Oil Extraction Technology

About the case provider 

Ennox’s develop and market innovative and environmentally-friendly technologies for the cleaning of oil contaminated waste. In 2015 the first small-scale testing of the technology with mechanical cavitation was conducted using waste from various locations, including the North Sea, Canada, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and China. Good test results led to the construction and manufacturing of two prototypes fully funded by customers. As a result, two full scale units were sold to Kazakhstan and China 2016.The development and improvement of the two prototypes has continued in 2017 and 2018.

Background 

Oil production contaminates nearby land masses, polluting soil and wasting oil. All across the world, oil extraction leaves sludge and contaminated soil. Kuwait is dotted with 2 400 “lakes” of oil waste. Russia creates more than three million metrics tons of sludge annually. And by the Caspian Sea, over 30 000 hectares of land is polluted. This is wasteful for oil companies and harmful for the environment.

Technology

To make remediation more efficient, Ennox Technology has built a mobile unit for extracting close to 100 per cent of hydrocarbons from solids. The unit separates oil from soil without the use of heat or harmful chemicals. It can treat up to 10 metric tons of oil-contaminated soil per hour. The process does not emit any CO₂ and consumes minimal amounts of water. The extracted oil holds high enough quality to be introduced into the existing value chain. 

The Ennox unit is shipped in standard 20-40-foot containers, meaning it can be installed at any well site. Using standardised components, the unit is easy to build, move and scale up. It runs on electric power and consumes less than 10 kWh per metric ton of processed soil. Concrete benefits in addition to leaving soil virtually oil-free, the Ennox unit also leaves oil with less than 1 per cent of solid waste and water. This means soil can remain on extraction sites, while oil can be transported to market.Treating solid waste on site eliminates the need to have contaminated material transported to a treatment plant. 

Challenge

Onshore oil waste management is particularly in demand in North America, Russia and the Middle East, due to the large number of onshore wells. Offshore exploration, meanwhile, also generates waste that must be transported for processing. Ennox’s technology is well suited for offshore installations, eliminating the need for expensive onshore transport logistics. What is the best market approach for this technology, and how can the technology scale and serve society and the environment in the best way?