameter of pipes 205-1, 205-2, 205-3 between the production wells and a mixing node 226 to the lithium processing facility may affect the maximum flowrate of each produced fluid 202. The produced fluids 202 may each have a temperature, a pressure, and a composition, each of which may be measured (such as by sensors 116 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the plurality of feed materials 206 may be mixed at a mixing node 226 to form a combined feed material 228. In some embodiments, the feed material 228 may be stored in a storage tank 230 before providing the combined feed material 228 to the lithium processing facility 208 for processing and extracting lithium. In other embodiments, the combined feed material 228 is provided directly to the lithium processing facility 208 (e.g., without storing the combined feed material 228 in the storage tank 230).

FIG. 3 illustrates functionalities 300 related to the lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The functionalities 300 include one or more computing nodes 332 adapted for managing the lithium extraction process. In some embodiments, the computing node 332 includes a measurement management unit 340. The measurement management unit 340 is configured to operate the one or more sensors 316, such as the sensors 116 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the measurement management unit 340 is configured to provide instructions to the one or more sensors 316 for measuring a composition of a produced fluid from a production well, and to provide the measurements to the one or more computing nodes 332. For example, the measurement management unit 340 may provide instructions to one or more sensors 316 for measuring the composition of the produced fluids, such as the concentration of lithium in the produced fluids. In another example, the measurement management unit 340 may provide instructions to one or more sensors 316 for measuring a concentration of a first component and a second component in one or more produced fluids. The measurement management unit 340 may provide instructions to the one or more sensors 316 to measure the composition of each produced fluid including, for example, the concentration of each of lithium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, and hydrocarbons in the produced fluids and to provide the measured composition to an optimal feed simulator 346. In addition, the measurement management unit 340 may provide instructions to the one or more sensors 316 for measuring a temperature, a pressure, and/or a flowrate of the produced fluids. The measurement management unit 340 may provide instructions to the one or more sensors 316 for measuring a temperature, a pressure, and/or a flowrate of injection fluids (e.g., effluent 118 provided to injection wells 120).

In some embodiments, the functionalities 300 include a lithium extraction process simulator 352 configured to simulate the lithium extraction process. For example, based on the operating conditions (e.g., the pressure, temperature, flowrates, etc.), the lithium extraction process simulator 352 may be configured to determine the composition and the flowrate of each of the effluent 118 and the concentrated lithium material 110 based on the operating conditions of the lithium extraction process of the lithium extraction processing facility 108 and the flowrate of the feed material 106. The lithium extraction process simulator 352 may determine a minimum threshold concentration of lithium (e.g., a first minimum threshold concentration of lithium) in the feed material 106 that will allow the lithium extraction process of the lithium extraction processing facility 108 to operate. In some embodiments, the lithium extraction process simulator 352 determines a range of lithium concentration in the feed material 106 that facilitates optimal performance of the lithium extraction processing facility 108 (e.g., a concentration range of lithium in the feed material 106 that maximizes net profits). Responsive to determining the minimum threshold concentration of lithium and determining that the composition of the feed material 106 cannot be adjusted to meet (e.g., exceed) the minimum threshold lithium concentration with the produced fluids 104 (e.g., responsive to the production wells being unable to provide the minimum threshold concentration of lithium to the feed material 106), the lithium extraction process simulator 352 may determine an updated (e.g., a second) minimum threshold concentration of lithium to provide in the feed material 106 based, at least in part, on the lithium extraction process. The lithium extraction process simulator 352 may further be configured to determine processing conditions of the lithium extraction process of the lithium extraction processing facility 108 that would allow the lithium extraction process to recover lithium from a feed material 106 having the updated (e.g., lower) concentration of lithium and/or cause the lithium extraction processing facility 108 to operate at the determined processing conditions. In some embodiments, the operating conditions of the lithium extraction process may be changed to accommodate the updated minimum threshold concentration of lithium.

The functionalities 300 may further include an optimal borefield simulator 354 configured to determine optimal placement of the production wells 102 and the injection wells 120 to achieve a feed material 106 having at least the minimum threshold concentration of lithium for the lithium extraction process performed by the lithium extraction processing facility 108. The optimal borefield simulator 354 may be configured to simulate an optimal borefield including optimal locations of the production wells 102, the injection wells 120, the spacing and orientation of the production wells 102 with respect to each other and the injection wells 120, and the spacing and orientation of the injection wells 120 with respect to each other and the production wells 102. For example, the optimal borefield simulator 354 may determine the optimal borefield based on properties of the earth formation 103 (e.g., the porosity, the composition), the properties of the reservoir(s) in the earth formation 103, the properties of the production wells 102, and/or the properties of the and injection wells 120. In some embodiments, the optimal borefield simulator 354 is configured to determine the optimal location of the production wells 102 and/or the injection wells 120 to achieve the minimum composition of lithium in the feed material determined with the lithium extraction process simulator 352. By way of non-limiting example, the optimal borefield simulator 354 may include a formation model, a reservoir model, and/or an integrated model configurated to simulate the earth formation 103 and the reservoirs within the earth formation. The model may be configured to estimate the flowrate of fluids through the earth formation 103 and the reservoirs, such as produced fluids and injected fluids through the earth formation 103 and the reservoirs. The model may be configured to determine optimal locations of the production wells 102 and the injection wells 120 to maximize recharging of lithium as the injected fluids sweep through the earth formation 103 and maximize the concentration of lithium in the production wells 102. In some embodiments, the model is configured to simulate and determine the composition of the fluids as they sweep through the earth formation 103 and the reservoirs. In some embodiments, the optimal borefield simulator 354 is configured to determine a borefield configuration such that the feed material 106 has a lithium concentration greater than a minimum threshold concentration of lithium determined by the lithium extraction process simulator 352.

