Developing Greener Approaches for Oil Shale Development Peter M. Crawford Senior Manager, Inc. Presented to: 29 th Oil Shale Symposium Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Energy Research Institute Golden, CO October 2009
U.S. Oil Shale Offers Promise Total Resource 6 Trillion Barrels High Quality Resource* 2 Trillion Barrels Technical Recovery 1.2 Trillion Barrels Notes: * In deposits with a yield of 25 gallons/ton or higher ** Estimates based on the DOE/NPOSR Model Estimated Reserves** 600 800 Billion Bbls @ $50 $65 / Bbl
Potential Shale Oil Production (MM BOE/D) Accelerated Scenario Measured Scenario RD&D Business-as-Usual Tax Incentives Base Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels, 2007.
But Faces Technical, Social, and Environmental Challenges Air Quality Capture for Process Plant Use Capture for: CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery Sequestration Other Industrial Uses Capture and Clean using Existing Technology Land Disturbance Water Use and Quality HC Gas CO 2 SO 2 NO x Oil Shale Processing Total Area 17,000 Square Miles 2.5 MMBbl/d 52 Square Miles Efficiency? Infrastructure? Socio-Economic Impacts?
Oil Shale R&D Key Players INDUSTRY Energy Co s Tech Developers Entrepreneurs RESEARCH COMMUNITY Universities National Labs Geologic Surveys Oil Shale R&D GOVERNMENT Dept. of Energy Dept. of the Interior Dept. of Defense
NPOSR Oil Shale Profiles Profiled 27 companies (6/07) Updated to 31 (7/08) 3rd Edition (9/09) 35 Companies Focus on Environmental Goals Get CD from DOE Booth or Download at: http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/reserves/npr/npr_oil_shale_program.html Or www.unconventionalfuels.org
30 Companies Active in the U.S. C R Combustion Resources J. W. Bunger and Associates, Inc. Imperial Petroleum Recovery Corporation Composite Technology Development, Inc. Mountain West Energy Syntec Energy, LLC Great Western Energy, LLC Western Energy Partners, LLC Heliosat, Inc.
Technology Goals Process performance / reliability Greater recovery efficiency (% of FA) Energy efficient / self- sufficient Low emissions of criteria pollutants Low carbon emission / effective mgmt Low net water use Groundwater protection Low surface impacts Spent shale management
Examples of New Technologies that Address Challenges New energy sources Solar, wind, waste heat Indirect heating Direct current RF / Microwave In-situ gasification Underground heaters Fluidized-bed heating Pyrolysis in hydrogen atmosphere Water recycling / re-use Alternative water sources Freeze wall and impermeable barriers
Environmental Advances in In-Situ Approaches
Shell s s ICP Downhole electric heaters Demonstrated in CO pilot Recovered 1,700 Bbls (plus gas) from a 30x40 test area May apply at 3 other CO sites Status: Freezewall proposed to prevent groundwater intrusion and protect groundwater quality Conducting Freeze Wall Test
IEPM s Geothermic Fuel Cell High-Temp Fuel Cell Stack heater Residual char gasified Uniform heating Low external energy: Produced gas fuels cell ~18:1 Energy Balance Plus 260 Kwh / Bbl elec Minimal Emissions Water self-sufficient sufficient Low surface impacts No spent shale Status: 2008 Teaming Agreement w/ TOTAL Battelle / PNNL Design / Engineering: Aug 09 GFC Fabrication / Testing / Demo to follow
In-Situ Electric Conduction Fractured with conductive proppant Using produced HC gas can reduce external power requirement Low process carbon emissions Net water producer Groundwater protected by geologic formations or impermeable barrier ExxonMobil ElectroFrac TM Process Status: Lab and modeling results encouraging Field tests initiated Plans to continue RD&D
AMSO Closed Loop In-Situ Status: Pilot Plant Test Expected in 2010 Targets deep illite shale Below cap rock Protects shallow aquifer Closed loop process Indirect heating Horizontal wells improve recovery efficiency Fewer wells = less impact HC gas fires heaters Low net external energy
GSI In-Situ Gasification Single-well process Super-heated air gasifies Extracted gases condensed Mobile skids / low footprint No process water Low groundwater risk Air emissions recycled / recovered Low GHG No mining, tailings, waste Viable to 3000 New CO 2 sink Heated InPut Gases Storage Heater Well Condensers Proposed Single Well Site Oil Shale Product Gases Cracked Kerogen Status: R&D Pilot Construction Fall 2009 R&D Production Spring 2010 Commercial Prototype to follow
Environmental Advances in Surface Approaches
Chattanooga s s PFBC w/ Fired Use of hot hydrogen in reactor Cuts CO 2 generation in retort Enhances product quality Reduces hydrotreating Low external energy: Waste heat recovery Cogeneration HC gas use Very Low GHGs Hydrogen Heater H-Reformer CO 2 can be captured Amine scrubber removes H 2 S 99.8% of Sulfur removed Low water use / No water pollution Status: Preparing to design, construct & operate a demonstration facility.
