ColdStream Energy

ColdStream Energy is a Houston, Texas company that builds natural gas liquids recovery and fuel gas conditioning systems for oil and gas operations. Its MaCH4 NGL Recovery System captures NGLs that would otherwise be burned, and at the same time delivers lean, dry fuel gas to natural gas fired engines and equipment at compressor stations, facilities and well pads. The system is built on pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology, which the company describes as patented.

How the MaCH4 system works

The unit runs a regenerative adsorption process that requires no external chemicals or refrigeration, and no storage tanks, compressors or generators. The company states the design avoids the freeze-ups associated with Joule-Thomson (J-T) skids, which it identifies as a common failure point in conventional fuel gas conditioning.

Systems are modular and portable with a small footprint for rapid deployment, and are built for unattended operation with remote monitoring and control. Stated processing capacity runs from 200 Mscfd up to 5 MMscfd.

Stated performance

Figures the company publishes for the MaCH4 system:

Emissions and derating figures are given upstream of the engine catalyst, with the VOC comparison made against 1,310 BTU HHV fuel gas. The conditioned gas is dehydrated and lean at under 1,100 BTU HHV (under 975 BTU LHV), which the company links to engine efficiency and to throughput at gathering stations. It also describes the system as currently operational in the field.

Applications

The company documents three application areas:

• Compressor stations, where recovered NGLs are kept in gaseous form for downstream monetization
• Dual-fuel drilling rigs and frac fleets, which it says can substitute natural gas for up to 80% of diesel use
• Microgrids

For rigs and frac fleets, fuel gas conditioning removes liquids, solids and other contaminants from wellhead gas before it reaches reciprocating engines and turbines. The company positions the system against J-T skids, which it says leave BTU-rich NGLs in the fuel stream to be combusted. A pilot benchmarked a four-bed PSA system with a compressor package against a J-T skid, and the company states that installation has since been made permanent.

Company and leadership

Dr. Mathias Schlecht joined as President and CEO in October 2022. He previously served as CTO and then CEO at Biota Technology, and spent more than 20 years at Baker Hughes in roles including VP Technology Drilling and Evaluation, VP Drilling Services and Chief Engineer. He holds mechanical engineering degrees from the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg in Germany.

Patrik Hols joined as Vice President of Finance in April 2025, bringing 30 years as a finance leader across international industries and geographies. The company frames its work around capturing hydrocarbons that would otherwise be burned in gas fired engines, and states that improving returns and reducing emissions are compatible goals.