Zero Emission Tankless Oil Production & Flare Gas Capture Solutions
Pioneer Energy Flarecatcher on-site in North Dakota

Products

Pioneer Energy offers innovative products accompanied by customized services to aid oil & gas producers worldwide in solving their hydrocarbon processing challenges and achieve their emission reduction goals.

The company’s current product offerings include zero emissions, tankless production systems such as the Emission Control Treater™ (ECT™), the Pegasus™ field gas conditioning system, the Flarecatcher™ line of modular gas processing plants, modular NGL fractionators, tank vapor capture systems, as well as customized knockouts, separators and pressure vessels.  Working with preferred providers, we can assist customers in obtaining 3rd party equipment including for H2S and inerts removal, product storage tanks, gas compressors, and natural gas generators, as well as equipment to support CNG, LNG and GTL systems. Pioneer Energy also offers custom engineered solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of both domestic and international customers.

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Emission Control Treater

Zero Emissions, Tankless Production System

Emission Control Treater at a Well Pad in the DJ Basin

The Emission Control Treat (ECT) is a zero emission, tankless oil pad production system intended to be a replacement for nearly all existing well pad infrastructure.

The Current Challenges

Modern well pad design involves a myriad of components connected together to progressively separate the gases from the crude by multiple pressure reduction steps. Unfortunately, the resulting crude still contains some embedded gases, and the produced gas contains some embedded crude. As a result, the crude produces vapors that are sent to an open tip or closed flare. Meanwhile, the low-pressure gas streams require compression to meet the midstream gathering pressure.

The many well pad components result in a large emissions footprint. Heater treaters and compressors use process gas as fuel for on-pad combustion. All of these components must be connected together on the pad with significant piping, valves, knockouts, and instrumentation. This results in a very large number of interconnection points which leads to significant fugitive emissions.

This complicated system with many different parts is always in need of some type of maintenance or repair. When these repairs occur, inventory stored in the system must be evacuated and is often sent to flare or vented. The traditional system is also quite often slow to respond to external changes such as midstream evacuation upsets, and this can also lead to significant flaring and venting events.

Pioneer Energy’s Solution

The Emission Control Treater is a complete re-envisioning of the modern well pad. It employs a fundamentally different approach for wellhead fluid processing, crude stabilization and gas evacuation.

Instead of successive pressure drops, residence time and recompression, the ECT processes the wellhead fluid in a single stage. Volatile components are driven out of the crude while heavier molecules are retained. Onsite tank storage is not required. If tanks are used, no vapors evolve out of them, even on a hot day. The gas produced is already at a pressure above the midstream evacuation pressure, and so does not require sales gas compression.

The ECT is skid mounted for easy installation and can be easily redeployed as wells decline. As an integrated system with far fewer components, no combustion sources, and no required compression, the emissions footprint is substantially reduced (by 90% or more). The footprint of the pad dramatically shrinks, and maintenance costs are significantly reduced. Pad uptime also benefits greatly.

The ECT is truly a revolutionary approach for well pad processing.