Combustion Resources C-SOSC Indirect-Fired Rotary Kiln Hydrogen from gasified coal CO 2 captured No CO 2 from retort Low energy inputs Heat-recovery / re- use for whole plant Low water use 1 Bbl / Bbl est. Low cost Status: DOE SBIR Grant for Phase II Demo / Pilot Plant Prelim design for 6000 B/D Demo plant complete
Hybrid Approaches: Integrating Alternative Energy Sources to Reduce Lifecycle Carbon Emissions
RedLeaf EcoShale In-Capsule Capsule Contains heating zone Protects groundwater Impounds shale Low external energy Circulated hot air Heated by HC off-gases Heat-transfer transfer / re-use Low CO 2 generation Potential CO 2 capture No process water use Rapid reclamation Status: 2008-9 Field-Scale Pilot Test complete
PyroPhase Wind-Clean Oil Shale Wind RF Hybrid Wind power stored as heat in sands or shale Produces oil and gas Ends combustion for extraction energy Cuts oil CO 2 by ~1/3 Stabilizes power grid Accounts for variability in wind Status: Eng. study for U.S. tar sands; then oil shale. Simulation to optimize geometry / predict flow Work plan for pilot, scale up, 10K B/d TS plant.
MWE IVE w/ Solar Concentrator Solar concentrator Gas heat carrier Hot gas injected Heats by convection Vaporized oil swept to surface as gas Zero GHG from extraction Viable to 6,000 Status: Goal: >1 MM B/d OS, TS, or HO by 2018. Phase 1 RMOTC field test complete. Working with San Leon Energy to develop a 6,000 km 2 Tarfaya oil shale lease in Morocco.
Heliosat: : SBSP w/ RF Heating and Space-based solar energy Radio- Frequency Heating Critical Fluids Extraction CF Extraction Near Near-Term SSP SSP Generated Generated RF Shale RF Oil Shale Oil Extraction Extraction + + Complementary CO 2 CO 2 Extraction
INL Regional Hybrid Energy Systems & Carbon Management Approaches Renewable-Electric Integration -Electrolysis or co-electrolysis driver -Additional electricity to grid Hydrogen Generation Plant -Upgrade of fossil and bio feedstocks -Catalytic feedstock for CTL Liquid Fuels & Chemicals Plant -Coal and biomass to liquids -Process chemicals Nuclear Island -Present or future generation -Process heat and/or electricity Carbon Feedstock -Coal -Oil Sands, Oil Shale -Biomass Hybrid energy systems can provide increased production efficiency and help mitigate environmental impacts
Conclusions Industry continues to invest Major efforts target or directly affect improved environmental performance The industry trend is clearly toward more efficient, less energy intensive, and greener approaches Please drop by the DOE booth for a CD