The optimal borefield simulator 354 may be configured to optimize the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while reducing the costs of recovery of the lithium. For example, the optimal borefield simulator 354 may be in communication with an energy consumption management unit 350 to maximize net profits (e.g., an optimal amount of lithium recovered while reducing the overall cost of recovering the lithium).

The optimal borefield simulator 354 may be configured to determine an optimal layout of the borefield. After the optimal borefield simulator 354 has determined the optimal layout of the borefield, the optimal layout of the borefield may be used during formation of additional borefields (e.g., additional production wells 102 and additional injection wells 120).

The functionalities 300 further include the optimal feed simulator 346 configured to simulate an optimal feed composition of a feed material 106 to determine an optimal (e.g., a maximum) concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 based on the measured composition of the produced fluids 104. For example, the optimal feed simulator 346 may receive information regarding the composition of produced fluids 104 from the measurement management unit 340 and/or the sensors 316 and determine the optimal feed composition based on the information received from the measurement management unit 340 and/or the sensors 316. In some embodiments, the optimal feed composition is the closest composition to a target feed composition, as described above. In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 is configured to determine an optimal flowrate of each of the produced fluids 104 to achieve a feed material 106 having a lithium concentration greater than the minimum threshold concentration of lithium determined by the lithium extraction process simulator 352 and/or a concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 within a range determined by the lithium extraction process simulator 352. Responsive to the optimal feed simulator 346 determining that the minimum threshold concentration of lithium and/or the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 cannot be achieved with the produced fluids 104, the lithium extraction process simulator 352 may determine processing conditions of the lithium extraction process of the lithium extraction processing facility 108 that would allow the lithium extraction process to recover lithium from a feed material 106 having a lower concentration of lithium. In some embodiments, the lithium extraction process simulator 352 is configured to cause the lithium extraction processing facility 108 to operate at the determined processing conditions.

In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 is configured to simulate an optimal concentration of lithium in a feed material 106 while maintaining a concentration of at least another component in the feed material 106 within a threshold (e.g., above or below a threshold, within a threshold range, at a ratio with respect to the lithium concentration in the feed composition). The at least another component may be at least one of silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, or water. In some embodiments, maintaining the concentration of the at least another component in the feed material 106 within a threshold comprises maintaining the concentration of the at least another component less than a predefined limit. For example, the optimal feed simulator 346 may optimize the feed composition such that the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 is greater than a concentration of silica in the feed material and/or such that the concentration of silica in the feed material is less than a predetermined limit for silica concentration in the feed material 106. In some embodiments, maintaining the concentration of the at least another component in the feed material 106 includes maintaining a ratio of the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 to the concentration of the at least another component in the feed material 106 greater than a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, responsive to a determining that a first produced fluid has a concentration of at least one additional component that is greater than a limit concentration for the at least one additional component, the optimal feed simulator 346 may determine the optimal feed composition by reducing the flowrate of the first produced fluid while increasing the flowrate of another produced fluid.

In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 is configured to determine the flowrate of each of the produced fluids 104 to provide to the feed material 106 to generate a feed composition having a desired composition, which may be the optimal feed composition, the target composition, or a composition as close as possible to the target composition while keeping the system within limits and/or boundary conditions defined in the simulation. The limits and/or boundary conditions may be the same as above and may be predefined (e.g., provided to the simulation by a user). The limits and/or boundary conditions may be based on the conditions of the system 100. By way of non-limiting example, the limits and/or boundary conditions may include a minimum concentration of lithium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of magnesium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of calcium in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of aluminum in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of manganese in the feed material 106; a maximum concentration of iron in the feed material 106; a maximum amount of silica in the feed material 106; a maximum amount of water in the feed material 106; a maximum amount of hydrocarbons in the feed material 106; a ratio of lithium or a range of ratios of lithium to one or more of (e.g., each of) magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, and hydrocarbons in the feed material; a maximum energy consumption of the lithium extraction process; an energy consumption or a range of energy consumption of the lithium extraction process per unit of lithium recovered; the current cost of energy; the amount of stored energy available for use; another parameter; conditions of the earth formation; lithium reservoir properties; a maximum concentration of each of magnesium, calcium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, and hydrocarbons in each produced fluid 104; or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, using a simulation to determine the optimal feed composition further includes determining one or more of the optimal feed composition based on a model of a lithium reservoir through which the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2 extend, wellbore properties of the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2, a diameter of the piping 105 between the lithium extraction processing facility 308 and each of the first production well 102-1 and the second production well 102-2, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, this may be achieved with an integrated modeling solution for coupled simulations, as an integrated model implementing one or more reservoir models (e.g., such as Eclipse), wellbore models (e.g., such as multi-segmented wellbore models, such as MSW), multi-phase flow models (e.g., surface models such as PipeSim), and rigorous composition evaluation models (e.g., such as Symmetry).

