What is Solar Enhanced Oil Recovery?
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is a term for techniques used to increase the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field. Solar EOR uses concentrated solar power to concentrate the sun’s energy to heat water and generate steam.
The steam is then injected into an oil reservoir to thin out the the heavy crude oil to make it easier to remove from the ground. The traditional method for enhanced oil recovery, is natural gas to produce steam and inject the steam for the recovery process.
Solar Enhanced Oil EOR can supply up to 80% of a field’s annual steam requirements, by injecting solar-generated steam during the sunny hours, and a reduced amount of gas-fired steam at night or in less sunny weather or climates. The method of using concentrated solar power, from a solar concentrator as the thermal source, will displace larger amounts of natural gas consumption without affecting oil output.
Solar Concentrator Technology For Enhanced Oil Recovery Plants
When equipped with the Evacuated Absorber Module, the 9M solar concentrator can provide steam up to 400 degrees Celsius which is equivalent to natural gas used for enhanced oil recovery. The solar concentrator does not require to be sealed in a glass house. This freedom to install the solar concentrator anywhere outdoors allows for installation on sloped terrain and scalability without constraint of a building.
The solar concentrator integrates with existing enhanced oil recovery plants by providing the 400 degees celisus thermal heat during the day and at night the steam engine comes online to provide continuous 24 hour, 7 days a week production.
Touch-less Mirror Cleaning
In regions that experience sand storms or dust, the solar concentrator can be equipped with a robotic cleaning system that uses a “touch-less” high pressure water to clean the mirror surface without coming into contact with the reflective mirror.With the robotic touch-less mirror cleaning system, the solar concentrator can maintain a high solar enhanced oil recovery production by providing maximum reflective energy to the Evacuated Absorber Module.
Benefits of Using 9M Solar Concentrator
- Lower LCoE than parabolic trough
- Dual Axis tracking versus single (parabolic trough) maximizes efficiency
- Touch-less mirror cleaning
- Does not require to be enclosed in a glass house
- Can be deployed on uneven terrain
- Temperatures of up to 400C
- Highly reliable and simple to operate
