West Virginia Company Named Winner in Shale Gas Innovation Contest Finals Event
Fairmont Brine Processing, based in West Virginia, was named one of four winners in the 4th Annual Shale Gas Innovation Contest, held May 12 in Southpointe, PA. The firm walked away with a winner’s check for $25,000 after pitching their technology to an audience of nearly 150 attendees.
Fairmont Brine Processing has developed an evaporation and crystallization process that fully treats wastewater, extracting reusable byproducts. The technology also 
has the ability to formulate fracture stimulation fluids specifically to meet an operating company’s completion design.
Brian Kalt, General Manager commented, “We are humbled to be recognized by the Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center. Winning this award validates the industry’s necessity for an environmentally responsible alternative to deep well injection. Fairmont Brine Processing has executed another major step in the commercialization of our patented evaporation & crystallization process, and we are looking forward to developing new opportunities with E&P companies as they seek a long term solution for the wastewater produced in the natural resource extraction process.”
Support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation once again provided for a West Virginia winner in the contest.
Pictured from left are Brian Kalt, General
Manager of FBP, and Carl Irwin of the WV TransTech Energy Research & Business Development Program
Bill Hall, SGICC Director, noted that “The 14 finalists once again show the diversity of ideas being brought to the table by entrepreneurs and small companies in the region to help advance the shale energy play.”
Three other firms also won $25,000 including:
Appalachian Drilling Services, Inc. – Provides spill proof, skid mounted, rig friendly waste storage units specifically built to withstand life on drilling rigs and mitigate the chances of any type of spill
EthosGen – Offering systems that convert waste heat to electricity through a unique piston-based Organic-Rankine Cycle (ORC) scalable power solution available from 12-250kW
PixController, Inc. – Offering a low cost methane gas detection system that integrates a digital methane sensor with temperature and barometric pressure data, providing data access via a low power battery operated wireless monitoring backbone, and ability to integrate optical or FLIR camera technology, full weather station, and water quality monitoring to system
The entire list of the 14 Finalists with technology descriptions can be found at: http://www.sgicc.org/2015-shale-gas-innovation-contest.html.
Contest Sponsors also praised the event. “EQT is always searching for new technologies to improve our operations,” said Karl Coke, Senior Vice President of Innovation at EQT Production, a sponsor of the contest. “The process used by SGICC to uncover innovative products and services is a valuable asset to the industry.”
Michael Makowski, Manager of New Technology Initiatives at PPG Industries, a sponsor company and judge noted, “This event always uncovers creative new technologies that can positively impact the oil and gas industry. As a technology scout there is no better opportunity to see high caliber innovations on display at a single event focused on adding value to this important growth area.”
The sponsors for this year’s contest were: Ben Franklin Technology Partners (http://www.benfranklin.org), AquaTech (www.aquatech.com), Chevron Technology Ventures (http://www.chevron.com/ctv/ctvi/), CONSOL Energy (www.consolenergy.com), EQT (www.eqt.com), First National Bank (www.fnb-online.com ), GE Oil & Gas (http://www.ge-energy.com), INABATA America Corporation (http://us.inabata.com/), Little Pine Resources (http://littlepineresources.com), the Marcellus Shale Coalition (http://marcelluscoalition.org), PPG Industries (http://corporate.ppg.com/), Praxair (www.praxair.com), Range Resources (http://www.rangeresources.com/), Shell (http://www.shell.com/), Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (http://www.steptoe-johnson.com/ ),Williams (www.williamsinthenortheast.com), and XTO Energy (http://www.xtoenergy.com/).