Pioneer Energy awarded $27 million by DOE to advance methane emissions reduction

Pioneer Energy announced today they have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for four different awards which collectively total $27 million. Three of these are intended to advance the company’s Emission Control Treater™ (ECT), a breakthrough near zero emissions well pad production technology that can increase crude yield by 5-10%.

The ECT is a closed system that completely processes the crude, resulting in zero routine flaring with no need for atmospheric storage tanks. It performs better separation than existing phase separators, resulting in no flash gas left in the crude and a lot less heavy NGLs left in the gas. This new technology utilizes state-of-the-art, cloud-connected automation, giving operators the ability to not only monitor their production but also to control it remotely from a centralized dashboard, saving manpower, field trips, and maintenance costs. Additionally, the ECT is modular, which enables easier right sizing of equipment throughout the life of the well pad. This results in better CAPEX utilization and reduced lifetime total cost of ownership.

The fourth grant, in partnership with Emvolon, Inc., will advance a novel flare gas to methanol system.

Each project will involve extended demonstration of equipment on oil producer well pad locations. Colorado School of Mines and Montrose Environmental Group will provide third-party assessment of the flaring and methane emissions reductions achieved.

“We are thrilled to receive the support of the Department of Energy to help us scale and commercialize our zero emissions technology,” said Pioneer Energy’s CEO Eyal Aronoff. “Deploying our Emission Control Treater (ECT) will result in a substantial increase in oil revenues. The new grants will help us demonstrate the wide applicability of the ECT including processing sour crude, and for low producing wells, while simultaneously eliminating or greatly reducing unwanted flaring.”