Frequently Asked Questions

  • Operational
  • Reservoir Applications
  • Environmental
  • Business

Can you steam down wells with non-thermal casing and cement?

Yes. GERI’s patent pending Cooling Loop protects wells from elevated temperatures allowing the operator to steam thermally and non-thermally cased and cemented wells.

What are your maximum and minimum injection rates?

GERI’s DCSG is capable of injecting up to 10.5 GH/hr, 100 m³/d CWE (at approx. 80% quality), 53 e³m³/d N2, 7 e³m³/d CO2, at 7200 kPa and 250°C

GERI’s DCSG has operated at rates as low as 1.3 GJ/hr at 1,900 kPa.

What quantity of fuel gas and water are required?

To operate at full capacity, GERI’s DCSG requires approx. 15 e³m³/d of natural gas and 85 m³/d of boiler feedwater.

Are you portable?

Yes. GERI’s DCSG is fully modular, transported with approx. 18 truckloads, takes six days to set-up and fits within a standard 100m x 100m well lease.

How long does it take for GERI to set-up and to rig-out?

It takes approximately 6 to 9 days to set up (depending on site-specific factors) and 2 to 3 days to rig out.

What kind of water quality is required when generating hot produced water?

GERI’s DCSG has successfully heated produced water on two occasions using 14,000 ppm TDS, 1,280 mg/L CaCO3 equivalent) and 30,000- 40,000 ppm water without any significant scaling issues.

Can you separate the flue gases from the hot water or the steam post-combustion, before injection?

Yes, when producing hot water. GERI has utilized a separator on the end of the process that removes flue gases and then re-inserts them into the injection stream in any desired quantity. When generating steam, this is not possible.

What type of projects have you done in the past?

As of Q1 2023, GERI has conducted 4 cyclic stimulations on legacy heavy oil wells.

Do you supply the equipment for producers to operate or is it a full-service company approach (or both)?

GERI’s business is renting and operating our equipment. We have an engineering and operations team that can lead or assist in: location selection, reservoir study, project design, regulatory applications, workovers and facility modifications.

Can you stimulate thin-pay-thickness reservoirs?

Yes. DCSG stimulations are applicable to reservoirs as thin as 3 meters.

What kind of reservoirs are best suited to GERI technology(ies)?

The ideal reservoir will benefit from all three of GERI’s stimulation methods (heat, pressure and CO2). The greater a reservoir’s capacity for retaining injected gases, the better the overall project economics and environmental benefits will be.

Is this a cyclic steam process or a steam drive process, or both?

DCSG stimulations can be either cyclic or continuous (flooding), and the preferred choice depends on many factors.

Why and where would you use hot water rather than steam?

Injecting hot produced water and flue gases provides significant reservoir benefits. It has a major advantage over steam generation due to the reduced cost for feed water, and high-temperature equipment and piping are not required.

Reservoirs with swelling clays (e.g. the Clearwater) are detrimentally affected by the injection of non-saline water and/or steam, but not by produced saline water. Therefore, injecting hot produced water is a viable mean of adding heat to a reservoir that is otherwise unable to be in contact with steam.

Does GERI provide reservoir evaluation?

GERI’s reservoir and exploitation engineers are available to lead or assist customers as needed.

In GERI’s process, is there a difference between “Flue Gases” & “Exhaust Gases”?

No – the terms can be used interchangeably.

How does GERI quantify GHG emissions?

Using Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) methodology, GERI’s DCSG greenhouse gas emissions are compared to a conventional Once-Through Steam Generation (OTSG) which is the closest technology equivalent for the thermal recovery of in-situ oil.

What happens to GHG emissions that don’t stay underground?

A project is normally designed to keep as much N2 and CO2 downhole as possible. There are multiple ways to handle the N2 and CO2 that return to surface and the preferred solution depends on the existing infrastructure and jurisdiction. Some of the options which may be done in series or in parallel are: send to sales, reinjection into the same reservoir, disposal (into a different reservoir), venting, flaring, incineration, thermal oxidization and nitrogen
rejection.

Of the carbon dioxide injected, what percentage is retained in the formation?

On previous cyclic pilot projects, 50 to 70 % of the injected CO2 remained downhole.

Can you use produced water versus fresh water?

Yes. GERI has successfully conducted a multi-week project generating hot water (at 95°C) using high TDS produced water.

Can you assist companies operating outside of Canada, and if so, where? Do you have local partners overseas?

GERI has patent/patent pending protection worldwide and has evaluated many potential applications form a geological, reservoir, and operations viewpoint. We currently do not have any active projects outside of Canada, but are open to conversations and exploring opportunities.

Is deploying our technology eligible for Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits?

Depending on the application, a DCSG deployment may qualify for SR&ED and/or other funding support.

What’s your business model?

GERI currently rents and operates its equipment, but we are open to discussing alternative business models.

What equipment does GERI supply?

GERI’s DCSG co-injector is supported by GERI-owned process modules (air and fuel compressors, electrical generators, tanks). These modules are supplied by GERI, but alternatively, air and fuel compression and electrical requirements can be provided by the customer.