Measurement and Control Products for the Shale Gas Industry

M.S. Jacobs provides measurement and control solutions
to the shale gas production and processing sectors.

Several areas of North America are involved with the extraction of shale gas resources. The Marcellus Formation, one of the largest shale gas production areas, is located beneath much of the coverage area of M.S. Jacobs & Associates. A substantial portion of the company's product lines have application potential throughout the layers of the industry.

The Gentherm Global Power Technologies TEG (thermo-electric generator) is a product M.S. Jacobs provides for “upstream” use on the production well pad. It provides a reliable source of electric power at off-grid locations and is preferred because of its reliability and operating principle. A TEG has no moving parts and requires little maintenance. A thermoelectric generator converts heat directly into electricity. As heat moves from a gas burner through a thermoelectric module, it causes an electrical current to flow. Thermoelectric generators are a preferred source of power in areas without reliable and abundant sunshine for photovoltaic production of electricity.

Another source of remote power are the Stirling Engine driven generators from Qnergy. Operating on any combustible fuel, these systems deliver electric power efficiently and require no maintenance. The Qnergy power units are fuel agnostic and insensitive to gas content, able to run on gas with variable caloric content.

M.S. Jacobs is also involved with solutions for midstream operations. Flexim ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeters serve as check meters at midstream processing facilities and compressor stations to measure large volumes of gas. They are also being used to help balance the load to the compressors. Other applications are on gas storage wells that are filled in the summer and pumped out in the fall-winter, taking advantage of the bi-directional measurement capability of the meter.

M.S. Jacobs also provides Magnetrol level controls and Orion visual level indicators for various level applications as well as valves and controls on other midstream and downstream applications. A primary partner to many processing companies, M.S. Jacobs provides experience, application expertise, local inventory, and ongoing support.

Share your process measurement and control challenges with application specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Hybrid Solar TEG Power Systems

Hybrid system shown in remote installation
Courtesy Gentherm Global Power Technologies

There are remotely located instruments and equipment throughout the world in places without available grid power. A suitable and reliable means to provide electric power is required as a standalone system for each of these instances. Photovoltaics is an obvious choice for power source, but there is another option that may provide substantial benefit for many installations.

A hybrid solar TEG (thermoelectric generator) can overcome some of the shortcomings of a pure PV system by delivering battery charging current during conditions when solar generated power is insufficient. The TEG uses heat from burning fuel to produce electric power, and can deliver charging current when the PV portion of the system fails to provide sufficient output.

• Extended periods of bad weather. While this scenario can be compensated for with a larger battery array, there is still a limit to the performance period. Larger battery banks increase unit cost, size and weight.
• Extreme low temperature. Battery capacity decreases during cold weather, requiring a larger battery array to provide design power output and reserve.
• Low solar exposure during certain times of the year, requiring more solar panels to accomodate the system power requirements during times of reduced sunlight. This increases unit size and capital cost.

Critical power systems must be designed to deliver sufficient power under all environmental conditions that can be experienced at the installation site. This drives pure PV system designers to substantially oversize panel and battery arrays to assure power delivery throughout an entire year. A hybrid solar TEG system does not need to have the enormous headroom built into the design that a pure PV does. The TEG can produce power at a known rate, regardless of the surrounding environmental conditions. The potential benefits from the hybrid power system include: 

• Reduction in solar panel array size and cost
• Lower battery count, with reduction in capital cost, replacement cost, unit size and weight
• Longer battery life
• Less on-site fuel vs. a conventional fuel-based system
• No more than once-per-year maintenance visits
• Increased reliability over a pure PV installation

Share your remote installation power requirements and challenges with a product application specialist and bring the benefits of a hybrid solar TEG power system to your operation.

Hybrid Solar TEG Power Systems for Remote Locations from MSJacobs-Cali

Thermoelectric Generator for Remote Site Power Generation

Thermoelectric generators at remote site
Courtesy Gentherm GPT

Some operations, by their nature, dictate the location in which they will be undertaken. An obvious example is oil and gas production, but there are many others. These sometimes challenging locations burden designers and operators with providing remote communications, even on site power generation. Remote installations can often be unattended, yet require reliable continuous electric power to operate. Establishing an on site power source requires thoughtful selection of technology and equipment to provide the best solution.

