Unconventional Gas Solutions
Unconventional Gas Solutions (UGS) provides complete engineered solutions for gas generation and treatment systems. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, UGS was founded in 2013 by a group of engineers and scientists with extensive experience in development of specialized membranes for gas generation and processing. Chet Benham, President of UGS, shares “UGS has its roots and expertise in the oil and gas industry, offering both compact and mega-scale gas treatment systems for well sites. Our team has designed and delivered equipment worldwide for complex gas upgrading projects processing billions of cubic feet of gas. We are bringing our expertise to the Energy Transition and now offer complete systems and plants for biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG). We have an extensive reference list in RNG and the partners in our company have been involved in nearly a hundred RNG projects in addition to complex gas projects that process billions of cubic feet per day around the world.”
UGS got into the RNG upgrading business when they saw an opportunity to improve the process. Bill Keller, Vice President of Corporate Development at UGS, adds “Over the years, UGS grew from specializing in niche oil and gas applications and we expanded our product and service line to the growing RNG market. We were able to transfer established expertise from oil and gas to RNG with the same level of quality, discipline, and level of detail.” In September 2021, UGS launched a new line for process solutions for RNG, renewable hydrogen production, and hydrogen recovery from industrial processes. Verdant Process SystemsTM leverages the gas separations and membrane technology expertise of the UGS team and builds on their experience designing and fabricating industry-leading gas processing systems.
UGS provides a complete suite of engineering solutions tailored to each project’s unique needs. UGS can work directly with the developer to help them visualize the solution and help them specify what they need from equipment suppliers to interface with the UGS systems. UGS can design and engineer the complete process from the outlet of the digester to the inlet of the pipeline. UGS is accustomed to traveling to far and remote sites for services and provides all on-site commissioning and maintenance needs. Keller notes that “UGS doesn’t just sell a box that upgrades RNG, we are selling an entire well engineered package that exceeds the quality and reliability expectations of the customer. We are here as a partner and want to sell a quality system that is going to be used for a long time.”
UGS recognizes the Canadian RNG market growth potential and are encouraged by the collaborations between provinces and utilities. UGS has established relationships in Canada, with a major supplier exclusively using UGS because of their ability to build to Canadian codes.
UGS joined the Canadian Biogas Association (CBA) as a member in September 2021. UGS joined because they want to be involved in the RNG space in Canada and know who the key players are. Benham adds that “We are a big believer in return on investment in advocacy groups, and we see CBA as a great return on investment and a very effective advocacy and industry group.”
