Extended reserves
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Clean refining
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Fuel-efficient vehicles
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Diversified fuels
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Controlled CO 2
IFP and Sustainable Development
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s an international research and training center, IFP is developing the transport energies of the 21st century. It provides public players and industry with innovative solutions for a smooth transition to the energies and materials of tomorrow – more
efficient, more economical, cleaner and sustainable. To fulfill its mission, IFP has five complementary strategic priorities: ■ pushing back the boundaries in oil and gas exploration and production, ■ converting as much raw material as possible into energy for transport, ■ developing clean, fuel-efficient vehicles, ■ diversifying fuel sources, ■ capturing and storing CO2 to combat the greenhouse effect. An integral part of IFP, its graduate engineering school prepares future generations to take up these challenges.
Key figures ■ ■ ■
1,735 employees 2007 budget: €301,5 million A portfolio of more than 12,500 active patents: - in the top 15 patent filers in France - the 6 th largest filer in the United States, all nationalities combined
IFP’s commitment to serving
sustainable development
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nergy is a basic human need. It must be made accessible to all, but it must be provided without endangering our planet’s environment. Population growth and steadily rising standards of living, especially in developing
countries, will keep demand for energy growing substantially in the years to come. Needs are expected to double by 2050. The sources of energy that meet these needs will have to complement one another rather than compete. All energy options must be kept open to ensure that responses are as appropriate as possible, both environmentally and economically. It will be difficult, in the short and medium term, to replace oil and gas for transport applications and petrochemicals, and they are expected to account for about two thirds of world energy demand by the year 2030. This observation points up the need to develop technological solutions capable of satisfying future energy and mobility needs, while taking into account the finite character of oil and gas resources and the risk of climate change. This underlies IFP’s resolute commitment to serving sustainable development. This document illustrates and explains this commitment through a few of IFP’s innovations and accomplishments. They bear witness to its drive and expertise, placed in the service of the community. More than in words, it is through action and innovation that IFP is preparing the future of energy.
Olivier Appert IFP’s Chairman and CEO
Innovating for sustainable development
in the energy and transport fields
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ith a view to sustainable development, it is necessary to ensure a supply of energy for the long term while, at the same time, protecting the environment, both locally and globally. Oil and gas will continue to play a major role in the future, especially in the transport sector. Technical innovation has a fundamental role to play in pushing back the limits of their use and developing alternative solutions.
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This is the whole point of IFP’s work in developing knowledge and technologies that will make it possible to: ■ renew oil and gas reserves and make better use of existing reserves, ■ develop new sources of energy to diversify our supply and to protect the environment, ■ minimize emissions of pollutants on a local level, especially those resulting from the production and use of fossil fuels, ■ and finally, respond to the risk of climate change with new options serving to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2).
Renewing reserves of
hydrocarbons
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ushing back the limits of current oil and gas reserves is one key factor in meeting ever increasing world demand, and, in particular, satisfying transport needs for the whole of the 21st century. For this purpose, IFP is developing technologies, software and methods to ensure clean and economical access to new oil and gas resources, exploit known oil fields more efficiently, and reduce costs so as to make it economically viable to exploit reservoirs that are difficult, remote, or marginal, while protecting the environment.
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Identifying, quantifying and qualifying new oil and gas resources The identification, quantification, and qualification of new oil and gas resources call for better exploration and evaluation techniques. For this reason, IFP is developing a complete set of methods, software and techniques: basin models, characterization methods, seismic methods, subsoil imaging, etc. Making better use of available reserves Better use of available reserves is contingent on the development of technologies to enhance our ability to recover the petroleum in place in reservoirs and to extend the exploitation of mature petroleum reservoirs, while protecting the environment. Developing technologies to exploit reservoirs in extreme conditions Developing technologies making it possible to exploit hardto-reach reservoirs (production in ultra-deep water or far underground, highly acid gas reservoirs and heavy crudes, etc.) is essential for renewing the reserves. The costs of producing, treating and transporting this petroleum, with a high technological content, must also be reduced to make producing these reservoirs economically viable.
