Reuse of Flowback Water from Hydraulic Fracturing for Drilling Mud Preparation and Secondary Hydrocarbon Recovery

Flowback water after completion of hydraulic fracturing is one of major waste streams generated during the lifespan of a well so its beneficial reuse is crucial. The application of treated flowback is not limited to stimulation processes but also may include drilling operations and secondary oil recovery. The flowback water used in this work is characterized by high salinity reaching up to ~295 g/L caused mainly by NaCl. The presence of suspended solids, mainly corrosion products, prompts the use of coagulation and filtration as treatment methods. Among tested coagulants the most effective one was the SAX18 (NaAlO2) commercial coagulant applied at concentration of 12 mL/L which reduces the water turbidity from over 400 FTU to 23 FTU. The applied treatment greatly reduces the concentration of scaling ions and so the concentration of SiO2 is reduced by 64%, Ba2+–66%, Fe2–36%, Mn2+–65%, SO42−–66%. The treated flowback fluid can be reused in surfactant flooding for enhanced oil recovery where achieves 7% higher displacing efficiency than fresh water. The drilling muds which were prepared using the untreated flowback water exhibit good rheological properties. The obtained results show that recycling of flowback water in future drilling and exploitation operations is technically feasible.

DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD OF INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FROM THE RESIDUES OF IMPREGNATING SOLUTION

The paper Describes the process of cleaning liquid waste from the remnants of washing process equipment for the production of technical fabrics impregnated with synthetic fibers contaminated with impregnating solution using coagulants, flocculants, sorbents and filtrating materials. The problems of application of reagents for flocculation and coagulation and filtration of wastewater in modern conditions of anthropogenic pollution are considered. The main stages of liquid waste purification from pollutants are considered. The choice of modern reagents is made, their doses for decrease in turbidity of washing waters are defined.

Post-Coagulation Sludge as an Adsorbent of Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

The main source of usable water supply in Poland is surface water. The most frequently used methods of surface water treatment are coagulation and filtration processes. During these processes post-coagulation sludge is generated, which is the main waste produced in water treatment plants. This sludge is characterized by an amorphous structure with a strongly developed specific surface, similar to sewage sludge. Dried and crushed post-coagulation sludge was used in the studies as an adsorbent of two acid dyes: Acid Red 18 (AR 18) and Acid Green 16 (AG 16). The most favourable pH of process and contact time as well as sorption isotherm were established. For both dyes the most favourable pH value was equal 2. The tests showed that in the case of AR 18 (180 min) a longer contact time was necessary to reach the equilibrium than for AG 16 (120 min). Moreover, based on the different isotherm two-parameter models, the sorption capacity, type of sorption and energy of sorption were calculated based on linear and non-linear regression. The tests showed that in the case of dye AG 16 monolayer sorption occurred - the analysis showed better fitting the results to Langmuir model. Moreover, for both dyes, physical adsorption took place - it was indicated by the values of parameter 1/n (computed from the Freundlich model).