FollowGlassPoint Solar (Fremont, California, U.S.) announced that it has won a contract from Petroleum Development Oman (PDO, Muscat, Oman) to build an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) system powered by a 7 MW solar thermal plant.
The solar thermal system will use GlassPoint’s single transit trough (STT) technology, and the company says the system will produce 11 tons of steam at temperatures of 312 degrees Celsius and pressures of 1,450 PSI.
“After extensively researching solar EOR solutions, we’ve identified GlassPoint as the most promising technology for this pilot” said PDO Corporate Technology Advisor Dr. Syham Bentouati.
“GlassPoint’s solar steam generators have the potential to release valuable natural gas for use in higher-value applications within the Sultanate.”
STT system uses less space than power tower designs
GlassPoint’s STT system encloses reflective mirrors inside a glass structure, which the company says protects the system from dirt, dust, sand and humidity.
The company also states that its STT systems generate more than five times as much steam per square meter than power tower designs.
GlassPoint further states that in sunny regions its solution can reduce the amount of natural gas used in EOR processes by up to 80%.
Such a reduction is significant, as the company notes that gas scarcity throughout the Middle East puts the region’s EOR operations in direct competition with industrial development.
Source: solarserver
