Overview
Integrating Solar & EOR
There are three ways in which solar can be integrated into thermal EOR projects. Each application has its own trade-offs in terms of the amount of changes required to existing surface facilities and the amount of gas saved.
Feed Water Pre-Heat
Constant Rate Steaming
Variable Rate Steaming
Reduce Gas Consumption
GlassPoint solar steam generators produce steam at a lower cost than steam produced from gas-fired steam generators, making it practical to replace up to 80% of the gas used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Because solar steam generators have no fuel cost, the cost of the heat produced is fixed for the 30-year life of the equipment. This contrasts with natural gas costs, which fluctuate widely over the lifetime of a project.
Increase Proven Reserves
Proven reserves are a measure of the amount of oil that can be economically recovered from a reservoir. Solar steam costs less than gas fired steam, so for the same reservoir, more oil can be economically recovered with solar.
Once a GlassPoint solar steam generator has been purchased, the Operation and Maintenance costs just $0.35 per MMBtu. With low-cost, fixed price steam, operators can optimize recovery strategies to produce more oil over the field’s lifetime. The opportunity to drive the reservoir harder and longer becomes economical—extending the life of the reservoir and increasing proven reserves.Solar Co-generation
In many oil fields around the world, gas turbines are used to provide both electric power generation and process steam for EOR and other processes. GlassPoint solar arrays can be used in conjunction with combined cycle gas turbines to maximize energy efficiency and reduce gas consumption.
Desalination
With water a scarce resource on many oil fields, the need for desalination of both seawater and ground water is increasing. GlassPoint solar steam generators can be applied to thermal desalination plants either as standalone power sources or in combination with co-generation or EOR facilities.