Project Selections for DE-FOA-0003017: Innovative Technologies to Eliminate Flaring from Oil and Natural Gas Production
Intensified, Modular Plant for Conversion of Stranded Associated Gas to Low-carbon Methanol and Derivatives — M2X Energy Inc. (Rockledge, Florida) plans to deploy a small modular gas-to-methanol (GTM) plant that captures a methane-rich waste stream at an oil well site in the Williston Basin in North Dakota to produce methanol. The modular GTM plant will convert stranded associated gas, which is currently flared, to low-carbon methanol. The GTM modular plant will employ a noncatalytic, internal combustion engine-based, partial-oxidation reformer technology that allows the process to be compact, transportable, and tolerant of variations in gas flow and composition. If successful, replacing flares with GTM plants could reduce local criteria pollutant emissions associated with gas flaring to lower the environmental burden on surrounding communities. Making value-added methanol from waste streams could also generate additional revenue for local communities while creating jobs.
DOE Funding: $9,998,692
Non-DOE Funding: $2,500,000
Total Value: $12,498,692
Commercial Scale Turnkey Near Zero Emissions and Zero Flaring Oil Production Facility — Pioneer Energy (Lakewood, Colorado) intends to continue development of the emission control treater (ECT), a new well pad processing technology that uses a fundamentally different process to replace existing equipment while eliminating nearly all methane emission sources on the pad. Pioneer will field test the technology at a well site in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado in cooperation with an industry partner. The technology is a simple skid-based prefabricated process that eliminates most fugitive emissions. It replaces fired heater treaters through electrification or consolidation to a single-fired heater with emission controls; eliminates tank vapors through better crude stabilization; and removes or reduces the need for internal combustion engine-driven compression. The modular nature of the ECT enables improved capital utilization through redeployment as production changes. The system is automated, with remote operations and continuous emissions monitoring and reporting, further reducing emissions by minimizing time and trips to the site for repairs.
DOE Funding: $9,995,594
Non-DOE Funding: $2,500,000
Total Value: $12,495,594
Oil Field Flare Gas Energy Systems (OFFGASES) —Prabhu Energy Labs (Mission Viejo, California) plans to develop the Oxiperator to obtain useful energy from a wide range of gases being flared or vented. The Oxiperator is a patented, porous, non-catalytic, high-temperature heat exchanger that uses heat transfer to achieve oxidation and uses the heat of exothermic oxidation to heat the incoming gas-air mixture. Prior testing has shown that the Oxiperator can oxidize greater than 95% of methane and volatile organic compounds and generate no new nitrogen oxides. The project aims to develop, test, and install progressively larger Oxiperators at oil/gas well sites in the Green River Basin, Wyoming, and at other locations. The project objectives are to 1) demonstrate the ability of the Oxiperator to oxidize methane at concentrations as low as 0.3% and as high as 100%; 2) evaluate several technologies to scale up manufacturing; 3) adapt turbochargers and microturbines to generate the energy from oxidation; and 4) scale the Oxiperator to 10,000 standard cubic feet per minute to eliminate greater than 95% of methane and volatile organic compounds and generate 1 megawatt of power.
DOE Funding: $9,998,303
Non-DOE Funding: $7,050,000
Total Value: $17,048,303
Polar Bear™-Effective Gas Capture to Eliminate Flaring — University of North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center (Grand Forks, North Dakota) intends to demonstrate Polar Bear™, a patented technology developed to eliminate flaring at well sites, within the Williston Basin of North Dakota in cooperation with an industry partner. The technical objectives of this project are to demonstrate economic application, gas capture efficiency, and mechanical performance to accelerate commercial adoption. The demonstration will include the capture of tank vapors, heater-treater gas, production of liquids, on-lease gas use, and pressure management. The intent is to operate test units over nine months to demonstrate gas capture efficiency, maintenance intervals, and cost-effective operation. Innovations in this project include capturing tank vapors to use as fuel on-site, recovering the liquid value from the gas to recombine with oil, and providing new compressors to the industry that significantly reduce maintenance costs. If successful, the technology may overcome the higher costs of conventional vapor recovery systems so that low-pressure gas can be economically captured from wells that are past the initial production phase.
DOE Funding: $2,000,000
Non-DOE Funding: $500,000
Total Value: $2,500,000