The feed composition may be optimized by adjusting the flowrate of the produced fluids 104 to achieve the optimal feed composition. The lithium extraction processing computing node 332 may provide instructions to open or close one or more valves 312, via a valve management unit 344 and/or to adjust an operating parameter of one or more ESPs 314, via an ESP management unit 342. For example, adjusting the operating parameter of the one or more ESPs 314 may include adjusting a rotation speed of the one or more ESPs 314. In another example, adjusting the operating parameter of the one of more ESPs 314 includes adjusting a power supplied to the one or more ESPs 314. In some embodiments, a flowrate of a first produced fluid 104-1 may be reduced or adjusted to zero when the first concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid 104-1 is less than a limit for the lithium concentration in the first produced fluid 104-1 and/or below the concentration of at least another component in the first produced fluid 104-1. In some embodiments, the flowrate of the first produced fluid 104-1 may be increased or adjusted above zero when the concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid 104-1 is greater than the limit for the lithium concentration in the first produced fluid 104-1 and/or above the concentration of at least another component in the first produced fluid 104-1. In some embodiments, the flowrate of the first produced fluid 104-1 may be increased or decreased (e.g., reduced to zero) responsive to a first additional component having a concentration greater than a threshold concentration for the first additional component and a second additional component having a concentration less than a threshold concentration for the second additional component in the first produced fluid 104-1.

In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 provides instruction to the valve management unit 344, the ESP management unit 342, or a combination thereof for adjusting one or more valve positions, operating parameters of one or more ESPs 314, or a combination thereof to achieve a feed material 106 having a desired composition based on the composition of the produced fluids 104. For example, the optimal feed simulator 346 may provide the instructions based on the flowrate of each produced fluids 104 to be provided to the feed composition to generate the optimal feed composition.

The functionalities 300 further include an effluent output simulator 348 configured to simulate a composition of an effluent output (e.g., effluent 118) from the lithium extraction processing facility 308 and simulate how reinjection of an effluent output from the lithium extraction processing facility 308 to one or more injection wells affects the lithium extraction process and/or the composition of the produced fluids 104. For example, the effluent output simulator 348 may determine the optimal flowrate of effluent 118 to provide to each injection well 120 to optimize a sweep efficiency and/or lithium recharging of the reinjected effluent 118 to optimize the composition of the produced fluids 104 that, in turn, facilitate optimization of the feed composition 106. For example, the effluent output simulator 348 may determine a flowrate of the effluent 118 provided to each of a plurality of injection wells 120 to optimize a recharge of one or more of lithium or the at least another component. In some embodiments, the effluent output simulator 348 determines the flowrate of the effluent 118 provided to each injection well 120 to optimize a recharge of lithium and minimize the concentration of one or more of (e.g., each of) calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, silica, and hydrocarbons) in the produced fluids 104. In some embodiments, the lithium extraction processing facility 308 extracts lithium from the feed composition and the effluent output is reinjected into the subsurface by a compression system 122. In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 and the effluent output simulator 348 are configured to respectively determine the optimal feed composition and the optimal flowrate of the effluent 118 to the different injection wells 120 based on the determined processing conditions.

The functionalities 300 further includes an energy consumption management unit 350 configured to control the acquisition and allocation of energy to the well production system including the ESPs 314, the sensors 316, the valves 312, the lithium extraction processing computing nodes 332, the lithium extraction processing facility 308, and the compression system 122. In some embodiments, the energy consumption management unit 350 is connected to one or more energy supply units 324, such as solar power, wind power, power grid, and internal and external power supply units.

In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 is configured to simulate a maximized concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while also maintaining an energy consumption within a threshold. For example, if providing the highest maximum lithium concentration in the feed material 106 results in an energy consumption per unit of lithium recovered that is greater than a predetermined threshold, the optimal feed simulator 346 may maximize the concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while also maintaining an energy consumption within a threshold. In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 may receive information regarding available energy sources with a cost information from the energy consumption management unit 350. Together with the composition of produced fluids 104 received from the measurement management unit 340 and/or the sensors 316, the optimal feed simulator 346 may use a simulation to determine a maximum concentration of lithium in the feed material 106 while also maintaining an energy consumption within a threshold. In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 determines the optimal feed composition by using an integrated model comprising a reservoir model and a steady state multiphase flow model.

In some embodiments, the computing node 332 is configured to determine the optimal feed composition substantially continuously during production of the produced fluids 104 from the production wells 102 and during operation of the lithium extraction processing facility 108. For example, the composition of the produced fluids 104 may change over time. As the composition of the produced fluids 104 changes over time, the sensors 316 may measure the concentration of each component and the optimal feed simulator 346 may determine the optimal feed composition based on the most recent composition data measured by the sensors 316. In addition, in some embodiments, the optimal distribution of the effluent 118 to provide to each injection well 120 to optimize a sweep efficiency and/or lithium recharging of the reinjected effluent may change over time and may depend on formation and reservoir properties, which may only become apparent over time. Thus, in some embodiments, the effluent output simulator 348 may continuously determine the optimal distribution of effluent to provide to each injection well 120 and the compression system 122 may continuously adjust the flowrates of effluent 118 to each injection well 120 based on the output of the effluent output simulator 348.

In some embodiments, and as described above, the optimal feed simulator 346 is configured to optimize the feed composition and the flowrate of the feed material 106 to the lithium extraction processing facility 108 based on the cost of producing the lithium and the profitability of the extracted lithium (e.g., in the concentrated lithium material 110). For example, the optimal feed simulator 346 may determine the optimal feed composition based on spot prices of lithium, the estimated future price of lithium, the current cost to produce the lithium (including the cost of energy to produce the lithium, the amount of renewable energy available, the cost of purchased energy (power), the amount of energy in storage, the cost of operating the lithium extraction processing facility 108 based on the composition of the feed material 106, etc.). In some embodiments, the energy consumption management unit 350 is configured to determine baseload energy requirements for operating the system 100 (e.g., the energy to operate the ESPs 114, the compression system 122, the lithium extraction processing facility 108), project a future energy demand that may be required by the system 100, and determine the effective use of renewable energy to minimize the use of energy from hydrocarbon sources. By way of non-limiting example, the energy consumption management unit 350 is configured to facilitate to utilize an amount of renewable energy such that the system 100 does not use non-renewable energy sources during operation of the system 100. In other words, the energy consumption management unit 350 may control the system 100 such that an energy consumption of the system 100 is maintained lower than the energy available from renewable sources for a given period of time.

