Developing an Integrated Direct Methane Solid Oxide Fuel Cell - Phase 2

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The Direct Methane Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (DM-SOFC) is a major product that Spartan Controls Ltd. (SC) is offering to Canadian oil sands producers and conventional oil and gas operators to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted at their operations across Western Canada. Produced reservoir gas is converted into useful electricity to provide backup power at well pads in the range of 200-1500 MW. In order to integrate the SOFC technology at well pads, an oil production emission capture and conditioning system, as well as a vent emission and conditioning system, must be designed and incorporated into a complete package that is ready for the commercial market. These systems will be designed in partnership with SAIT-ARIS SOFC technology is based on an electrochemical process that more efficiently delivers usable electrical energy for the same amount of fuel compared with an equivalently-sized internal combustion engine (ICE) power generator. A key advantage of SOFCs over ICEs is that they do not generate NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) or SOx (Sulfur Oxides) emissions. The electrochemical process will emit small amounts of water vapour and CO2 that will be captured separately from the vent gas. The power generated by the SOFC is captured in novel lithium-based energy storage systems (ESS). Another advantage of the Atrex Energy's SOFC vs. comparable fuel cells is that they employ "tubular" fuel cells versus traditional "stacked" style technology. This advantage reduces maintenance time, overall size and component cost, a distinct advantage to oil and gas operators who are somewhat unfamiliar with renewable power generation devices. This applied research project will entail incorporating the design of the complete DM-SOFC package developed in Phase 1 and field testing the system, including the inlet and venting gas conditioning systems developed by SAIT-ARIS in partnership with SC.