Colorado-based Gradient Geothermal (Gradient) has announced that it will provide geothermal power generation and fluid cooling services to Chord Energy, an independent North American oil and gas exploration and production entity.
Gradient’s proprietary technology removes heat from produced fluids and uses that heat to generate electricity. The company strives to help power the energy transition by harnessing electrical power for mass-distribution from existing oil and gas production infrastructure. Gradient’s unique operational model positions the company as the only scalable commercial operation in the sector that specializes in this innovative form of geothermal energy production.
Using Gradient’s technology, Chord Energy aims to produce geothermal energy at the company’s facilities in North Dakota. This project is partially funded by a grant from the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority (CSEA) of the North Dakota Industrial Commission. By harnessing the thermal energy already present at the site, this approach bolsters the project’s efficiency via converting what would otherwise be wasted heat into a valuable energy asset.
“For too long, key public and private sector stakeholders have not had access to the technology and expertise needed to harness the vast, untapped energy resources beneath our feet,” said Dr. Benjamin Burke, Chief Executive Officer of Gradient Geothermal.
“Properly capturing highly sustainable geothermal energy already present at active energy production projects presents a new avenue of opportunity for government agencies and leading commercial entities alike, and we could not be more excited to work with Chord to help deploy Gradient’s innovative technology within this expansive, forward-thinking initiative.”
Initial installation in Nevada
Gradient Geothermal, then known as Transitional Energy, had initially deployed their technology at a pilot project at the Blackburn Oilfield in Nevada. The geothermal energy is used to power a portion of project partner Grant Canyon’s operations at the oil field, reducing the total greenhouse gas emission from their operations.
“The water cut in Blackburn is more than 99 %; there is natural aquifer recharge because of the rain that falls in the mountains on either side, which means there are no pumps to maintain, and the temperature of the produced water is around 130° C. In other words, the operator knew that they had a geothermal resource on their hands,” said Burke in an interview with publication GeoExPro.
Burke further emphasizes the simplicity and the benefits of their approach. “All we do is put a heat exchanger in the existing production layout. The temperature of the injected fluid in Blackburn was always around 40° C.” Electricity generated from the extracted heat reduced the energy use of the asset by 30-40% on any given day.
Gradient Geothermal was also one of the recipients of a state funding package announced by the Colorado Energy Office earlier this year for innovative geothermal projects. The $100,000 grant will go towards the evaluation of the viability of establishing a thermal energy network for the town of Pierce using hot water extracted from the inactive oil wells of the nearby Pierce Field