ECT Features & Advantages

  • Reduces Pad Emissions by ~90% - Eliminates much of the existing infrastructure on the pad which today contributes to pad emissions, including combustion sources, compressors, storage tanks, ECDs and all of their associated interconnections, hand valves, pneumatic valves, pumps and sensors. As a result, the producer can realize a 90% or greater reduction in well pad emissions. Further, this can enable the pad to be designated as a minor source for permitting, greatly simplifying the permitting process.
  • Increases Crude Volume by ~10% - By sorting the produced hydrocarbons more effectively, the ECT allows the producer to integrate more light naphtha into the crude. This can increase produced crude volume by 5%-15% versus traditional processing methods. Oil production is maximized through active RVP management.
  • Eliminates Tanks - Produced crude has been stabilized and cooled by the ECT. Oil tanks are no longer required if a crude evacuation line is available. If crude is trucked off site, no off gassing will occur while the crude remains in the tanks, even on a hot day.
  • Eliminates Compression - The ECT operates above the midstream evacuation pressure. No low-pressure streams or tank vapors are generated, eliminating the need for VRUs. Assuming the wellhead pressure is kept above the gas midstream evacuation pressure, sales gas compression is also no longer required.
  • Eliminates Flaring - Flaring is usually the result of crude off-gassing and midstream evacuation constraints. The ECT solves these problems. The stabilized, cooled crude produced by the ECT generates no vapors that would need to be flared.
  • Shrinks Pad Footprint - Modern well pads are a maze of interconnected systems and components which necessitate a large footprint. The ECT eliminates most of these components in favor of a skid-mounted, integrated, simpler processing scheme with much smaller footprint. This decreases the ongoing surface disturbance, providing benefits in visual impact to the local community and reduced land use costs for the producer.
  • Increases Pad Uptime - By eliminating many of the components which typically require regular maintenance and repair (heater treaters, compressors, VRUs, ECDs, etc), the ECT can significantly increase pad uptime.
  • Reduces Leasehold Operating Expenses - Because of the reduced maintenance, reduced field operations intervention, reduced pad size, and elimination of most compression - leasehold operating expenses are greatly reduced.
  • Reduces Pad Installation and Commissioning Time - Skid mounted with straightforward connections and reduced need for trenching and interconnects, the ECT is designed to be easily and rapidly deployed and redeployed, minimizing installation and commissioning field personnel costs.
  • Improves Capital Utilization - As the well pad production declines, it is easy to free up the large capacity ECT and replace it with a lower capacity, less expensive, ECT. The large capacity ECT can then be redeployed at a newly completed pad, saving capital for new equipment.
  • Autonomous - Leveraging Pioneer's sophisticated control software, the ECT is designed for complete autonomy, minimizing the required attention of field operations personnel. The system will autonomously adapt to changing wellhead fluid compositions and flow rates.
  • Remote Monitoring, Remote Control and Reporting - Real time status and diagnostic information provided from the onboard SCADA system is made available via cellular or local area network connection. Customer or Pioneer technicians can log in remotely for control, diagnostics and troubleshooting, and status and alerts can be set to automatically push to relevant stakeholders via text message and email. Robust history collection enables real time and historical production reporting.
  • Safe - Built for full compliance with all relevant oilfield equipment standards, including all ASME code stamped vessels and Class 1 Div 2 compliance, the unit design has also been subjected to a rigorous HAZOP process. The unit is connected on each site with the customer's systems for permissives and emergency stop controls.

Pegasus

Field Gas Conditioning for Frac Fleets

Pegasus Field Gas Conditioning System

The Pegasus™ field gas conditioner is a trailer-mounted system which conditions field gas for use in dual fuel or electric fracturing fleets.

Traditionally, frac fleets consume large quantities of diesel fuel which must be transported to the site at great expense. The resultant emissions, both from the burning of this diesel fuel in the frac engines, and in transport of that fuel, are significant. Meanwhile, most pads already have a gas midstream connection built out to them by the time the wells are being fracked, ready to accept associated gas from the pad right from initial production. Gas is already flowing through this midstream line from the surrounding wells. However, this is raw associated gas which typically contains signficant quantities of heavy (C3+) hydrocarbons.

With the market's increased interest in reducing emissions and improving ESG metrics, many frac fleets have been or are now being converted to run in a dual fuel mode, allowing them to substitute diesel with lean, cleaner burning natural gas if it is available. Many companies are trucking in compressed natural gas (CNG) to reduce the reliance on diesel fuel. However, delivered CNG can still be quite expensive and retains the logistics and emissions footprint from transporting the fuel to the site.

A more ideal approach would be to make use of the field gas already present in the midstream line as a fuel source. This will dramatically reduce the amount of diesel fuel required to be transported to the site and the resultant emissions footprint. It will also represent a significant fuel cost savings, as the field gas can, in many cases, be bought back from the gas midstream for on-pad use at a very low cost.

