GlassPoint Solar, a leader in solar enhanced oil recovery (EOR), is set to showcase its innovative solar steam generation technology at the SPE Heavy Oil Conference and Exhibition opening in Kuwait tomorrow (December 8).

GlassPoint will demonstrate at the three-day event how its solar EOR systems can empower oil producers throughout the Gulf region with an economical alternative to using natural gas in heavy oil production.   

Thermal EOR deployment is growing in Kuwait and around the world to boost production of heavy oil, which represents more than 70 per cent of today’s remaining oil reserves worldwide. The leading method of producing heavy oil is steam flooding, a type of thermal EOR that injects steam into a reservoir to heat the oil making it easier to pump to the surface.

Steam is typically produced by burning large volumes of natural gas, a scarce and valuable resource throughout the Gulf region. GlassPoint’s solar EOR technology uses the sun’s energy to generate steam, reducing EOR gas consumption by up to 80 per cent.

Rod MacGregor, CEO and president of GlassPoint Solar, said: “Heavy oil production is an integral part of achieving Kuwait’s 2020 and 2030 strategies. Planned thermal EOR projects in North and West Kuwait stand to be some of the largest steam flooding projects in the world and will require burning significant amounts of imported natural gas or costly fuel oil. By deploying GlassPoint solar steam generators to extract Kuwait’s heavy oil reserves, the country can reduce its reliance on imported energy.”   

Hussain Shehab, GlassPoint’s Kuwait country chairman and long-time Kuwait Oil Company veteran, added, “GlassPoint’s technology has already been proven as a viable solution for producing steam in desert oilfields to save gas. Using solar EOR will help Kuwait reach its heavy oil production targets without compromising other gas dependent industries. The decision made today on fuel choice and the integration of solar will affect the next 100 years of production and have profound effects on the country. Solar EOR is a strategic decision for the oil and gas industry, for Kuwait’s economy, for the environment and its people.”

Shehab explained that Kuwait is just beginning its thermal EOR developments. The country has been importing gas for years, which means securing the gas for steam may cost up to $13 per MMBtu. Using fuel oil or diesel could be even more expensive, in addition to reducing Kuwait’s export revenue and contributing to poor air quality. Solar steam could supply the majority of Kuwait’s thermal EOR needs at half the cost of these fuel alternatives.

Unlike solar panels that generate electricity, GlassPoint designed a concentrating solar power (CSP) technology specifically to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry. Its enclosed trough technology uses large, curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto a boiler tube containing water. The concentrated energy boils the water to produce the steam, which is feed to the field’s existing steam distribution network.

The system is enclosed within a glasshouse structure to protect the solar collectors from wind, sand and dust storms that are becoming increasingly common in Kuwait year round. An automated washing system cleans the glasshouse each night to maintain performance in the desert environment, reducing water use and manual cleaning costs. – TradeArabia News Service