Combined Heat and Power and Waste Heat to Power have successfully reduced operating costs and improved power reliability in myriad applications. 82+ GW of CHP have been deployed at > 4,400 industrial and commercial facilities across the U.S. There has been less deployment of this proven technology in the oil field. CHP can provide both electric power and thermal energy from a single on-site source. WHP systems capture waste heat from various processes and utilizes it to generate electricity without additional fuel, combustion, or emissions. Recovered waste heat can be used to provide additional services to production facilities, including heating for thermal water treatment, EOR, and/or processing.
A 2017 workshop in partnership with Shell initiated dialogue among several operators and service providers regarding current/future power needs in the oil field, power generation/CHP options, and the value proposition in operations. In 2018, a second workshop was held to engage O&G companies, discussing what might make CHP/WHP work in upstream/midstream operations. Successful implementations in O&G and information for no-cost CHP technical assistance were shared. A workshop is being scheduled in New Mexico to further discuss opportunities and challenges for industry in New Mexico as all work to meet aggressive GHG reduction goals.
Primary Author / Conference Presenter
Andra Wilcox
Research Scientist, Energy and Sustainability
Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)
The Woodlands, Texas, USA