Working Together To Reduce Emissions
Growing up on a farm in central Alberta, Warren Heisler remembers challenging the conventional way of doing things, even from a young age. “I always had different ideas and asked a lot of questions about how things worked; so I began inventing and building products for the farm and the oil and gas industry.”
For more than 20 years, Heisler worked in the oil and gas industry, operating an oil field tank trunk company; but he continued to invent in his spare time. It was during a regular visit to a natural gas well that he was inspired to create his most innovative product to date. “At the time, there had been a lot of media scrutiny about what the industry was doing to reduce its carbon footprint. As I walked past that gas-operated diaphragm pump, I realized that something had to be done, and I knew I could do it.”
Following months of research, trial and error, and bench tests, Heisler developed the Exhaust Gas Recovery System (EGRS), an innovative product that allows energy companies to recover waste gas and reduce emissions. “It was not an easy road; but I never was one to give up when handed a challenge,” says Heisler. “The Exhaust Gas Recovery System was created through sheer determination and persistence.”
The EGRS is a compact unit that can connect to most natural gas-operated pumps, and allows gas that was previously released as emissions to be reused in the operation of other machinery. The EGRS unit connects to existing equipment, takes up only one square foot of wall space and is operator friendly. “Within the first minute of operation, the EGRS makes a change to not only the company bottom line, but also to the environment,” says Heisler.
Heisler has since started his own company, Le Reve Energy Corp., which means “the dream” in French, and works directly with the energy industry to market and install the EGRS in plants across the province. “I felt that Le Reve was a good name for the company because recovering waste gas and reducing emissions is a dream come true, “ explains Heisler. “We are a small company with only myself on staff, but we are on the front lines in reducing carbon emissions in the oil and gas industry.”
The EGRS is currently specific to the oil and gas industry; but, looking ahead, Heisler can see potential applications for this technology in other areas. “In the future, this system may be able to recover waste gas and allow it to supply small power generation systems to reduce residential power consumption - the possibilities are endless!” says Heisler. “I set out to create jobs in the small community where I am from and to reduce industry-specific carbon emissions. I have done that with the EGRS, and I think that is a good place to start.”
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