Primus Green Energy Announces Small-Scale STG+ Solution for Flared Gas Applications

HOUSTON, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Primus Green Energy Inc., an alternative fuel company that converts natural gas and other feedstocks directly into drop-in transportation fuels and solvents, today announced that it has developed a small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) solution for flared gas applications using the company's proprietary STG+ technology. The process is designed to transform flared gas that is now going to waste or stranded gas otherwise uneconomic to process into valuable liquid products directly on-site.

Primus' modular units, which will be economical in scales as small as 350 barrels per day (bpd), can be easily transported for use on site at oilfields in remote locations where no pipeline infrastructure exists to get the "associated" gas to market. The units will be scalable, flexible and modular enough to be integrated with existing production operations or to be completely self-sufficient, depending on the project needs.  

"The problem in addressing flared gas reduction has been identifying technologies that are both economical and practical," said Robert J. Johnsen, Primus' CEO. "Conventional GTL technologies are too expensive for use with small flares, including most of those in North Dakota's Bakken formation. Our STG+ technology, however, is low cost and efficient making it economical at small scales, which in turn, make it a practical, end-to-end flare gas solution that can be quickly deployed on-site at oilfields around the world."

Primus' STG+ technology, which has been proven at Primus' demonstration plant in Hillsborough, N.J., is a highly efficient, cost-effective proprietary, catalytic thermochemical process that transforms syngas – a mixture of H₂ and CO – derived from natural gas directly into products such as gasoline, diesel and organic solvents.

Monetizing Flared Gas Through STG+, A Small-Scale GTL Technology

The development of Primus' small-scale STG+ unit addresses the worldwide problem of flaring, which has been called the "billion dollar bonfire." The increased production of oil in remote locations such as North Dakota's Bakken formation has resulted in an increase in flaring because no pipeline infrastructure exists to get the associated gas to market.

"The opportunity to monetize flared gas through small-scale GTL options represents a huge opportunity for the industry," said Dr. Theo H. Fleisch, an advisor to the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) Partnership. "There is a strong need for small-scale, modular, low-cost process units with flexible capacity and for readily useable products."

In addition to wasting an estimated 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas worldwide, according to the GGFR Partnership, flaring also poses a huge environmental problem, releasing an estimated 350 million tons of harmful greenhouse gases (GHG) annually into the atmosphere.

"Reducing—and ultimately, eliminating—gas flaring will depend on technological innovation, along with market development, infrastructure and investment," said Bjorn Hamso, manager of the World Bank-led GGFR. "Much of this is emerging from private sector players, whose contributions can move the gas flaring reduction agenda forward by contributing to win-win solutions for investors and the local and global environment."

By comparison with other GTL technologies, Primus' STG+ process eliminates complexity, dramatically reduces footprint, expedites delivery time, improves product quality and increases yield. The STG+ process converts 1 MMBtu of natural gas directly into approximately 5 U.S. gallons of liquid fuels, which is along the highest documented conversion efficiencies in the industry.

About Primus Green Energy, Inc.

Primus Green Energy, based in Hillsborough, N.J., has developed an innovative alternative fuel technology that economically produces drop-in transportation fuels such as high-octane gasoline, diesel fuel or jet fuel directly from syngas derived from natural gas and other carbon-rich feedstocks. These drop-in fuels can be used directly in engines as a component of standard fuel formulas without costly engine modifications or changes to the fuel delivery infrastructure. Primus' STG+ technology, which is a proprietary version of proven commercial technologies, has recorded the highest conversion efficiency rate in the industry. Primus Green Energy is backed by IC Green Energy, Ltd., the renewable energy arm of publicly traded Israel Corp. For more information, visit http://www.primusge.com or contact George Boyajian, Vice President of Business Development, via e-mail at [email protected] or at 908-281-6000, ext. 136.

SOURCE Primus Green Energy Inc.