ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION AWARD
BC Oil and Gas Commission
The BC Oil and Gas Commission (Commission) is a single-window regulatory agency with legislated and
delegated responsibilities for overseeing the lifecycle of oil and gas
operations in British Columbia, including exploration, development,
pipeline transportation and
reclamation. The Commission
seeks to provide oil and gas
regulatory excellence for British Columbia’s changing energy
future.
GTUIT and Berg Chilling Systems Inc.
From their Toronto-based manufacturing facility, Berg’s product range is as diverse as the industries and
global markets they serve. Products include: Portable, Packaged and
Central skid mounted cooling solutions; Pumping Packages and Systems;
Cooling Towers; Industrial Icemakers; Environmental Test Chambers;
and Marine Refrigeration, all of which are
available in various sizes and configurations to
meet specific application requirements including classified (Explosion Proof)
and unclassified environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION AWARD
Blue Spark Energy Inc.
Established in 2011, Blue Spark Energy is a privately-held oilfield services company based in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada.
Blue Spark Energy’s WIRELINE APPLIED STIMULATION PULSING
(WASP®) technology provides an innovative, efficient, low cost, low
risk oil and gas well stimulation method that dramatically increases
productivity with less impact on the environment. The WASP®
technology converts, compresses and discharges electrical energy as
usable high-power hydraulic pulses to improve connectivity between
the well bore and reservoir, with an
average improvement of more than
200%.
Blue Spark Energy’s WASP® technology is proven to enhance oil and gas
flow in new or poorly producing wells, recover reserves from non-producing
wells, and increase flow in injector and disposal wells. The WASP®
technology is efficient, cost effective and has a lower environmental impact
as it delivers rapid, high-power impulses at the precise depth where
blockages exist which helps maintain wellbore integrity. Most operations
are completed within one day, saving both time and money – the
equipment is compact and only requires one technician to operate.
Used alone, WASP® technology does not require water, chemicals or
explosives. However, WASP® technology can be used to complement other
remediation methods whether chemical or mechanical. Each hydraulic impulse
is a high power shockwave travelling at more than 1,500 meters per second.
This shockwave is followed by a 10,000psi high-pressure pulse. The shockwave
opens existing fractures for the pulse to dislocate any blockage at any depth.
WASP® can stimulate up to 4 meters per hour. Since its inception, more than
50 companies around the world have successfully used WASP® to stimulate
productivity in more than 200 oil wells.
Blue Spark Energy was named after the "blue spark" that occurs within the WASP® tool when the
physical pulse is activated.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION AWARD
MemPore Corporation
MemPore designs and builds systems that transform used lubricating oil into valuable clean base oil – 10
liters of used oil yields 7 liters of clean base oil. For the first time, used oil
can be purified with minimal pollution, from localized systems, using low
energy, and at low capital and operating cost.
MemPore’s System consists of three automated modules - pre-treatment
(to take out water, fuel & glycol); membranes (similar to reverse osmosis of
sea water); and final regenerative polishing.
Key elements are as follows:
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Non-blinding filter and centrifuge
Compact and Economical flash evaporator that is essential to any membrane oil operation.
“Plate and Frame” membrane module with polymeric nano-filtration membranes.
Capacity - 15 metric tonnes per day (MT/d) of used oil to yield 70% as base oil.
Footprint: a 15 MT/d system fits into a 40’ plus a 20’ shipping container (without storage tanks)
Energy utilization: less energy per litre than re-refining, with only a small fraction of the GHGs
Maintenance requirements: Annual maintenance of pumps, refurbishing of membranes, and
replacement of clay in the polishing unit.
Operating costs: 4 cents per litre for electricity (based on 15 cents per KWH in Ontario); 1 cent
per litre for annual clay replacement and servicing, minimal supervision required.
Over 42 billion litres of lubricating oil is sold worldwide each year. Of this, only 1% is recycled into base
oil – a waste of a valuable and scarce resource. Re-refining is the only current technology that recovers
base oil. However these plants are big (acres of land), expensive ($100 M typically), high temperature,
and polluting (GHG). Being small and mobile, MemPore’s systems can be located close to the sources of
used oil and are significantly more efficient and cost effective. Used oil collectors and used oil
generators will pay about $2 M for a 15 MT MemPore system and see a margin of 54% with capital
payback in 11 months.
We have just signed a Strategic Partnering Agreement with a Chinese company to build our fist full-size
commercial system in Shenzhen. This will be the reference site for the many other interested customers
we have in many different countries. Environmental regulations are increasingly requiring recovery of
base oil from used oil. The market for MemPore systems is worth over $7 B. We are looking for a
strategic partner in Canada who can work with us to build systems and can provide an investment
(equity or loan) of $250 K until the royalties start to flow from our Chinese partner and we have started
our own sales. These sales are expected to reach $100 M in 5 years.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION AWARD
SECURE Energy Services
SECURE Energy Services is a leading North American energy services company that provides safe and
innovative solutions to upstream oil and natural gas companies. Its three divisions help customers with
their unique challenges at every stage of the oilfield life cycle while
maintaining the highest level of environmental standards.