Kuwait Visitors Interested in NREL Solar and Geothermal Efforts

June 8, 2015 | By Linh Truong | Contact media relations

During a visit on June 4, representatives of the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) learned about NREL projects involving water desalination and enhanced oil recovery. The meeting was a result of a strategic partnership between KOC and the Colorado School of Mines (CSM).

NREL has a joint project with CSM looking at geothermal-powered desalination, and NREL is also exploring the potential of solar thermal enhanced oil recovery.

"There are several areas where our research could benefit through collaboration with KOC and CSM," said NREL Associate Lab Director Michael Pacheco, who met with the visitors. "We appreciate our partners at CSM including NREL in their discussions."

KOC's goal is to establish the Kuwait International Petroleum Research Center, which will improve recovery of petroleum from Kuwait's oil fields and downstream processing of their oil into finished petroleum products. Consequently, the company's interests relate to oil reservoir analysis, oil and gas production, catalytic upgrading of various petroleum fractions, corrosion in both production and downstream processing, energy efficiency in refining petroleum, and water conservation.

KOC, which is not affiliated with the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Gas, wants to improve energy efficiency in their refining operations. KOC may also apply concentrated solar power technology to produce some of the steam needed in the company's operations. 

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