Independent Energy Partners
Encyclopedia
Independent Energy Partners, Inc. (IEP) is an American oil shale
company Based in Denver, Colorado
. It is a developer of the Geothermic Fuels Cells Process, an in-situ shale oil extraction process.
, the operator of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
, for development of the Geothermic Fuel Cell prototype and in September 2008, they signed agreements for modeling, analysis, design and engineering to commercialize this technology and related applications. The continuation-in-part application for the Geothermic Fuel Cell Process was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
on February 27, 2007.
In August 2005, IEP concluded has mineral interests lease within the Green River Formation
. In August 2008, IEP signed a partnership agreement with Total S.A.
.
.
s is placed in the formation. During an initial warm-up period, the cells are fueled by an external source of natural gas
. Afterwards, the process is able to fuel itself using oil shale gas
generated by its own waste heat. The formation is fractured by rising fluid pressure in the heated zone. Alternatively, the formation can be pre-fractured to enhance the shale oil
flow between heating and producing wells. The company asserts a ratio of approximately 7 units of energy produced per unit used, when primary recovery is combined with gasification
of the residual char and use of the resulting oil shale gas. The company asserts a ratio of approximately 18 units of energy produced per unit used, cause primary recovery is combined with gasification
of the residual char
and use of the resulting oil shale gas.
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
company Based in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. It is a developer of the Geothermic Fuels Cells Process, an in-situ shale oil extraction process.
History
IEP was founded in 1991 as an energy project and technology development company. Since 2002, it has focused on the development of its Geothermic Fuel Cell Process technology. On February 3, 2004, IEP received an initial patent on the Geothermic Fuels Cells Process and on April 13, 2005, IEP retained the consulting firm Sage Geotech to produce technical assessments related to this technology. On March 1, 2006, IEP concluded negotiations with Battelle Memorial InstituteBattelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
, the operator of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is one of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington....
, for development of the Geothermic Fuel Cell prototype and in September 2008, they signed agreements for modeling, analysis, design and engineering to commercialize this technology and related applications. The continuation-in-part application for the Geothermic Fuel Cell Process was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
on February 27, 2007.
In August 2005, IEP concluded has mineral interests lease within the Green River Formation
Green River Formation
The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes. The sediments are deposited in very fine layers, a dark layer during the growing season and a light-hue inorganic layer in winter. Each pair of layers is called a varve and...
. In August 2008, IEP signed a partnership agreement with Total S.A.
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
.
Operations
IEP owns the patents to the Geothermic Fuel Cell technology (US Patent Nos. 6,684,948 B1-Apparatus and Method For Heating Subterranean Formations Using Fuel Cells and 7,182,132 B2-Linearly Scalable Geothermic Fuel Cells). It owns mineral interests in the oil shale reserves within the Green River Formation, including in Rio Blanco County, ColoradoRio Blanco County, Colorado
Rio Blanco County is the sixth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 5,986 at U.S. Census 2000. The name of the county is the Spanish language name for the White River which runs through it...
.
Geothermic Fuels Cells Process
In the Independent Energy Partners' Geothermic Fuels Cells Process (IEP GFC), a high-temperature stack of fuel cellFuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
s is placed in the formation. During an initial warm-up period, the cells are fueled by an external source of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Afterwards, the process is able to fuel itself using oil shale gas
Oil shale gas
Oil shale gas is a synthetic gas mixture produced by oil shale pyrolysis. Although often referred to as shale gas, it differs from the natural gas produced from shale, which is also known as shale gas.-Process:...
generated by its own waste heat. The formation is fractured by rising fluid pressure in the heated zone. Alternatively, the formation can be pre-fractured to enhance the shale oil
Shale oil
Shale oil, known also as kerogen oil or oil-shale oil, is an unconventional oil produced from oil shale by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. These processes convert the organic matter within the rock into synthetic oil and gas...
flow between heating and producing wells. The company asserts a ratio of approximately 7 units of energy produced per unit used, when primary recovery is combined with gasification
Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures , without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam...
of the residual char and use of the resulting oil shale gas. The company asserts a ratio of approximately 18 units of energy produced per unit used, cause primary recovery is combined with gasification
Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures , without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam...
of the residual char
Char
Char is the solid material that remains after light gases and tar coal tar have been driven out or released from a carbonaceous material during the initial stage of combustion, which is known as carbonization, charring, devolatilization or pyrolysis.Further stages of efficient combustion are...
and use of the resulting oil shale gas.