Emerson has partnered with Laramie Energy, a Colorado-based oil and gas producer, to help it comply with state and federal emissions regulations.

The company used ASCO zero-emissions electric dump valves, the only all-electric solution for separators, scrubbers, and compression units, to eliminate both vented and fugitive emissions from the liquid dump stage of their separation process.

Conventional dump valves are often piloted by well gas, which can leak into the atmosphere as vented and fugitive emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a waste emissions charge for methane emissions that exceed specified thresholds.

If fugitive emissions are detected, the EPA requires oil and gas producers to report their greenhouse gas data and conduct tests, surveys, and repairs.

ASCO zero-emission electric dump valves use ultra-low-power electric actuation, eliminating the need to vent well gas in upstream applications and reducing valve power usage by 98.75 per cent compared to conventional electric retrofit kits.

"Though initially designed for legacy well sites, these fully electric dump valves can help oil and gas companies achieve compliance and avoid red tape on both newly drilled production sites and existing production sites to meet new standards," said Michael Land, sales development manager with Emerson’s discrete automation business. "Our solution provides a cost-effective, maintenance-free alternative to meet compliance when compared to other solutions like instrument air, nitrogen and electric retrofit kits."

Laramie Energy focuses on developing unconventional oil and gas reserves within the Rocky Mountains, operating roughly 1,500 wells. The company installed ASCO electric dump valves in newly drilled wells while updating its legacy wells with the solution. Beyond ensuring compliance, the valves have provided additional benefits, including less maintenance and greater well efficiency.