In some embodiments, an optimal feed simulator (such as the optimal feed simulator 346 of FIG. 3) determines an optimal composition of the feed material 106 within a certain cost threshold provided by the energy consumption management unit 350. In some embodiments, the energy consumption management unit 350 considers factors, such as the time of day, the available energy sources and their respective prices to control the acquisition and use of energy. When the cost of energy changes and/or the cost of lithium changes, the computing node 332 may recalculate the optimal feed composition while minimizing the energy cost of the system and/or while maximizing profits over time (e.g., reducing use of energy from the electrical grid or from hydrocarbon sources over time). As described above with reference to the energy management unit 124, the energy consumption management unit 350 may be configured to maintain energy within the threshold energy consumption, such as by providing energy to the lithium extraction process based on an availability of renewable energy sources.

FIG. 4 illustrates an optimal feed simulation showing two components and of two produced fluids each from a different production well, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors (such as the sensors 116 of FIG. 1 or sensors 316 of FIG. 3), may provide lithium concentrations for a first produced fluid from a first production well and a second produced fluid from a second production well, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the first produced fluid includes 500 mg of lithium per liter (L), while the second produced fluid includes 800 mg/L of lithium. In addition, the first produced fluid includes 40 mg/L of the second component and the second produced fluid includes 500 mg/L of the second component. In some embodiments, the second component is an undesired component, and therefore it is desired to minimize the second component in the produced fluids (and in the feed material 106). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the optimal feed simulator 346 (FIG. 3) may cause the valve management unit 344 to close a valve (e.g., valve 312, valve 112) in fluid communication with the second produced fluid and provide only the first produced fluid to the lithium extraction process. In some embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 determines a flowrate of the first produced fluid and a flowrate of the second produced fluid to maximize the lithium concentration in the feed material while the concentration of the second component is less than a predetermined limit. In some such embodiments, the optimal feed simulator 346 may maximize the flowrate of the second produced fluid in the feed material to an amount such that the feed material has a concentration of the second component at the predetermined limit, but does not exceed the predetermined limit. In some embodiments, the second component is a desired component in a particular ratio to the lithium concentration, and therefore it is desired to optimize the ratio between the lithium and the second component. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the optimal feed simulator 346 may selectively increase or decrease production in each of the first production well and the second production well, such as by causing the valve management unit 344 to open or close respective valves 312 to control the flowrate of each of the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid to generate a feed material having an optimum concentration of lithium in relation to the second component.

FIG. 5 illustrates a series of acts 500 for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. While FIG. 5 illustrates acts according to one or more embodiments, alternative embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify any of the acts shown in FIG. 5. The acts of FIG. 5 can be performed as part of a method. A system, such as the computing nodes 322 and/or a portion of the system 100 can perform the acts of FIG. 5.

A shown in FIG. 5, the series of acts 500 may include act 550 including measuring a concentration of lithium in each of a plurality of produced fluids from a plurality of production wells. For example, the concentration of lithium may be measured in-situ with an in-line sensor, or samples of each produced fluid may be taken and analyzed in a laboratory. In some embodiments, an optimal borefield may be determined using the optimal borefield simulator 354, as described above. The location of the production wells may be based on the optimal borefield.

The series of acts 500 may further include act 552 including measuring the concentration of at least one additional component from each of the plurality of production fluids.

The series of acts 500 may further include act 554 including determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process based on the concentration of lithium in each of the plurality of produced fluids and the concentration of the at least one additional component in each of the plurality of produced fluids using a simulation.

The series of acts 500 may further include act 556 including adjusting flowrates of each of the produced fluids based on the optimal feed composition.

FIG. 6 illustrates a series of acts 600 for operating a lithium extraction process, in accordance with one or more embodiments. While FIG. 6 illustrates acts according to one or more embodiments, alternative embodiments may omit, add to, reorder, and/or modify any of the acts shown in FIG. 6. The acts of FIG. 6 can be performed as part of a method. A system such as the computing nodes 322 and/or a portion of the system 100 can perform the acts of FIG. 6.

A shown in FIG. 6, the series of acts 600 may include act 650 including measuring a first composition of a first produced fluid, the first composition including a first concentration of lithium. In some embodiments, the first composition of the first produced fluid is measured from a first production well. In some embodiments, an optimal borefield may be determined using the optimal borefield simulator 354, as described above. A borefield may be drilled having desired locations of production wells and injection wells based on the optimal borefield.

The series of acts 600 may further include act 652 including measuring a second composition of a second produced fluid, the second composition including a second concentration of lithium. In some embodiments, the second composition of the second production fluid is measured from a second production well.

The series of acts 600 may further include act 654 including providing a feed material to a lithium extraction process. In some embodiments, the feed material has a feed composition based on a first flowrate of the first produced fluid and a second flowrate of the second produced fluid.