Developing technologies for global reservoir exploitation strategies by O. Vizika, Director of the Reservoir Engineering Division In the current context of ever increasing oil and gas demand, enhancing their recovery rates while simultaneously taking into account environmental concerns has become crucial. This requires a better knowledge of both the distribution of oil and gas reserves in the subsoil and the mechanisms via which hydrocarbons reach production wells. It makes use of a broad array of advanced methods and methodologies, from laboratory research to reservoir monitoring, along with the development and use of reservoir and well modeling and simulation software. IFP is involved in each of these areas, through its exploratory and applied research, aimed both at acquiring scientific and technical knowledge and developing innovative technologies to optimize the development of reserves.
Incorporation of production and 4D seismic data into reservoir models to simulate, control and optimize the production of fields (Monitor consortium; Condor Flow and Puma Flow software, marketed by Beicip-Franlab).
Studies of drilling cores help define reservoir production conditions.
Quantifying uncertainties to optimize reservoir production by V. Richard, Deputy Director of the Exploration-Production Technology Business Unit Optimizing reservoir production involves, in particular, quantifying the uncertainties associated with this production. IFP has been making great efforts in this field for about a decade. The work includes techniques for changing scales (to go from detailed geological models to flow simulators), for updating 3D geological and geophysical models, and, lastly, for monitoring reservoir production. Uncertainties are propagated through this system to quantify them as they affect the flows of water, oil and gas in producing wells according to various operating diagrams. IFP proposes solutions based on experimental design methodologies that can deal effectively with this problem and thereby increase the recovery ratio of mature reservoirs.
The techniques developed by IFP enable better evaluation of the oil potential of complex geographical zones
Heavy crudes have high viscosities, making petroleum engineering and reservoir development difficult.
by B. Colletta, Director of the Geology – Geochemistry - Geophysics Division The majority of sedimentary basins have already been explored with variable degrees of success. Conventional targets have already been identified but a large number of deeper or more complex zones are yet to be evaluated. One of IFP’s research priorities is to develop tools and methodologies making it possible to propose new targets in the most complex or deepest zones. Because these zones are difficult to survey using conventional methods, IFP has developed new techniques to improve our understanding of petroleum systems (3D maturation and migration of hydrocarbons), reservoir imaging (stratigraphic inversion) and our understanding of the architecture of these complex zones (3D restoration). IFP also develops multiclient projects, such as the MEC project, for example, which led to the development of a new geological model for the stratigraphic organization of Cretaceous horizons in the Middle East, a zone where some of the most prolific oil systems are found. This project was supported by many international oil companies (ENI, Norsk Hydro, Repsol YPF, Shell, Statoil) and conducted in partnership with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
Developing the production of extra heavy crudes by J.F. Argillier, Project Manager Reserves of extra heavy crudes are extremely large, in particular in Venezuela and Canada. They are a major stake in a context of increasingly scarce fossil resources. They are still little used because of their high viscosity, which makes producing and transporting them technically difficult. IFP’s work aims at eliminating these technological obstacles while ensuring the protection of the environment, in particular in terms of CO2 emissions. Processes are therefore being studied that are designed to improve recovery, production and transport conditions for heavy and extra-heavy oils. Developments include the modeling of recovery processes, the optimization of new production processes and the development of new transport technologies.
Study of the Cretaceous in Iran, a horizon with high oil potential.
