Energy giant Chevron uses solar energy to recycle oil

Energy giant Chevron recently launched a feasibility study to use solar energy to improve the efficiency of oil recovery in old oil fields.

Chevron Technology Ventures, a subsidiary of Chevron, uses 7,600 mirrors to focus solar energy on a solar furnace, turning water into steam at high temperatures, which is then injected into oil wells to improve production efficiency.

Chevron faces competition from several oil giants in the global market, including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, BP of Britain and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, the world's largest independent oil exploration and producer.

The 100-acre solar power plant in Coalinga, California, will greatly improve the current steam facilities. Steam is injected into oil wells to reduce oil viscosity and enhance fluidity, thereby achieving increased recovery. Solar thermal facilities will greatly reduce the use of natural gas, and this technology is also conducive to the extraction of heavy oil in areas where natural gas is scarce.

Solar thermal technology is widely considered by the industry to be a cheaper option than burning natural gas and will significantly reduce Chevrolet's operating costs for extracting heavy oil.

Chevron's feasibility study can be seen as the first step towards commercialization of solar thermal technology. Chevron is planning to cooperate with Saudi Aramco and the Kuwaiti government to exploit the Wafra oil field, which has about 25 billion barrels of heavy oil reserves. (Translation: Owen)