VentHawk offers a cost-effective solution with minimal power consumption

You may have heard that time is money, but few industries feel this as acutely as the oil and gas industry. Operators place a high priority on maximizing plant efficiency and on-site production, making downtime less attractive. The losses from downtime combined with the cost of labor and materials can make upgrades of any size a daunting undertaking. So when a major U.S. energy company wanted to remodel sites across an entire state, they turned to Cordova Methane Control’s patented VentHawk to complete the massive undertaking in record time.

Regulatory drivers
In recent years, the oil and gas industry has seen unprecedented regulatory changes, with process controllers (formerly pneumatic controllers) at the forefront of these regulations. Process controllers are essential to production automation. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the majority of process controllers currently used in the oil and gas industry are powered by natural gas. Whether designed as intermittent or continuous vent controllers, every pneumatic controller powered by natural gas contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

With recent significant regulatory changes such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Quad 0b/c, these common devices are subject to more stringent standards that all operators must adhere to. Operators who fail to comply with reporting and emissions requirements face fines commensurate with the severity of their violation.

Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the associated expansion of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was authorized to impose a waste emissions fee to penalize facilities that exceed permissible limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

While those exceeding their allowable limits have a few years to come into compliance, this company has chosen to proactively address its emissions to minimize the risk of future fines by implementing Cordova Methane Control’s patented VentHawk system. VentHawk offers a technological intervention that converts emissions regulators into closed vent systems by routing pneumatic regulators to VentHawk.

Operator considerations and selection of Cordova Methane Controls’ VentHawk

The above company chose to upgrade its manufacturing sites across the state of Wyoming. Although the Cowboy State is known for its natural beauty, Wyoming’s location and year-round climate presented several hurdles to compliance. Electricity is scarce at remote manufacturing sites and the state’s harsh winters are not conducive to maintaining solar-powered solutions. However, the VentHawk system’s ease of installation and versatility enabled its use in multiple setups.

VentHawk is a pneumatic exhaust capture and utilization system that helps operators meet emissions limits with their existing equipment. The system routes exhaust gases from a level controller/bleed valve, high/low controller/bleed valve, or pneumatic temperature controller to VentHawk and routes the gas to the pilot line of the separator’s burner system for clean use. VentHawk requires no power and each unit is designed for up to eight exhaust inlets, maximizing site coverage and minimizing equipment costs.

Installation process and projections
Over the course of just seven months starting in August 2023, more than 900 of the company’s locations were equipped with Cordova’s VentHawk, which equates to more than 4,000 pneumatic controllers now compliant. Supply chain issues were not an issue for this project, as Cordova was able to continue fulfilling all other customer orders in 2023 without interruption, regardless of order size. Thanks to the straightforward design, the company’s operators installed the VentHawks themselves. This minimized downtime and labor costs. Cordova personnel visited various areas of the company’s facilities and took time to train operators in each area on installing the VentHawk. Because each area’s operators were specifically trained with their own equipment, they now all have the experience to troubleshoot and resolve potential issues, eliminating the need for skilled personnel. Separators, tank heaters and line heaters across the state now meet federal zero-emission standards at minimal cost. As new sites continue to be drilled and brought into production, the Company continues to reorder VentHawks to achieve compliance with new process standards. Overall, the Company will save hundreds of thousands or potentially millions of dollars in fines related to the IRA and Quad 0-B/C regulations each year by implementing the VentHawk system. By implementing the VentHawk system, the Company will remain compliant while exceeding its environmental compliance schedule.

As energy companies continue to seek solutions to reduce emissions from the production process, Cordova’s VentHawk offers exploration and production companies in the U.S. the opportunity to economically meet regulatory and environmental, social and governance goals.

For more information, please contact Tim Westmoreland, member of the Cordova sales team.

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