The series of acts 600 may further include act 656 including using a simulation, based on the first composition and the second composition, determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process to maximize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition. In some embodiments, determining the optimal feed composition further includes maintaining at least one of a concentration of at least another component in the feed composition or maintaining an energy consumption within a threshold.

The series of acts 600 may further include act 658 including adjusting the first flowrate of the first produced fluid and the second flowrate of the second produced fluid based on the optimal feed composition. Adjusting the first flowrate of the first produced fluid and the second flowrate of the second produced fluid may include adjusting the ratio of the first flowrate to the second flowrate.

The systems and methods described herein may facilitate continuous in-situ optimization of the lithium extraction process. For example, the composition of lithium and other components in produced fluids 104 may change in real time depending on, for example, formation conditions, reservoir properties, and the sweep efficiency of recharged fluids (e.g., reinjected into injection wells 120). As the composition of the produced fluids 104 changes, it may be desirable to change the ratio of produced fluids 104 that are mixed with each other to generate the feed material 106 and provided to the lithium extraction processing facility 108 to optimize the recovery of lithium in the concentrated lithium material 110. By continuously measuring the composition of the produced fluids 104 (e.g., by in-line sensors (e.g., sensors 116) and/or by sampling of the produced fluids 104), and providing the composition data of the produced fluids 104 to the computing node(s) 332, the optimal feed simulator 346 may determine an optimal amount (e.g. ratio) of each produced fluid 104 to generate a feed material 106 having an optimal composition based on the composition of the produced fluids 104. Responsive to determining the optimal composition and the flowrate of each produced fluid 104, the optimal feed simulator 346 may generate instructions to cause the valve management unit 344 to cause the valves 312 to open or close to generate a feed material 106 having the desired ratio and/or flowrates of the produced fluids 104 to generate the desired composition of the feed material 106. In additional embodiments, the ESP management unit 342 causes the ESPs 314 to operate to generate the feed material 106 having the desired ratio and/or flowrates of the produced fluids 104.

FIG. 7 illustrates certain components that may be included within a computer system 700, such as the one or more computing nodes 332 as described in connection to FIG. 3 and/or one or more portions of the computing nodes 332, such as one or more of the measurement management unit 340, the EPS management unit 342, the valve management unit 344, the optical feed simulator 346, the effluent output simulator, the energy consumption management unit 350, the optimal borefield simulator 354, or the lithium extraction process simulator 352. One or more computer systems 700 may be used to implement the various devices, components, and systems described herein.

The computer system 700 includes a processor 701. The processor 701 may be a general-purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor (e.g., an Advanced RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) Machine (ARM)), a special-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP)), a microcontroller, a programmable gate array, etc. The processor 701 may be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). Although just a single processor 701 is shown in the computer system 700 of FIG. 7, in an alternative configuration, a combination of processors (e.g., an ARM and DSP) could be used. In one or more embodiments, the computer system 700 further includes one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), which can provide processing services related to both entity classification and graph generation.

The computer system 700 also includes memory 703 in electronic communication with the processor 701. The memory 703 may be any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. For example, the memory 703 may be embodied as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memory included with the processor, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) memory, registers, and so forth, including combinations thereof.

Instructions 705 and data 707 may be stored in the memory 703. The instructions 705 may be executable by the processor 701 to implement some or all of the functionality disclosed herein. Executing the instructions 705 may involve the use of the data 707 that is stored in the memory 703. Any of the various examples of modules and components described herein may be implemented, partially or wholly, as instructions 705 stored in memory 703 and executed by the processor 701. Any of the various examples of data described herein may be among the data 707 that is stored in memory 703 and used during execution of the instructions 705 by the processor 701. The instructions 705, when executed by the processor 701, may cause the processor to perform one or more of the methods (e.g., method 500, method 600) described above with reference to the computing nodes 332 and the system 100.

A computer system 700 may also include one or more communication interfaces 709 for communicating with other electronic devices. The communication interface(s) 709 may be based on wired communication technology, wireless communication technology, or both. Some examples of communication interfaces 709 include a Universal Serial Bus (USB), an Ethernet adapter, a wireless adapter that operates in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless communication protocol, a Bluetooth® wireless communication adapter, and an infrared (IR) communication port.

A computer system 700 may also include one or more input devices 711 and one or more output devices 713. Some examples of input devices 711 include a keyboard, mouse, microphone, remote control device, button, joystick, trackball, touchpad, and lightpen. Some examples of output devices 713 include a speaker and a printer. One specific type of output device that is typically included in a computer system 700 is a display device 715. Display devices 715 used with embodiments disclosed herein may utilize any suitable image projection technology, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), gas plasma, electroluminescence, or the like. A display controller 717 may also be provided, for converting data 707 stored in the memory 703 into text, graphics, and/or moving images (as appropriate) shown on the display device 715.

