EOR firm GlassPoint Solar has announced it will present a technical paper published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) at the SPE EOR Technical Conference held next week in Muscat, Oman, according to the company’s website.
The SPE paper highlights new performance data and lessons learned from the first year of operations at GlassPoint’s 7MWt solar EOR project with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
The new data validates the technical feasibility of deploying GlassPoint’s enclosed trough technology to generate solar steam for EOR in desert oilfields. An enclosed trough steam generator seals large parabolic mirrors inside a glasshouse. The structure protects the solar collectors from sand and dust and is equipped with a proven, automated washing unit to maintain performance in harsh desert environments.
During the first 12 months of operations, actual performance of the GlassPoint system matched output models within a few percent and steam production continues to exceed contracted performance targets. The system recorded 98.6 percent uptime and maintained regular operations during severe dust and sand storms.
The automated roof-washing unit proved particularly effective in all weather events, fully restoring system performance overnight. Mr. Palmer will present SPE paper 169745, entitled “Construction, Operations and Performance of the First Enclosed Trough Solar Steam Generation Pilot for EOR Applications,” at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1.
The SPE EOR Technical Conference held March 31 through April 2 convenes global experts to discuss the latest case studies and technology advances in all forms of EOR. The conference is held in conjunction with Oil and Gas West Asia (OGWA) 2014, one of the largest gatherings of oil and gas executives across the Middle East. GlassPoint is exhibiting at booth A 121 and is a conference sponsor alongside PDO, Shell, Occidental Mukhaizna and Schlumberger.
Earlier this month, GlassPoint announced its expansion to the State of Kuwait. Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) veteran Hussain Shehab was appointed Country Chairman and is in the process of establishing the company’s Kuwait office.
