SlipStream Vent Gas Capture Installations
Approved for funding though Round 2: Industrial Energy Efficiency in 2011, the project involved a retrofit program to install vent gas capture systems at several existing natural gas compressor sites across the EnCana (now Ovintiv) Clearwater business unit in southern Alberta. By project completion in 2014, 59 SlipStream units were installed, improving fuel efficiency and reducing methane emissions nearly 90,000 tCO2e.
This pilot project with Encana Corporation involved installing 52 SlipStream vent gas capture (VGC) units in natural gas compressor stations across southern Alberta. Each VGC unit captures natural gas containing ~95% methane that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere, and feeds it back into the stream to help fuel the engine. Capturing and redirecting this vented gas improves efficiency and reduces methane emissions at the same time. The SlipStream technology, developed by Alberta-based Spartan Controls, results in increased fuel recovery and fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Successful Retrofit Program Reduces Methane Emissions
The project represented the largest deployment of SlipStream VGC technology at the time, over 55% of all installations in Canada, reducing methane emissions from compressor facilities across Alberta. During the project, 59 Slipstream VGC units were installed from August 2012 to December 2014, along with flow measurement and monitoring equipment to quantify vent gas captured. Seven units more than projected were installed due to economies of scale that could be achieved. This is critical in realizing large scale emissions reductions. Engines without pre-existing air-fuel ratio controllers were retrofitted with AFR to properly allow the vent gas to tie in. EnCana also optimized the performance of each SlipStream unit with continuous data trending and alert system to minimize downtime and maximize vent gas capture recovery rates.
What’s next?
Going forward, EnCana (now rebranded as Ovintiv) aims to improve the runtime of its VGC units, establish preventative maintenance practices, and capture data for annual GHG reduction verification. The project demonstrated VGC on several common Caterpillar and Waukesha engine types that are custom across the upstream oil and gas industry, providing a use case for other operators developing efficiency and emissions reduction initiatives. ERA funding support enabled EnCana and other early adopters of this technology to overcome resource constraints and financial barriers. The SlipStream technology is now commercially available with hundreds of installations across the province and North America continuing to utilize vented gas at the point source contributing to a net-zero outcome. Through corporate restructuring in 2020,EnCana became Ovinitiv and moved to the United States, while operating day-to-day activities remains the same.