Independent Energy Partners

Independent Energy Partners, Inc. (IEP) is an American oil shale company Based in Denver, Colorado. It is a developer of the Geothermic Fuels Cells Process, an "in-situ" oil shale extraction process.

History

On February 3, 2004, IEP received an initial patent on Geothermic Fuels Cells Process. On April 13, 2005, IEP retained the consulting firm Sage Geotech to produce two technical assessments related to the Geothermic Fuels Cells Process technology. On March 1, 2006, IEP concluded negotiations with Battelle, operator of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for development of the Geothermic Fuel Cell prototype. On February 27, 2007, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued continuation-in-part application for Geothermic Fuel Cell Process.

Operations

IEP owns the patents to the Geothermic Fuel Cell technology (US Patent Nos. 6,684,948 B1-Apparatus and Method For Heating Subterranean Formations Using Fuel Cells and 7,182,132 B2-Linearly Scalable Geothermic Fuel Cells). It also has mineral interests in the oil shale reserves within the Green River Formation, including in Rio Blanco County, Colorado.Cite news
publisher=Denver Business Journal
title=IEP snags production rights
date=2005-09-01
url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/08/29/daily49.html
accessdate=2008-08-20]

Geothermic Fuels Cells Process

In Independent Energy Partners' Geothermic Fuels Cells Process (IEP GFC), a high-temperature stack of fuel cells is placed in the formation to heat the ground. During an initial warm-up period, the cells are fueled by an external source of natural gas. Afterwards, the process is able to fuel itself using gases liberated by its own waste heat. The formation is fractured by rising fluid pressure in the heated zone. Alternatively, the formation can be pre-fractured to enhance the flow of hydrocarbons between heating and producing wells. The company asserts a ratio of approximately 18 units of energy produced per unit used, when primary recovery is combined with gasification of the residual char and use of the resulting synthetic gas.Cite paper
publisher=United States Department of Energy
title=Secure Fuels from Domestic Resources: The Continuing Evolution of America’s Oil Shale and Tar Sands Industries
pages=1-68
date=2007
url=http://www.nevtahoilsands.com/pdf/Oil-Shale-and-Tar-Sands-Company-Profiles.pdf
format=PDF
accessdate=2008-08-20]

References

External links

* [http://www.iepm.com/ Company website]