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New patent on combining steam and electricity generation for oil firms

New patent on combining steam and electricity generation for oil firms Oil pump near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada (source: flickr/ Arthur Chapman, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 14 Nov 2018

MGX Minerals announces patent acceptance for low cost combined heat and power cogeneration (CHP) for heavy oil and oilsands producers, combining steam and electricity production with wastewater treatment and mineral extraction technologies.

In a release this week, MGX Minerals Inc. and engineering subsidiary PurLucid Treatment Solutions Inc. announce they have received notice of publication of its patent for a new method to produce boiler feed water using low energy water treatment. The technology will facilitate using poor quality water to tri-generate electricity, pure water and minerals. The system was designed within a consortium, including MGX, PurLucid and David Bromley Engineering Ltd for the generation of electricity and excess steam for thermal oil recovery and extraction of lithium, vanadium and other minerals. The design, utilizing highly charged Replaceable Skin Layer (RSL™) membranes as a replacement for softening and ultrafiltration, substantively reduced cost and energy requirements while providing electricity for sale or internal use.

The patent filing outlines the proprietary method with example applications. When applied to heavy oil production in Alberta, the system can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from 2.45 tpd/bbl capacity (0.48 tonnes / m3 of produced oil) to 1.19 tpd/bbl capacity (0.11 to 0.15 tonnes / m3 of produced oil). This reduces the energy requirement and associated GHG intensity by over 70%, making it similar to conventional oil recovery in other areas. In addition, because the capital used has revenue from both electricity and oil production, the cost of electricity production is comparable to the lower 25% of the market cost in North America and the cost of heavy oil production becomes similar to costs to produce light crude oil in the middle east.

MGX leads a consortium of power production, engineering and high-power demand clients evaluating opportunities for large-scale, low-cost power production.

Rapid Lithium Brine Extraction Technology

MGX has developed a rapid lithium extraction technology eliminating or greatly reducing the physical footprint and investment in large, multi-phase, lake sized, lined evaporation ponds, as well as enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines as compared with traditional solar evaporation. This technology is applicable to petrolithium (oil and gas wastewater), natural brine and other brine sources such as lithium-rich mine and industrial plant wastewater. The technology was recently chosen as winner of the Base and Specialty Metals Industry Leadership Award at the 2018 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards held in London in May (see press release dated May 18, 2018). The Company has also been selected as a finalist for the 2018 S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards- Emerging Technology and Rising Star- to be held in New York City in December. For more information on the event: visit  https://geaweb.platts.com/Finalists/Finalists2018.

New Produced Water Treatment Technology:

MGXMinerals11142018_patent

Source: Company release