MTU offers hybrid drilling, e-frac systems to help land drillers cut emissions

With the land drilling sector looking to reduce emissions to meet ESG targets, more and more companies are looking to alternative, lower-carbon solutions to power their operations. In this video from the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference, DC speaks with Dave Bosco, Senior Sales and Business Development Manager, Global Oil & Gas at MTU, a Rolls Royce solution, about the company’s efforts in hybrid drilling and electric fracturing (e-frac) technologies.

MTU’s Q-ESS battery energy storage system and microgrid controller is based upon lithium battery technology and employs machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to optimize energy loads from a generator set, recapturing energy for later use during peak demand hours. Mr Bosco said installing the battery storage system into a hybrid drilling system can lead to an approximate 15% reduction in emissions and a 15% reduction in diesel fuel consumption.

He also discussed the financial gains companies can realize from running hybrid systems. “In a drilling application, when you have a bunch of engines run while you’re not actually using them, you know that’s going to cost the customer a lot of money from a maintenance perspective. So, we see the load optimization as an efficiency gain because you’re getting more work and money out of your asset instead of just paying to maintain them.”