It is certainly a new era with regards to the opportunities that evolving or game-changing technologies are providing oil and natural gas producers, from the majors to very small independents. It is also a new era for PTTC's West Coast Region. Since inception, Iraj Ershaghi of the University of Southern California (USC) has worked tirelessly to develop and deliver local workshops. He's also been a fountain of innovative ideas for PTTC and the other regions. Although Iraj's heart remains in "tech transfer and PTTC," USC is unable to continue in its role. Although forgoing his formal involvement, Iraj has assured PTTC he will continue to be an avid supporter and contribute as a volunteer. Please take time to express your appreciation to him for his "above and beyond" commitment through the years.

Outreach for the West Coast has transitioned to the Conservation Committee of California Oil & Gas Producers (CCCOGP, www.cccogp.org), led by Jerry Anderson. The CCCOGP is an industry supported, tax exempt, 501[c](06) non-profit organization that administers a voluntary program of production and conservation control. California's sustained production and extended economic producing life has been due, in large measure, to the work of the CCCOGP and its predecessor organizations. The industry, acting through the CCCOGP Engineering Board, continues to promote advanced production practices to maximize the ultimate recovery of oil and gas from California fields. Incorporating PTTC tech transfer activities alongside CCCOGP's work is a natural fit.

The most recent West Coast workshop, held Nov. 29 in Valencia, like many regional workshops, focused on operational issues. This time the topic was "Recent Developments in Oilfield Distributed Power Generation and Other Power Saving Measures," with emphasis on field experience in several projects.

maintenance (but maintenance,  when needed, can be more costly and require more technical expertise—3rd party maintenance service contract can be good). In California, a DOE-supported project (Oil Field Flare Gas Electricity Systems or OFFGASES) is demonstrating how distributed power generation from stranded natural gas reduces power costs and economics in marginal leases (www.fe.doe.gov/news/
techlines/2007/07061-Creating_
Energy_from_Waste_Gas.html). Workshop speakers shared experience with microturbines in Medium- and High-BTU sites, plus a Low-Btu application with harsh gas (4,000 ppm H₂S). There is also an application demonstrating the Flex-Microturbine® (uses catalytic converter). At Rincon there is an amine stripper that removes CO₂ from the produced gas. The CO₂ tail gas flow is about 500 Mcfd, containing only 1.5 to 4.2% methane. Currently, the tail gas is processed through a thermal oxidizer, requiring the consumption of about 200 Mcfd supply gas. The Flex Microturbine was installed and tested, running on the tail gas. Although running, it still requires some supply gas. Anticipation is that, in the future, the unit will run on tail gas only.