Gas is commonly flared to avoid venting to the atmosphere at sites where infrastructure is not in place to capture and utilize the resource. In North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields, nearly 30% of gas is flared, which is viewed as wasteful and polluting. In 2014, North Dakota mandated flare reduction for oil producers over the coming years backed by significant penalties for non-compliance.

ElectraTherm utilizes Organic Rankine Cycle and proprietary technologies to generate power from low temperature heat. At the oil well, natural gas that would otherwise be flared is instead used to fuel an industrial boiler. The boiler heats water to run the Power+ Generator, which produces clean energy that can offset local loads or be exported to the grid. The boiler precisely controls the fuel-to-air mixture, ensuring clean combustion that results in very low emissions, especially compared to typical onsite generation equipment such as a reciprocating engine. 9 ppm NOX is easily achievable.

In this presentation, ElectraTherm’s Managing Director John Fox will provide details on our flare elimination project with Hess Corporation, as well as emerging technology for flare elimination. He will highlight the pros and cons of flare capture, and where the industry is headed.

Primary Author / Conference Presenter:
John Fox
Managing Director
ElectraTherm
Reno, Nevada, USA