The various components of the computer system 700 may be coupled together by one or more buses, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus, a status signal bus, a data bus, etc. For the sake of clarity, the various buses are illustrated in FIG. 7 as a bus system 719.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation showing the available energy sources that may be used by the energy management unit 124 and/or the energy consumption management unit 350, according to at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Available energy sources for the lithium extraction process may include renewable energy (e.g., solar energy, wind energy), as well as power from the electrical grid to meet excess demand. The top row of FIG. 8, from left to right, illustrates the baseload power supply, the solar power generated, the wind power generated, and the amount of power in storage. The bottom row, from left to right, illustrates the energy mix determined by the energy management consumption unit including the energy from the electrical grid, solar energy, wind energy, and energy available from storage; the renewable energy lost over time; the stored energy capacity; and the unmet demand over time. The energy unit 124 and/or the energy management consumption unit 350 may be programmed to preferentially utilize renewable sources, store excess energy generated, and use the stored energy when needed. The energy management unit 124 and/or the energy management consumption unit 350 may be configured to maximize the use of renewable energy, minimize the use of hydrocarbon sources for energy consumption, and to minimize the overall cost associated with providing power to the lithium extraction process to meet the forecast demand. In some embodiments, the energy management unit 124 and/or the energy management consumption unit 350 is configured to use renewable energy and operate the lithium extraction process without using non-renewable energy sources. In some embodiments, the energy management unit 124 and/or the energy management consumption unit 350 may maintain the consumption of energy over a given period of time to be lower than the amount of renewable energy available and the amount of renewable energy that will be available over the given period of time. In some embodiments, the energy management unit 124 and/or the energy management consumption unit 350 causes the system to store excess renewable energy when more renewable energy is available than the energy required to power the system; and consume the stored renewable energy when the system requires more power than available from renewable energy sources to reduce, minimize, or prevent the use of non-renewable energy sources for the system.

Following are sections in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure:

Clause 1: A method of operating a lithium extraction process, the method comprising: measuring a concentration of lithium in each of a plurality of produced fluids from a plurality of production wells extending through an earth formation; providing a feed material to the lithium extraction process, the feed material comprising a first flowrate of the first produced fluid and a second flowrate of the second produced fluid; using a simulation, based at least in part on the concentration of lithium in each of the produced fluids, determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition and at least one of: maintain at least one of a concentration of at least another component in the feed material within a threshold concentration of the at least another component; or maintain an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process within a threshold energy consumption; and adjusting a flowrate of at least one of the produced fluids to adjust the feed material to the optimal feed composition.

Clause 2: The method of clause 1, further comprising using the simulation to determine an optimal location of each of the production wells, and one or more injection wells to optimize the concentration of lithium in the feed composition based on a sweep efficiency and a recharging of lithium in the earth formation.

Clause 3: The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids includes adjusting one or more valve positions, adjusting an operating parameter of one or more electric submersible pumps (ESPs), or a combination thereof.

Clause 4: The method of clause 3, wherein adjusting the operating parameter of the one or more ESPs includes adjusting one or more of a rotation speed of the one or more ESPs, or a power provided to the one or more ESPs.

Clause 5: The method of any preceding clause, further including: reducing a first flowrate of a first produced fluid when the concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid is less than a concentration of the at least another component in the first produced fluid; and increasing the first flowrate when the concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid is above the concentration of the at least another component in the first produced fluid.

Clause 6: The method of any preceding clause, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition based on one or more of a model of a lithium reservoir through which the plurality of production wells extend, wellbore properties of the plurality of production wells, or a diameter of piping between the lithium extraction process and each of the production wells of the plurality of production wells.

Clause 7: The method of any preceding clause, further comprising using the simulation to determine a first flowrate of an effluent from the lithium extraction process to reinject to a first injection well and a second flowrate of the effluent to reinject to at least a second injection well to optimize the concentration of lithium in the feed composition over time.

Clause 8: The method of clause 7, wherein determining the first flowrate of the effluent and the second flowrate of the effluent includes determining the first flowrate of the effluent and the second flowrate of the effluent based on one or more of lithium reservoir properties, properties of the earth formation, a location of the first injection well, or a location of the second injection well.

Clause 9: The method of clause 7 or 8, further comprising injecting the first flowrate of the effluent to the first injection well and injecting the second flowrate of the effluent to the at least the second injection well.

Clause 10: The method of any of clauses 7-9, wherein optimizing the concentration of lithium in the feed composition includes optimizing each of a recharging of lithium in the first produced fluid, a recharging of lithium in the second produced fluid, and a sweep efficiency of the effluent through the earth formation.

Clause 11: The method of any preceding clause, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition having a concentration of the at least one additional component less than the threshold concentration.

Clause 12: The method of any preceding clause, wherein maintaining the energy consumption within the threshold includes providing energy to the lithium extraction process based on an availability of renewable energy sources. Optionally, the method further comprises providing renewable energy to the lithium extraction process, and maintaining the energy consumption within the threshold energy consumption includes maintaining an energy under energy available from the renewable energy at a given period of time.

Claim 13: The method of clause 12, further comprising determining a first minimum threshold concentration of lithium in the feed material based on operating conditions of the lithium extraction process.

Clause 14: The method of any preceding clause, further comprising: determining a second minimum threshold concentration of lithium in the feed material responsive to the production wells being unable to provide the first minimum threshold concentration to the feed material; and changing the operating conditions of the lithium extraction process to accommodate the second minimum threshold concentration of lithium.

Clause 15: The method of any preceding clause, further comprising measuring a concentration of the at least one additional component in each of the plurality of produced fluids, wherein adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids includes adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids based on the concentration of the at least one additional component in each of the produced fluids.

Clause 16: The method of any preceding clause, wherein the at least one additional component is at least one of silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron or water.

Clause 17: The method of any preceding clause, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition having a concentration of lithium above a threshold concentration of lithium and a concentration of the at least one additional component below the threshold concentration of the at least another component.

Clause 18: The method of any preceding clause, wherein determining the optimal feed composition comprises using an integrated model comprising a reservoir model and a steady state multiphase flow model.

Clause 19: The method of any of any preceding clause, further including simulating an energy cost for the optimal feed composition and adjusting the optimal feed composition based on the simulated energy cost.

