Review of technologies for oil and gas produced water treatment
TL;DR: Major research efforts in the future could focus on the optimization of current technologies and use of combined physico-chemical and/or biological treatment of produced water in order to comply with reuse and discharge limits.
About: This article is published in Journal of Hazardous Materials.The article was published on 2009-10-30 and is currently open access. It has received 1862 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Produced water & Effluent.
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Summary
- Produced water is the largest waste stream generated in oil and gas industries.
- Due to the increasing volume of waste all over the world in the current decade, the outcome and effect of discharging produced water on the environment has lately become a significant issue of environmental concern.
- Produced water is conventionally treated through different physical, chemical, and biological methods.
- In offshore platforms because of space constraints, compact physical and chemical systems are used.
- Current technologies cannot remove small-suspended oil particles and dissolved elements.
- Besides, many chemical treatments, whose initial and/or running cost are high and produce hazardous sludge.
- In onshore facilities, biological pretreatment of oily wastewater can be a cost-effective and environmental friendly method.
- As high salt concentration and variations of influent characteristics have direct influence on the turbidity of the effluent, it is appropriate to incorporate a physical treatment, e.g., membrane to refine the final effluent.
- Oilfield brine; Oilfield wastewater; Produced water; Treatment technology, also known as Keyword.
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Abstract: Development of unconventional, onshore natural gas resources in deep shales is rapidly expanding to meet global energy needs. Water management has emerged as a critical issue in the development of these inland gas reservoirs, where hydraulic fracturing is used to liberate the gas. Following hydraulic fracturing, large volumes of water containing very high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) return to the surface. The TDS concentration in this wastewater, also known as “flowback,” can reach 5 times that of sea water. Wastewaters that contain high TDS levels are challenging and costly to treat. Economical production of shale gas resources will require creative management of flowback to ensure protection of groundwater and surface water resources. Currently, deep-well injection is the primary means of management. However, in many areas where shale gas production will be abundant, deep-well injection sites are not available. With global concerns over the quality and quantity of fresh water, novel water management strategies and treatment technologies that will enable environmentally sustainable and economically feasible natural gas extraction will be critical for the development of this vast energy source.
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Abstract: The effect of halides on organic contaminant destruction efficiency was compared for UV/H2O2 and UV/S2O82– AOP treatments of saline waters; benzoic acid, 3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid, and cyclohexanecarboxylic acid were used as models for aromatic, alkene, and alkane constituents of naphthenic acids in oil-field waters. In model freshwater, contaminant degradation was higher by UV/S2O82– because of the higher quantum efficiency for S2O82– than H2O2 photolysis. The conversion of •OH and SO4•– radicals to less reactive halogen radicals in the presence of seawater halides reduced the degradation efficiency of benzoic acid and cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. The UV/S2O82– AOP was more affected by Cl– than the UV/H2O2 AOP because oxidation of Cl– is more favorable by SO4•– than •OH at pH 7. Degradation of 3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid, was not affected by halides, likely because of the high reactivity of halogen radicals with alkenes. Despite its relatively low concentration in saline waters compared to Cl–, ...
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TL;DR: It is found that desalination for reuse of produced water is technically feasible and can be economically relevant, however, because produced water management is primarily an economic decision, expanding desalinated for reuse is dependent on process and material improvements to reduce capital and operating costs.
Abstract: In the rapidly developing shale gas industry, managing produced water is a major challenge for maintaining the profitability of shale gas extraction while protecting public health and the environment. We review the current state of practice for produced water management across the United States and discuss the interrelated regulatory, infrastructure, and economic drivers for produced water reuse. Within this framework, we examine the Marcellus shale play, a region in the eastern United States where produced water is currently reused without desalination. In the Marcellus region, and in other shale plays worldwide with similar constraints, contraction of current reuse opportunities within the shale gas industry and growing restrictions on produced water disposal will provide strong incentives for produced water desalination for reuse outside the industry. The most challenging scenarios for the selection of desalination for reuse over other management strategies will be those involving high-salinity produced water, which must be desalinated with thermal separation processes. We explore desalination technologies for treatment of high-salinity shale gas produced water, and we critically review mechanical vapor compression (MVC), membrane distillation (MD), and forward osmosis (FO) as the technologies best suited for desalination of high-salinity produced water for reuse outside the shale gas industry. The advantages and challenges of applying MVC, MD, and FO technologies to produced water desalination are discussed, and directions for future research and development are identified. We find that desalination for reuse of produced water is technically feasible and can be economically relevant. However, because produced water management is primarily an economic decision, expanding desalination for reuse is dependent on process and material improvements to reduce capital and operating costs.
676 citations
References
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TL;DR: Water photolysis is investigated by exploiting the fact that water is transparent to visible light and cannot be decomposed directly, but only by radiation with wavelengths shorter than 190 nm.
Abstract: ALTHOUGH the possibility of water photolysis has been investigated by many workers, a useful method has only now been developed. Because water is transparent to visible light it cannot be decomposed directly, but only by radiation with wavelengths shorter than 190 nm (ref. 1).
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide basic information on many aspects of produced water, including its constituents, how much of it is generated, how it is managed and regulated in different settings, and the cost of its management.
Abstract: One of the key missions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is to ensure an abundant and affordable energy supply for the nation. As part of the process of producing oil and natural gas, operators also must manage large quantities of water that are found in the same underground formations. The quantity of this water, known as produced water, generated each year is so large that it represents a significant component in the cost of producing oil and gas. Produced water is water trapped in underground formations that is brought to the surface along with oil or gas. It is by far the largest volume byproduct or waste stream associated with oil and gas production. Management of produced water presents challenges and costs to operators. This white paper is intended to provide basic information on many aspects of produced water, including its constituents, how much of it is generated, how it is managed and regulated in different settings, and the cost of its management.
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