PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY
market corrects itself, Torrid could nearly double its business by next winter. “Our goal is to be identified as the next generation of frack water heaters for the industry. We’re tenacious on our growth game plan, we’re well funded and we’re in this market to stay because we believe we bring [a technology] to the table that every oil company would want under their operation.” Cornelius says there are roughly seven to eight major frack water heating companies that provide services to the major oil groups in the Bakken and says his team is getting ready to launch its own frack water service to supplement its manufacturing this upcoming winter.
Under Pressure
For hydraulic fracturing engineers, a big problem on the job site is pump failure. Fracking currently requires multiple high-pressure pumps forcing a mixture of water, proppants and chemicals downhole to fracture
TESTING THE FIELD: This month, Energy Recovery has begun field trails for VorTeq with its partner Liberty Oilfield Services, who will conduct trials at various well sites throughout the Bakken formation. PHOTO: ENERGY RECOVERY
the rock. Until now, the industry has been using reciprocating, positive displacement plunger pumps because it has been the only technology that has been rugged enough to process the high velocity, abrasive frack fluid. Energy Recovery Inc., a pump provider, got its start in the water desalination industry and developed the company’s Cadillac piece of technology, the Pressure Exchanger. In 2008, Energy Recovery began to research markets in which its in-
dustrial fluid-flow applications could be prevalent and decided to target the oil and gas industry. Joel Gay, president CEO of Energy Recovery, says the company saw an opportunity for its technology to act as a pump where there was existing hydraulic energy that was being wasted at well sites. “What we did was invent a solution exchanger that would replace the traditional hydraulic manifold, or missile,” says Gay. “Harnessing pressure energy the
way we have in our other technologies, our solution ratchets frack fluid up to the required treating pressure, as high as 15,000 psi, without requiring the high-pressure water pumps to handle sand. This prevents the regular occurrence of pump failure, and has several immediate and profound impacts for operations, not the least of which is a dramatic reduction in maintenance.” Roughly 18 months ago, Energy Recovery’s engineers
2nd Annual - API Bakken Chapter Golf Tournament (4 Person Scramble) Souris Valley Golf Course - Minot ND June 18th & 19th
(Registration starts @ 9 am, Tee off @ 10 am)
(Teams will be placed into either Thursday or Friday on a first come, first serve basis)
Entry Fee: $500 per Team
Prizes:
1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Longest Drive
(72 Teams, 36 teams each day)
Longest Putt Closest to the Pin
Various Door Prizes Various Mini Games
For full details, go to www.bakkenapi.com and click on “Golf Tournament” Contact/Registration Information: Brett Tinnes (701)-818-2407
THEBAKKEN.COM
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