Clause 20: A system for optimizing a feed composition for a lithium extraction process, the system comprising: a first sensor in fluid communication with a first produced fluid from a first production well, the first sensor configured to measure a concentration of at least a first component in the first produced fluid; a second sensor in fluid communication with a second produced fluid from a second production well, the second sensor configured to measure the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid; a first valve configured to adjust a first flowrate of the first produced fluid; a second valve configured to adjust a second flowrate of the second produced fluid; a processor in operable communication with the first sensor, the second sensor, the first valve, and the second valve; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to cause the processor to: simulate an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process based on the concentration of the at least the first component in the first produced fluid and at least one of: the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid; or an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process; and provide instructions to the first valve and the second valve based on the optimal feed composition to adjust a position of the first valve to adjust the first flowrate and adjust a position of the second valve to adjust the second flowrate.

Clause 21: The system of clause 20, further including an electric submersible pump (ESP) in operable communication with the processor, and wherein instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor cause the processor to provide instructions to the ESP to adjust an operating parameter of the ESP.

Clause 22: The system of clause 20 or 21, wherein adjusting the operating parameter of the ESP includes adjusting one or more of a rotation speed of the ESP, or a power provided to the ESP.

Clause 23: A method of operating a lithium extraction process, the method comprising: measuring a first composition of a first produced fluid from a first production well extending through an earth formation, the first composition including a first concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid; measuring a second composition of a second produced fluid from a second production well, the second composition including a second concentration of lithium in the second produced fluid; providing a feed material to the lithium extraction process, the feed material comprising a first flowrate of the first produced fluid and a second flowrate of the second produced fluid; using a simulation, based on the first composition and the second composition, determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition and maintain at least one of a concentration of at least another component in the feed material or energy consumption within a threshold; and adjusting the first flowrate of the first produced fluid and the second flowrate of the second produced fluid to adjust the feed material to the optimal feed composition.

Clause 24: A method of operating a lithium extraction process, the method comprising: measuring a concentration of lithium in each of a plurality of produced fluids from a plurality of production wells; measuring a concentration of at least one additional component in each of the plurality of produced fluids; determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process based on the concentration of lithium in each of the plurality of produced fluids and the concentration of the at least one additional component in each of the plurality of produced fluids using a simulation; and adjusting flowrates of each of the plurality of produced fluids based on the optimal feed composition.

Clause 25: A method of operating a lithium extraction process, the method comprising: measuring a concentration of lithium in each of a plurality of produced fluids from a plurality of production wells extending through an earth formation; providing a feed material to the lithium extraction process, the feed material comprising a plurality of produced fluids, each produced fluid of the plurality of produced fluids having a concentration of lithium; using a simulation, based at least in part on the concentration of lithium in each of the produced fluids, determining an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition and at least one of: maintain at least one of a concentration of at least another component in the feed material within a threshold concentration of the at least another component; or maintain an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process within a threshold energy consumption; and adjusting a flowrate of at least one of the produced fluids to adjust the feed material to the optimal feed composition.

Clause 26: The method of clause 25, further comprising using the simulation to determine an optimal location of each of the production wells, and one or more injection wells to optimize the concentration of lithium in the feed composition based on a sweep efficiency and a recharging of lithium in the earth formation.

Clause 27: The method of clause 25 or clause 26, adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids includes adjusting one or more valve positions, adjusting an operating parameter of one or more electric submersible pumps (ESPs), or a combination thereof.

Clause 28: The method of any one of clauses 25-27, further including: reducing a first flowrate of a first produced fluid when the concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid is less than a concentration of the at least another component in the first produced fluid; and increasing the first flowrate when the concentration of lithium in the first produced fluid is above the concentration of the at least another component in the first produced fluid.

Clause 29: The method of any one of clauses 25-28, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition based on one or more of a model of a lithium reservoir through which the plurality of production wells extend, wellbore properties of the plurality of production wells, or a diameter of piping between the lithium extraction process and each of the production wells of the plurality of production wells.

Clause 30: The method of any one of clauses 25-29, further comprising using the simulation to determine a first flowrate of an effluent from the lithium extraction process to reinject to a first injection well and a second flowrate of the effluent to reinject to at least a second injection well to optimize the concentration of lithium in the feed composition over time.

Clause 31: The method of clause 30, wherein optimizing the concentration of lithium in the feed composition includes optimizing each of a recharging of lithium in the plurality of produced fluids and a sweep efficiency of the effluent through the earth formation.

Clause 32: The method of any one of clauses 25-31, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition having a concentration of the at least another component less than the threshold concentration.

Clause 33: The method of any one of clauses 25-32, wherein maintaining the energy consumption within the threshold energy consumption includes providing energy to the lithium extraction process based on an availability of renewable energy sources.

Clause 34: The method of clause 33, wherein maintaining the energy consumption within the threshold energy consumption includes maintaining an energy consumption less than energy available from the renewable energy sources for a given period of time.

Clause 35: The method of any one of clauses 25-34, further comprising determining a first minimum threshold concentration of lithium in the feed material based on operating conditions of the lithium extraction process.

Clause 36: The method of clause 35, further comprising: determining a second minimum threshold concentration of lithium in the feed material responsive to the plurality of production wells being unable to provide the first minimum threshold concentration of lithium in the feed material; and changing the operating conditions of the lithium extraction process to accommodate the second minimum threshold concentration of lithium.

Clause 37: The method of any one of clauses 25-36, further comprising measuring a concentration of the at least another component in each of the plurality of produced fluids, wherein adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids includes adjusting the flowrate of the at least one of the produced fluids based on the concentration of the at least another component in each of the produced fluids.

