help from the sun

While doing some research on solar power, I ran across this piece on the Shell Oil website.   They are using solar power to boost oil extraction.  Clever.  How about really developing solar so we don't have to extract oil at all?  

(broken record) Or how about hemp?!  We can use hemp oil to make plastics these days!  For less money!!  We can use hemp for fuel, plastics, food, clothing, building materials, just about everything we get from petroleum except for some of the nastiest chemicals. 

A little help from the sun

Shell has supported the development of an innovative method of using solar power to boost oil extraction.

It’s an ingenious way of making the process of extracting oil more efficient. By simply housing extraction equipment in a giant ‘glasshouse’, engineers are able to use clean renewable solar power to help boost oil production from existing fields in a more cost-effective, energy-efficient and sustainable way.

The effort has received support from several sources, including the Shell Technology Ventures programme, and has been installed for commercial use at a Shell project in Oman run with the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the country’s largest oil producer.

Over a period of six months this year, it has replaced around 400,000 m³ of gas, saving 800 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Unlocking trapped energy

Traditionally, natural gas is burned to generate steam for injection into reservoirs. The steam heats thick oil, helping it to flow more freely and boost production, a process known commonly as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Gas, however, is a valuable resource in many oil producing countries, especially in the Gulf states of the Middle East where it is needed to generate power and desalinate water.

One way to reduce natural gas consumption – and also cut CO2 emissions – by as much as 80% in EOR operations is to use solar power to produce steam. The gas saved can then be used where it is needed the most to generate electricity for industrial applications or exported as liquefied natural gas.

But conventional solar thermal technologies can be costly; the rows of mirrors which collect sunlight are made of expensive, heavy steel, and require substantial, concrete structures that anchor them to the ground against strong winds. Dust and debris collect on the mirrors, which makes them less efficient and call for frequent, labour-intensive cleaning.

The ‘glasshouse’ innovation could have a huge impact on EOR operations around the world, especially in sun-soaked Middle Eastern countries.

Shell’s new glasshouse innovation helps to overcome some of these practical draw-backs. Engineers Rod MacGregor and Pete von Behrens first developed the ‘Enclosed Trough’ technology in California after forming a company called GlassPoint.

“My partner, Pete, had the great idea of putting the entire solar field in a glasshouse,” says Rod. “By enclosing the troughs in an agricultural-grade glasshouse, we can use low-weight, low-cost materials to reduce the capital cost of the field by more than half.”

Inside the glass there is no wind and no dust. The troughs are so light that they hang from the glass ceiling, like tomato plants in a greenhouse. While they must still be cleaned, an automated robot cleans the glasshouse roof, reducing operations and maintenance costs and conserving water.

Shell’s vast glasshouse structure in the Omani desert.

Making a vision reality

Independent energy company Berry Petroleum of California recognised the technology’s potential and invited GlassPoint to install a pilot plant at a 100-year-old oil field in California. The plant started up in 2011 and was the world’s first commercial solar EOR project.

This was followed by a second project, 27 times bigger than the first, for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the largest oil producer in Oman in which Shell has a 34% interest. The pilot plant started production in December 2012 and was officially commissioned in February 2013. Between February and July it replaced around 400,000 m³ of gas, saving 800 tonnes of CO2 emissions that would otherwise have been emitted from the gas fired steam generators. [i] To date, the project produces 10% more steam than originally expected.

In 2012 Shell Technology Ventures invested in GlassPoint, attracted by the technology’s potential to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of EOR. In return, this gives GlassPoint access to Shell’s expertise and global network of partners in the energy industry.

“When Shell makes an investment in a small company like ours, potential customers take note,” says MacGregor. “Shell’s investment and interest legitimises the technology and helps put our company on the map.”

[i] Based on MMBTU/ton: 2.18. OTSG efficiency: 85%. CO2 (lbs/MMBTU): 117. 1 ton= 2,200lb. Cumulative output of steam up to end of June: 5,600 tons. MMBTU gas replaced: 14,360. CO2 avoided: 760 tons

This story originally appeared on Shell.com.