The Pegasus field gas conditioning system makes this possible by conditioning the gas to near pipeline specifications. This enables the very high diesel substutions rates which are desired in order to maximize emissions reduction and fuel cost savings.

Unlike repurposed MRUs offered by others, Pioneer Energy has designed the Pegasus from the ground up specifically to address the unique requirements of this application.

Pegasus Features & Advantages

  • Highly Mobile - Trailer mounted with quick and easy disconnects, the system is designed to travel with the frac fleet from site to site. Teardown, transport and setup can be achieved in less than 24 hours.
  • High Capacity - The unit can accept up to 6 MMscfd of raw gas input and, depending upon the richness of the raw gas, can output 4.5MMscfd or more of lean conditioned fuel gas.
  • High Performance - Able to accept a wide variety of raw field gas compositions, the Pegasus will provide a lean, consistent, continuous output of high quality fuel gas, enabling the highest possible diesel substitution rates. The system will autonomously adapt to changing raw gas supply and fuel gas demand, requiring little to no ramp up time, and it is able to keep up with the most demanding frac stages. Most importantly, the equipment has been designed to never slug the engines.
  • Robust Construction - Built tough to withstand rough oilfield environments and the punishment of regularly occuring deployments and redeployments.
  • Autonomous - Leveraging Pioneer's sophisticated control software, the unit is designed for complete autonomy, with simple push button controls, minimizing the required attention of field operations personnel.
  • Remotely Monitored - Real time status and diagnostic information provided from the onboard SCADA system is made available via cellular or local area network connection. Customer or Pioneer technicians can log in remotely for diagnostics and troubleshooting, and status and alerts can be set to automatically push to relevant stakeholders via text message and email.
  • Safe - Built for full compliance with all relevant oilfield equipment standards, including all ASME code stamped vessels and Class 1 Div 2 compliance, the unit design has also been subjected to a rigorous HAZOP process. The unit is connected on each site with the customer's systems for permissives and emergency stop controls.

Flarecatchers

Modular Gas Processing Plants

Pioneer Energy's modular, customized Flarecatcher™ gas processing plants can be a compelling solution at well pads and centralized processing facilities. Pioneer combines its proprietary industry leading water management, mechanical refrigeration and fractionation systems with 3rd party modules from trusted industry suppliers. These elements are then integrated into a cohensive gas plant solution.  

Typical Flarecatcher implimentations start with gas pre-conditioning. This can include the removal of contaminents (H2S, CO, N2), gas compression, and water management and/or removal. The preconditioned gas is then directed to Pioneer's mechanical refrigeration systems (MRU) to extract heavier hydrocarbons, known as Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs), from the gas. These MRUs are offered at a variety of processing temperatures (between -5C and -70C), selected based upon desired NGL recovery and lean gas quality requirements. 

For domestic USA applications, the extracted NGLs are typically stabilized by the Flarecatcher system and then stored on site before being transported by truck, rail, or pipeline to market. For international applications, Pioneer can provide NGL fractionation systems to separate the mixed Y-grade liquids (C3+ components) into LPG (C3+C4) and stabilized condensate / light naptha (C5+). Internationally there most often is a ready local market for the produced LPG, and the stabilized condensate may be blended directly with the customer's produced crude oil. Any reject gas generated from the Flarecatcher plant is typically consumed in power generation or for heating to run the process.  

With the liquids removed, the remaining gas has then been conditioned to meet customer requirments, up to as stringent as pipeline quality. Depending on the customer and particular project, this gas may be evacuated through a gas pipeline, used for on-site power generation, converted to CNG or LNG, or even provided for input to a gas to liquids (GTL) system. In many applications, the Flarecatcher plant can serve as a complete, modular midstream solution.

Flarecatcher plant modules are skid mounted to allow fast, low-cost deployment and redeployment which helps meet the often changing needs of oil producers. Standard processing packages are available at convenient scales.

