on the cover
Radical
PHOTO:
KRYSZTOF PALKA’s vision of the future sees hydrocarbons as too valuable to burn
22 OILWEEK | MARCH 2016
GR E E ISSU EN
K
rysztof “Kris” Palka is a self-described
18 per cent to your family. How would you feel about
“energy-efficiency freak.” With a master’s
it? Not very good, but that’s what we do when we burn
degree in mechanical engineering, Palka’s pas-
this amazing resource.”
sion is improving, optimizing and streamlining processes.
Rather than flee from the oil and gas industry, this
Before coming to Imaginea Energy as its chief strategist
insight led Palka to private oil and gas producer Imaginea,
for sustainability, innovation and operational leader-
which attempts to span the divide among seemingly dis-
ship, he spent a decade in his own consulting business
parate aims: environmentalism, profitable oil and gas
helping producers get the most out of existing and new
production, and a future in which hydrocarbons take an
wells through innovative technology and just-in-time
intelligent and sustainable place alongside wide-scale
artificial lift optimization services.
renewable energy production.
But in the looming shadow of the global-warming debate, he came to an epiphany that challenged him to
FEAR OF CHANGE
up his game in helping the industry operate more sus-
People generally don’t like change. The oil and gas industry
tainably. The irritant that spurred him on this quest
can choose to see the coming of renewable electrifica-
was the polarizing “if you’re not with us you’re against
tion as a threat or as an opportunity. Admittedly, this
us” global warming narrative. He didn’t like it because
societal transformation is still in the early stages, but
it doesn’t lead to productive solutions on either side.
Imaginea is taking the obvious first steps: figuring out
“Ultimately I asked myself, ‘Do I want to live in a
how to, at minimum, extract oil and gas without produc-
world with polluted air, polluted water and polluted soil?’
ing any emissions and without the use of any fresh water.
Because every time you burn hydrocarbons, you produce pollution,” Palka says. “And my answer was, ‘No.’”
“We can do that with existing technology today, and it actually makes financial sense,” Palka says.
He reasoned that even those who don’t believe in
The installation of solar panel systems to provide
anthropogenic causes for global warming or those who
energy for their artificial lift requirement has already
don’t care much about anything but money and the
begun. One lease site is complete, and the company plans
economy still don’t want to live in a degraded, polluted
to expand this to all its operations as cash flow permits.
world. Nor do they want to leave such a world for their children.
Next is the addition of heat exchangers to capture the heat from produced oil in order to lower the energy foot-
“So if you don’t want to live in a dirty world and you
print of its treaters by about 50 per cent. So far, one of its
still want [to extract] this amazing hydrocarbon resource
six oil batteries has been set up with a heat exchanger,
in the ground for the generations to come, then let’s stop
Palka says. Plans are in the works to expand this tech-
burning it,” Palka says.
nology to all six facilities.
IMAGINE
drawing board. “So rather than create heat combus-
Fuel cells at its wellsites are now on Imaginea’s The world is changing, and in Palka’s view, it is invariably
tion at our oil batteries, we would take our natural
heading toward renewable energy–sourced electrifica-
gas, which we co-produce, and convert it using fuel
tion of transportation, production, heating and virtually
cells, which have a very high efficiency of 44 per cent,
everything else that is today driven by fossil fuel com-
into electricity to fuel our water pumps and electrical
bustion. This shift doesn’t aim to eliminate the use of
components,” Palka says. “Additionally, 46 per cent
hydrocarbons, but rather to use them more efficiently
of the energy from the fuel cell is waste heat, which
as raw material for the production of the plastics, car-
we can use through cogeneration to heat our treat-
bon fibre and all the other great products that modern
ers. Suddenly, we produce all the energy required for
society has come to rely upon.
facilities without combusting even one cubic metre
“Imagine that you make a dinner for your family,”
of natural gas.” And most ambitiously, as Imaginea’s wells come to
and start cooking your dinner, and after you’re finished
the end of their lives, leases, which are already-disturbed
making it, you take 82 per cent of all your food and throw
stretches of land, could become expanded solar and
it straight in the garbage. Then you serve the rest of the
wind power sites.
PHOTO:
Palka says. “You buy all the ingredients, come home
MARCH 2016 | OILWEEK.COM 23