A thermoelectric generator is one of several solutions to consider as a power source at a remote location. Each generation technology has a set of attributes making it more or less desirable for an application under consideration.

Thermoelectric generators convert heat directly into electricity using a fuel source for heat, a hermetically sealed thermopile, cooling fins, and no moving parts. The TEG delivers a low maintenance and cost effective solution for remote power requirements, having operational and cost benefits over engine driven generators, batteries and solar sources for many applications.

The short document below provides an overview of thermoelectric generator operation and application. Talk to a product specialist about your need to power and communicate with a remote site. A thermoelectric generator may be an option you had not considered, but may prove to be the best solution.

Thermoelectric Generators - Gentherm Power Technologies de MSJacobs-Cali

Gentherm GPT Provides Turnkey Remote Power

Thermoelectric Generators, part of  a remote power system

There are many industrial operations and processes that operate outside the confines of a factory building. Some even operate outside the confines of what most consider "civilization". Sometimes, if you need electric power, you have to generate your own.

Gentherm Global Power Technologies specializes in providing equipment and complete systems to produce electric power at remote sites. Their signature product line is the thermoelectric generator, or TEG. It uses a solid state thermopile and gas fired heaters to generate DC current. The technology is especially useful at sites where gas is naturally present. As a turnkey systems provider, Gentherm GPT will design complete systems, customized and configured for each particular installation. Here is an example of a fuel gas conditioning system provided for an offshore oil rig, designed specifically to address an issue at the site.

GPT's power generation products are well suited for a wide array of applications.

• Oil, gas, product, or water pipelines
• Well sites
• Offshore platforms
• Telecommunication sites
• Well monitoring and automation
• Security and surveillance
• Navigational aids
• Communication systems

For your remote power generation projects, consider a thermoelectric generator. Contact a product specialist and share your requirements. Combining your project knowledge with their product expertise will produce an effective solution.

Advantages of Thermoelectric Generators from MSJacobs-Cali

Electric Power Where There Is No Grid

Humankind's quest to continually do more than has been done before takes engineers and technicians, along with their equipment, instruments, and other gear, to all corners of the Earth. Wherever the project goes, electric power will be needed to power it. Unless the needs are short term and very small, a reliable means to produce electric power on site must be put in place to operate equipment, instruments, and other systems necessary for the installation to function as needed.

The potential applications for remote power are vast, ranging from simple land based off-grid locations to ocean platforms, even polar stations. Industrial process measurement and control is found everywhere, which means that sometimes you need to provide the power to operate your own measurement and control equipment. To some, this will be a new challenge to their project management, design, or implementation skills.

Gentherm Global Power Technologies is not only the world leader in thermoelectric generation for remote power systems, they also employ solar and engine driven generator sets in their turnkey systems that can be specifically tailored to your application and installation site. As providers of a wide range of generation technologies, Gentherm is in a unique position to propose the most reliable and cost effective solution for each particular project. Become familiar with this company. You never know where your next project may be located.

A short video, included below, will get you started. You can also contact a product specialist to discuss any aspects of applying the technology.

Delivering Electric Power to Remote Sites

Thermoelectric Generator
Courtesy Gentherm

Industrial companies accomplish some amazing feats in some very inaccessible and remote places. If you are in the natural resource business, you go where the resources are to extract them from the earth. The telecommunications industry locates equipment where needed to forge links and deliver signals. Environmental monitoring, navigation aids, buoys, lighthouses, and airstrips can all be situated in areas without grid power. Often, these installations are unattended, and require continuous reliable electric power to operate. When there is no grid to which the installation can be connected, a challenge arises regarding how to provide electric power to the site equipment.

There are several possible solutions for providing remote power, each with its own set of operating attributes which may make it more or less suitable for any particular application. When considering a remote power generator, you should include thermoelectric generators on your list of prospects.

Thermoelectric generators convert heat directly into electricity using a fuel source for heat, a hermetically sealed thermopile, cooling fins, and no moving parts. These generators are a positive and cost effective solution for remote power requirements, having operational and cost benefits over engine driven generators, batteries and solar sources for many applications.

The short document below provides an overview of thermoelectric generator operation and application. Talk to a product specialist about your need to power a remote site. A thermoelectric generator may be an option you had not considered, but may prove to be the best solution.

Thermoelectric Generators - Gentherm Power Technologies from MSJacobs-Cali