Reducing the costs of treating acid gases, and protecting the environment by J. Magne-Drisch, Project Manager The Sprex ® process, developed jointly by IFP, Total, and Prosernat, is a valuable response to the problem of treating natural gas with a high sulfur content. This process can, in fact, extract up to 90% of the sulfur contained in the raw gas (in the form of H 2S). When applied in specific conditions, it can also eliminate a share of any CO 2 present. When used for pretreatment, it significantly reduces the size of the equipment installed downstream and cuts investment and operating costs. In addition, the acid gases are produced at high pressure and in liquid form, making it possible to reinject them into the reservoir economically. The Sprex ® technology is accordingly an attractive technical solution that gives access to new reserves of gas while, at the same time, limiting energy consumption and emissions of toxic gases into the atmosphere.
Sprex ® pilot unit (Total, Lacq - France).
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Developing new energy
systems
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FP is active in the development of new energy systems for transport that comply with the commitment to limit the greenhouse effect. These systems include, for example, biofuels and synfuels produced from feedstock other than oil (natural gas, coal, biomass, etc.). IFP's work also aims at identifying and developing approaches with the potential for replacing conventional fuels, a role that might, for example, be played by hydrogen in the future. Finally, developing waste treatment as a source of energy is also a priority.
Biofuels and synfuels A pioneer in the field of biofuels, IFP has acquired extended expertise during its twenty years of research work on the subject, both on biofuel production processes and on the impact of their use in engines. IFP is also involved in the production of synfuels from natural gas, coal and biomass, thereby contributing to the development of alternative sources of energy that have important qualities in terms of environmental impact. Hydrogen The use of hydrogen opens up interesting prospects in energy production, if it can be done under conditions that are satisfactory both economically and in terms of CO2 balance. Developing technologies making it possible to produce hydrogen under such conditions, transport it in pipes and store it are a few of IFP’s research areas. Biomass and waste conversion IFP is developing technologies and processes that will enhance the recovery of energy from agricultural, household and industrial wastes. These processes make it possible, in particular, to recover the energy produced by their combustion while reducing their impact on the environment.
Biofuels: from production to use in engines by F. Monot, Head of the Biotechnology and Biomass Chemistry department, and X. Montagne, Head of the Fuels – Emissions - Lubricants department IFP’s work is contributing to the development of new sources of energy for transport that can be of great value in preventing climate change. For example, IFP’s researchers are working on ways to produce fuels from vegetable feedstock, also called “biofuels”: improvements to existing processes (ethanol fuel, ETBE, esters of vegetable oils) and new processes to synthesize fuels from lignocellulosic biomass (wood, grain and forest residues, organic wastes). The quality of these fuels must be compatible with the engines of the most recent vehicles. The impact of blends containing biofuels on the operation and life of engines (performance, clogging, behavior of the lubricant, etc.) and on emissions of pollutants is therefore being very precisely evaluated. This is IFP’s major contribution to ensuring the compatibility of biofuels with current technologies, but also those that will be needed to meet the most stringent European antipollution standards. IFP is also a major player in the fuel standardization process, particularly with respect to biofuels.
Diester Industrie’s biodiesel production unit in Sète (Hérault - France) using Axens’ Esterfip-H TM technology.
Esterfip-H™: a new biodiesel production technology by L. Bournay, Project Manager This technology, developed by IFP and marketed by its Axens partner, is a major innovation in the production of methyl esters from vegetable oils (VOME). It yields both VOME meeting European standards and a coproduct – glycerine – of unrivalled purity. The development of this coproduct is a decisive factor in the economics of this field and, since it uses a solid catalyst, the technology also eliminates the discharges inherent in older technologies using a soluble catalyst.
Working with the ENI Group, IFP has developed a FischerTropsch synthesis process that has been successfully tested on a pilot facility at the Agip refinery in Sannazzaro (Italy). This process makes it possible to produce a very high quality diesel fuel – free of both sulfur and aromatics – from natural gas. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is based on the use of a synthesis gas that can be obtained from feedstocks as varied as natural gas, petroleum, coal, biomass, etc.