Clause 38: The method of any one of clauses 25-37, the at least another component is at least one of silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron or water.

Clause 39: The method of any one of clauses 25-38, wherein determining the optimal feed composition includes determining the optimal feed composition having a concentration of lithium above a threshold concentration of lithium and a concentration of the at least another component below the threshold concentration of the at least another component.

Clause 40: The method of any one of clauses 25-39, including simulating an energy cost for the optimal feed composition and adjusting the optimal feed composition based on the simulated energy cost.

Clause 41: A system for optimizing a feed composition for a lithium extraction process, the system comprising: a first sensor in fluid communication with a first produced fluid from a first production well, the first sensor configured to measure a concentration of at least a first component in the first produced fluid; a second sensor in fluid communication with a second produced fluid from a second production well, the second sensor configured to measure the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid; a first valve configured to adjust a first flowrate of the first produced fluid; a second valve configured to adjust a second flowrate of the second produced fluid; a processor in operable communication with the first sensor, the second sensor, the first valve, and the second valve; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to cause the processor to: simulate an optimal feed composition to provide to the lithium extraction process based on the concentration of the at least the first component in the first produced fluid and at least one of: the concentration of the at least the first component in the second produced fluid; or an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process; and provide instructions to the first valve and the second valve based on the optimal feed composition to adjust a position of the first valve to adjust the first flowrate and adjust a position of the second valve to adjust the second flowrate.

Clause 42: The system of clause 40, further including an electric submersible pump (ESP) in operable communication with the processor, and wherein instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor cause the processor to provide instructions to the ESP to adjust an operating parameter of the ESP.

Clause 43: The system of clause 42, wherein adjusting the operating parameter of the ESP includes adjusting one or more of a rotation speed of the ESP, or a power provided to the ESP.

Clause 44: A method of operating a lithium extraction process, the method comprising: measuring a concentration of lithium in a first produced fluid from a first production well extending through an earth formation; measuring a concentration of lithium in a second produced fluid from a second production well extending through an earth formation; mixing the first produced fluid and the second produced fluid to form a feed material to the lithium extraction process; determining a flowrate of the first produced fluid and a flowrate of the second produced fluid to optimize a concentration of lithium in the feed composition and at least one of: maintain a concentration of at least another component in the feed material below a threshold concentration; or maintain an energy consumption of the lithium extraction process below a threshold energy consumption; and adjusting a flowrate of at least one of the first produced fluid or the second produced fluid based on the determined flowrate of the first produced fluid and the determined flowrate of the second produced fluid.

Clause 45: The method of clause 44, wherein the at least another component is at least one of silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, manganese, iron, water, or a hydrocarbon.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may thus utilize a special purpose or general-purpose computing system including computer hardware, such as, for example, one or more processors and system memory. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure also include physical and other computer-readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or data structures, including applications, tables, data, libraries, or other modules used to execute particular functions or direct selection or execution of other modules. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions (or software instructions) are physical storage media. Computer-readable media that carry computer-executable instructions are transmission media. Thus, by way of example, and not limitation, embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least two distinctly different kinds of computer-readable media, namely physical storage media or transmission media. Combinations of physical storage media and transmission media should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Both physical storage media and transmission media may be used temporarily store or carry, software instructions in the form of computer readable program code that allows performance of embodiments of the present disclosure. Physical storage media may further be used to persistently or permanently store such software instructions. Examples of physical storage media include physical memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), optical disk storage (e.g., CD, DVD, HDDVD, Blu-ray, etc.), storage devices (e.g., magnetic disk storage, tape storage, diskette, etc.), flash or other solid-state storage or memory, or any other non-transmission medium which can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer, whether such program code is stored as or in software, hardware, firmware, or combinations thereof.

A “network” or “communications network” may generally be defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modules, engines, and/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a communication network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computing device, the computing device properly views the connection as a transmission medium. Transmission media can include a communication network and/or data links, carrier waves, wireless signals, and the like, which can be used to carry desired program or template code means or instructions in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

Further, upon reaching various computer system components, program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures can be transferred automatically or manually from transmission media to physical storage media (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions or data structures received over a network or data link can be buffered in memory (e.g., RAM) within a network interface module (NIC), and then eventually transferred to computer system RAM and/or to less volatile physical storage media at a computer system. Thus, it should be understood that physical storage media can be included in computer system components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmission media.

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. These described embodiments are examples of the presently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual embodiment may be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous embodiment-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one embodiment to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements in the preceding descriptions. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. For example, any element described in relation to an embodiment herein may be combinable with any element of any other embodiment described herein. Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by embodiments of the present disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. The stated values include at least the variation to be expected in a suitable manufacturing or production process, and may include values that are within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.

A person having ordinary skill in the art should realize in view of the present disclosure that equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made to embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Equivalent constructions, including functional “means-plus-function” clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function, including both structural equivalents that operate in the same manner, and equivalent structures that provide the same function. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke means-plus-function or other functional claiming for any claim except for those in which the words ‘means for’ appear together with an associated function. Each addition, deletion, and modification to the embodiments that falls within the meaning and scope of the claims is to be embraced by the claims.

The terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” as used herein represent an amount close to the stated amount that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of a stated amount. Further, it should be understood that any directions or reference frames in the preceding description are merely relative directions or movements. For example, any references to “up” and “down” or “above” or “below” are merely descriptive of the relative position or movement of the related elements.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.