Water Conservation: Reducing Freshwater Consumption by Using Produced Water for Base Fluid in Hydraulic Fracturing-Case Histories in Argentina

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Bonapace ◽  
Mariano Ruben Giglio ◽  
Juan Manuel Moggia ◽  
Maria De Los Angeles Krenz
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Base Fluid ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Freshwater Consumption

A Comprehensive Review on the Characteristics, Challenges and Reuse Opportunities Associated with Produced Water in Fracturing Operations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Ahmed Alkhowaildi ◽  
Mohamed Mahmoud ◽  
Mohammed Abdullah Bataweel ◽  
Bassam Tawabini
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Base Fluid ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Waste Product ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Hydration Time ◽  
Fracturing Fluids

Abstract Amid the rise in energy demand over recent years, natural gas from tight reservoirs has been targeted abundantly around the globe by different oil operators. Hydraulic fracturing technology has been instrumental in the successful exploitation of energy from tight formations. The process is associated with enormous usage of water. Hydraulic fracturing requires as little as 500,000 gallons of freshwater, and up to 6 million gallons per well depending on the type of well and the number of stages treated. Now operators, as well as service companies worldwide, have shown a desire to use produced water in field operations to enhance economics and reduce their environmental footprint. Reusing produced water in field operations appears to be a win-win proposition by transforming the industry's biggest waste product into a resource. This paper highlights the recent findings in published articles about formulating a fracturing fluid from produced water as a base fluid. The rheological properties and fluid performance requirements, such as proppant carrying capacity, mixing, fluid efficiency, ability to crosslink and break, and cleanup after treatment, will be evaluated in detail. This paper identified the critical parameters associated with high TDS fluids (produced water) such as pH, hydration time, ionic strength, and suspended solids, collected the corresponding optimal ranges for these parameters in laboratory tests, and reported some of the validity of the findings under actual conditions in field trials around the world. Most studies demonstrated the feasibility of using untreated produced water as a base fluid for crosslinked gel-based hydraulic fracturing. Through adjusting the hydration time, the gel loading, and the amount of breakers applied, it is conceivable that crosslinked gels with optimal rheological characteristics can be formulated with untreated produced water. Multiple generations of guar- and CMHPG-based crosslinked fracturing fluids, developed with 100% untreated produced water, exhibited optimal viscosities exceeding 200 cp at 40 s−1 for at least 60 minutes. The ability to provide fracturing fluids with high-salinity produced water can be a successful water conservation approach and an attractive solution for enhancing operation economics. Some studies indicated that using produced water can be better than freshwater because the produced water is more compatible with the reservoir and may be less likely to cause conditions such as salinity shock, which can damage the formation. More studies are needed to understand the associated technical challenges further.

On-site treatment of flowback and produced water from shale gas hydraulic fracturing: A review and economic evaluation

Chemosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 898-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Mohammad-Pajooh ◽  
Dirk Weichgrebe ◽  
Graham Cuff ◽  
Babak Mohamadpour Tosarkani ◽  
Karl-Heinz Rosenwinkel
Keyword(s):  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Produced Water

A Process Integration Approach to Water Conservation of a Coal to Methanol Plant Water System

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 3418-3421
Author(s):  
Ran Zhang ◽  
Hong You ◽  
Dong Hai Wu
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Process Integration ◽  
Water System ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Reuse Water ◽  
Integration Approach ◽  
Water Pinch ◽  
Freshwater Consumption

A case study of water using network of a coal to methanol plant was under taken with an aim to reduce freshwater consumption, and the accumulated water pinch was employed for minimization of freshwater consumption. The problem was identified as a single contaminant, reuse directly problem. The limiting constraint (i.e. COD) was identified based on the investigation of water quality. A nearest neighbor algorithm (NNA) was used to distribute the fresh water and reuse water among each of operations. The results showed that the flow rates of freshwater and wastewater could be decreased by 24.2% and 86.7%, respectively.

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