The co-production of hydrogen and electricity with capture of CO 2 H 2 export
CO2
H2
by F. Giroudière, Project Manager
CO 2 CAPTURE
H 2+CO Primary combustion
Secondary combustion H2
Air Hot gases Hot gas generator Steam
Natural Gas
Electricity
Catalytic reactor / converter
Co-production of hydrogen and electricity with the HyGenSys TM process.
IFP is developing the HyGenSysTM process, designed to produce hydrogen and electricity from natural gas and simultaneously capture CO2 at low cost. This new process for the capture of CO2 at the precombustion stage applies the steam reforming reaction of natural gas in a compact reactor-converter heated by convection and with an integral gas turbine operating with a fraction of the hydrogen produced. The pairing of a highly efficient reactor-converter with an electricity production turbine cycle makes the process particularly attractive.
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Biopac pilot unit producing very pure hydrogen from ethanol made from biomass to supply a fuel cell.
IFP is working to develop energy approaches using biomass and biofuels. For example, work is being done to adapt combustion turbines to biofuel and to the lean gases produced by methanation, thermolysis and the gasification of biomass.
Minimizing pollutant
emissions
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ustainable development of our industrial societies means protecting our environment. Developing technologies to minimize pollutant emissions, whether in the transport sector or in industrial facilities, is a permanent feature of IFP’s research projects. Work is also being done on the characterization of pollutants, a necessary preliminary to proposing ways of dealing with accidental pollution of soils, the sea and the air.
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Designing industrial facilities with near-zero emissions IFP’s R&D effort in this area is aimed at creating industrial facilities with near-zero pollutant emissions, at both the production stage (oil and gas) and the refining stage. For example, IFP has made a major contribution to the development of processes enabling near-zero SOx and NOx emissions. Limiting pollution in the transport sector The work done in this area is aimed first of all at minimizing emissions of pollutants. For this purpose, IFP is developing refining processes that produce ultra-clean fuels. IFP is also working to develop innovative engine technologies and posttreatment systems that will make it possible to come close to zero pollutant emissions. Characterizing pollutants to deal with accidental pollution IFP has developed various tools to investigate and characterize the environmental impact of pollutants on soils, the sea and the air. For example, IFP has been called on to characterize and evaluate the impact of the oil spills from recent disasters at sea (the “Erika” and the “Prestige”). IFP is also active in the field of antipollution technologies for the treatment of air and water.
Producing ultra-clean fuels to protect the environment by N. Marchal, Project Manager Developing processes for the production of ultra-clean fuels in order to limit emissions of pollutants in the transport sector is a key research activity at IFP. The Prime-G+TM refining process, developed by IFP and marketed by its Axens partner, is a prime example. It produces gasolines with a very low sulfur content, complying with future specifications which will limit the sulfur content in fuels in the European Union to 10 ppm by 2009. As a real innovation in the desulfurization of gasolines, Prime-G+ TM is commercially very successful. This technology, the leader in its market, has now been chosen by more than 120 refineries worldwide.
Reduction of diesel pollution The excellent performance of IFP’s NADI TM diesel combustion process by Ph. Pinchon, Director of the Powertrain Engineering Technology Business Unit
IFP’s NADI TM diesel combustion process.
In connection with its work to reduce the fuel consumption and pollutant emissions of vehicles, IFP has developed a specific diesel homogeneous combustion concept: the NADI TM (Narrow Angle Direct Injection) process. It drastically reduces emissions of soot and nitrogen oxides without hampering the engine’s maximum performance. The process is currently being applied to multicylinder engines, in cooperation with various automakers. Industrial development might be possible, in combination with an exhaust gas post-treatment system, in response to the tightening up of antipollution standards for diesel engines (Euro 6).
IFP is developing industrial burners that can reduce discharges of nitrogen oxides by as much as 50% compared to traditional technologies.
Pollusim: software for predicting the migration of pollutants in soils and aquifers.
