Pioneer Energy Inc. has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for four awards totaling $27 million. Three awards focus on advancing the company’s Emission Control Treater (ECT), a near-zero emissions well pad production technology for oil production that can increase crude yield by 5-10%.
The ECT is a closed system designed to process crude completely, eliminating routine flaring and atmospheric storage tanks. It provides more effective separation than existing phase separators, leaving no flash gas in the crude and reducing heavy NGLs in the gas. This technology incorporates cloud-connected automation, allowing operators to monitor and control production remotely, which can reduce manpower, field trips and maintenance costs. The modular design of the ECT facilitates better equipment sizing throughout the life of the well pad, enhancing CAPEX utilization and lowering total ownership costs.
The fourth grant will advance a flare gas to methanol system in partnership with Emvolon Inc. Each project will demonstrate equipment at oil producer well pad locations with third-party assessments of flaring and methane emissions reductions by Colorado School of Mines and Montrose Environmental Group.
The awarded projects include:
- Commercial Scale Turnkey Near Zero Emissions and Zero Flaring Oil Production Facility: A $10 million award from the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management to scale the ECT from pilot to a commercial scale of 2,500 BPD with Bayswater Exploration & Production and Prairie Operating for six-month field trials in Colorado, expected to begin deployment in Q4 2025.
- Zero-Emission Sweetening & Stabilization Production Facilities for Sour Sites: A $6 million award that will adapt the 2,500 BPD ECT for sour crude processing in collaboration with Bayswater Exploration and Production, aiming to reduce sulfur concentration.
- Zero-Emission Drop-In Replacement Production Facilities for Marginal Conventional Wells: A $5 million award for scaled-down mini-ECT systems at marginal wells, demonstrated over 12 months at sites operated by Diversified Energy Company in East Texas.
- Methane Emission Mitigation through Onsite Methanol Synthesis: A $6 million award to package gas-to-liquids technology to convert flare gas to methanol, demonstrated over 12 months in the Eagle Ford region of Texas in partnership with Emvolon Inc.
“We are thrilled to receive the support of the Department of Energy to help us scale and commercialize our zero emissions technology,” said Pioneer Energy’s CEO Eyal Aronoff. “Deploying our Emission Control Treater will result in a substantial increase in oil revenues. The new grants will help us demonstrate the wide applicability of the ECT including processing sour crude, and for low producing wells, while simultaneously eliminating or greatly reducing unwanted flaring.”