A cornerstone of Pioneer Energy’s Flarecatcher units is a sophisticated control system, which enables largely autonomous operations. This removes or minimizes the need for on-site operators. The units may be monitored through a secure remote connection via local area network, cell phone network, or satellite. A remote staff member can monitor and control Flarecatcher systems from any convenient location worldwide. A local field crew can perform routine maintenance and be available to meet on-site needs as they arise. Pioneer will provide a plant manual with standard operating procedures (SOPs), will train the customer's personnel on plant operations and maintenance, and offers as a service a 2nd level of remote support for these Flarecatcher processing plants. 

Pioneer Energy's Flarecatcher units are able to process a wide variety of incoming gas compositions and automatically accomodate changing flow rates (Pioneer Energy units often have infinite turn-down). Pioneer Energy’s team can assist in selecting the right processing unit(s) and supporting equipment to meet your project needs, based upon the flow rate and composition of gas to be processed, and the objectives of the particular customer. Pioneer can also conduct as a service Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and feasibility studies and help generate CAPEX and OPEX estimates oftened need for project financing.

Some Flarecatcher plant implimentations and modules are shown below:


Flarecatcher Modular Plant on a Well Pad in North Dakota

Flarecatcher 5MMscfd - Gas Prep / Water Management Skid 

Flarecatcher 5MMscfd - Molecular Sieve Dehydration Skid

Flarecatcher 5MMsfd - Refrigeration & NGL Stabilization Skid

Flarecatcher 1500-25

Flarecatcher systems cool processed gas to between -5C and -70C, depending upon the application.

 

NGL Fractionation

Fractionators are used to separate mixed liquid hydrocarbons, upconverting low value streams into higher value products. Applications include the extraction from NGLs of LPG, on-spec condensate, individual purity products such as commercial propane and commercial butane, and the conditioning of off-spec NGLs to allow them to meet market requirements. Fractionators can be designed for stand alone applications, or to work as part of a Flarecatcher modular processing plant solution.

Pioneer Energy's Recycling ECT ® can be used for hydrcarbon miscible EOR projects to reduce injectant operating costs. The system extracts NGL components from the produced fluids, making them available for the EOR process. This can significantly increase the amount of oil that is recoverable over the lifetime of the well. 

Pioneer Energy can custom design fractionators at any desired scale.

Vaporcatchers

Tank Vapor Capture

Pioneer Energy’s Vaporcatcher™ line of gas processing units are refrigeration and separation systems that can be used for a variety of applications. When used for emissions mitigation, they capture and monetize the high BTU vapors from oil tanks, producing Y-grade NGLs and a conditioned gas stream. The Vaporcatcher captures up 75% or more of VOC contributing components from tank vapors, helping producers manage site emissions which enables more oil production. The Vaporcatcher can also be used in gas conditioning applications, cooling the associated gas and removing water and heavy hydrocarbons. When used prior to injection into a gathering system, this helps reduce pooling and hydrate formation while managing injection temperature. The Vaporcatcher can also remove condensables to provide conditioned fuel gas for compressors and other engine driven equipment.

 

Vaporcatcher Unit


Vaporcatcher Flyer

The Vaporcatcher can be used for tank vapor capture for economic return and emissions mitigation, for gas conditioning prior to injection to a gathering system, and for condensable removal to produce conditioned fuel gas for compressors and engine driven equipment.

Knockouts, Separators & Pressure Vessels

ASME Code Stamped Vessels

Knockouts, separators, and other pressure vessels are also being designed and manufacturered by Pioneer Energy. These can be used for the removal of free liquids from gas streams prior to processing and the separatation of water from condensed hydrocarbon streams.

We can also design and manufacture custom pressure vessels to meet your unique requirements.

Pioneer Energy is an accredited ASME facility with certification stamp U. We are also certified to NBIC and maintain an R endorsement. Specifically: ASME “U” – Shop and Field Manufacture of Pressure Vessels in accordance with ASME Code Section VIII Division I; “R” – Shop and Field Metallic Repairs and Alterations of Pressure Retaining items in accordance with the National Board Inspection Code and Jurisdictional Requirements and Certificate of Authorization to Register.

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and see what Pioneer Energy
can do for you.