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The Pollut-Eval™ “groundâ€? analysis equipment, developed by IFP, allows rapid analysis of samples of soil polluted by hydrocarbons. This technology is used on-site to locate pollutants during the diagnostic phase and to sort soils during pollution abatement phases. It is also used to track the evolution of hydrocarbon concentrations following their degradation in soils. It is marketed by the Vinci Technologies company.
Forestalling the risks of
climate change
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missions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by 60% since 1970 and are expected to keep rising because of the strong growth in world energy consumption. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), if nothing is done, the content of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere could lead to a temperature rise of between 2 and 6째C, with potentially dramatic consequences for the planet. Given the prospect of a steady growth in energy consumption, reducing emissions of this gas is a major technological challenge for the years to come. IFP, with a solid reputation on the national, European and global scenes, and having the necessary key skills, is committed to developing new options to take up this challenge.
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Reducing energy consumption IFP is working to reduce energy consumption, especially in the transport sector, the growth of which constitutes the main risk of increased emissions of CO2. The engine technologies being developed aim, in particular, at reconciling higher efficiency with increasingly stringent specifications limiting emissions of pollutants. Developing uses of energy with a lower carbon content The development of low-carbon energy technologies is an interesting approach to reducing emissions of CO2; it also responds to the need to develop alternative sources of energy. Capturing, transporting and storing emitted CO 2 Capture, transport, and storage are emerging as a promising approach to which IFP is strongly committed, since the skills necessary for its development are those used in the context of oil production.
Part of the European Castor project, a demonstration unit for the capture of CO 2 from the stack gases of a coal-fired power station (Dong company, Denmark).
The capture, transport and storage of CO 2 by A. Rojey, Director for Sustainable Development The capture and underground storage of CO2 constitute a promising approach for preventing global warming, and IFP intends to be a leading player in the development of this approach. Fossil fuels today account for nearly 80% of all emissions of CO2. A suitable response to the risk of climate change would require the capture and underground storage of a significant share of the CO2 so emitted. This storage would have to be secure for a very long period, in the region of a thousand years. The world’s CO2 storage potential is still being evaluated, but already seems to be considerable. Further studies are required to refine our estimate of its size. Storage operations using aquifers or abandoned petroleum reservoirs are already in progress. Thus this approach is already a reality. However major difficulties remain to be overcome: in particular, the costs of capture –still high today– must be brought down and there must be some assurance of the long-term safety and integrity of this storage.
IFP, a leader of European research projects on the capture, transport and storage of CO 2 by P. Le Thiez, Project Manager Work in the field of the capture, transport and storage of CO2 is being done jointly with the industrial operators concerned, particularly in Europe. For example, IFP is coordinating the vast Castor project, which groups 30 partners –industrialists and research centers– from 11 European Union member countries. The project’s strategic objectives are to significantly reduce the cost of capture of CO2 and to increase the safety of geological storage, in order to enable, in the longer term, a 10% reduction of European emissions of this gas. IFP is also committed to the Encap project, aimed at power generation accompanied by the production of hydrogen and the capture of carbon dioxide in a precombustion stage. Finally, IFP is coordinating the INCA CO2 support action, aimed at strengthening the position of the European Commission in the international strategy to combat emissions of CO2. IFP is also involved in the European ZEP Platform (“Zero emission fossil fuel power plants”), which brings together the main players in the production of electricity from fossil fuels with capture and storage of CO2 in Europe. All these research projects were set in place in a relatively short time, a clear illustration of IFP’s determination and ability to act and to innovate for sustainable development.
The development of engines fueled with natural gas for vehicles (NGV) by R. Tilagone, Head of the Engines Laboratory department, IFP-Lyon Among the various sources of energy for transport, NGV has significant intrinsic advantages in terms of emissions of greenhouse gases. Because of its chemical composition and its characteristics, favorable to effective use in an engine, natural gas can substantially reduce emissions of CO2: by nearly 25% compared to gasoline combustion based on a standardized cycle. IFP, already strongly committed in this field, has recently demonstrated the value of an engine adapted to NGV, having produced: ■
in cooperation with Gaz de France and partially funded by ADEME, a prototype Smart vehicle optimized for this gas;
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in cooperation with Gaz de France, Inrets and Valeo and partially funded by ADEME, a prototype hybrid vehicle on a Smart base;
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in cooperation with Gaz de France, a Prius NGV vehicle, awarded first prize in the 2006 Bibendum Challenge.
Technological approaches investigated ■ Capture IFP is investigating various CO2 capture options: postcombustion for existing industrial units, precombustion for new units. Innovative ways to capture CO2 in stack gases, either by solvent scrubbing or by chemical looping, are under study. IFP is searching for new oxycombustion options, with direct transfer of oxygen from the air using redox solid phases in order to obtain combustion gases in which the CO2 is concentrated and easy to recover. Finally, IFP is active in the search for new energy production processes involving the production of synthesis gas and hydrogen, together with the capture of CO2 in the precombustion stage.
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Analyzing the risks related to storage of CO 2 in tapping reservoirs by Y. Le Gallo, Reservoir Engineer Before deciding to use a petroleum or gas reservoir or a deep aquifer to store CO2 for a long period, it is necessary to analyze and assess the risk of leaks, in order to quantify their potential impact. The work being done in this field aims at modeling the behavior of the storage facility over time in the context of scenarios that cause a loss of tightness (damage to the integrity of the well or to the reservoir formations, reactivation of faults, etc.). The development of these conceptual or numerical models serves to enhance the safety of the storage facilities, thereby helping to make this new option in the fight against the greenhouse effect possible and sustainable.
■ Storage Three geological storage modes can be considered: storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, in deep aquifers and in unused coal seams. IFP’s work aims at reducing the costs of this storage while ensuring its longterm safety and integrity. The work being done includes the development of suitable models, with, in particular, allowance for geochemical interactions between the CO2 and the reservoir rock. Seismic monitoring methods are also being studied, to make it possible to control the extension of the stored gas bubble and the integrity of the overburden.
IFP’s skills for the benefit of
sustainable development
ts work on sustainable development calls on all of IFP’s skills and is spread over IFP’s various missions. Research The studies concerning sustainable development are based on a spectrum of fundamental research programs and on IFP’s key skills in such sectors as the earth sciences, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, chemical engineering, combustion science and catalysis, which are represented in the research divisions. These fundamental research programs make use, in particular, of work done in the context of theses and are implemented after in-depth consultation of French, European and international laboratories. Research work is also done in the context of research contracts of a various nature: bilateral contracts, consortiums, JIPs.
Industrial development In a constant drive for progress, IFP aids the conversion from invention to innovation, from patent to product and from research to industry. Since its inception, IFP has therefore been a major force for industrial development, with more than 12,500 patents to its credit. The work done by IFP leads to new techniques and new processes and is performed in close cooperation with the various industries concerned. The software, processes and technologies developed by IFP involve IFP’s various industrial partners (which include Beicip-Franlab, Axens, Prosernat, etc.). Many actions in the field of sustainable development also involve joint work with all sectors of industry, in particular SMEs. Information and documentation IFP works very actively to produce information and documentation concerning the whole range of issues relevant to sustainable development in energy. Its many books, articles and conference papers blend interdisciplinary scientific expertise, technical-economic analyses and market intelligence, placing all of IFP’s knowledge, as an independent source, in the service of the community and of industry, in order to meet the broad public interest needs and industrial challenges that will be reshaping the energy scene of this century. Training An integral part of IFP, the IFP School offers graduate training programs for young engineers designed to meet the needs of industry. The quality of its teaching, combined with the extent and diversity of its partnerships with universities and industry, make it a prominent international force. Every year, more than 500 students from around the globe graduate from the school, fully prepared to take up the challenges posed by the energies of the future.
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