Authors: John and Deidre Boysen

Venue: International Petroleum and Biofuels Environmental Conference, November 11-13, 2008, Albuquerque, NM cese@utulsa.edu

Abstract: Economic and efficient produced water management is complex. Produced waters contain mixtures of organic and inorganic compounds, including heavy metals. Many of these constituents interfere with treatment processes that are selective for other constituents. Further, the concentrations of organic and inorganic constituents vary widely with location and producing formation. In addition, regulations related to discharge and beneficial uses vary from state to state, basin-to-basin and well location to well location.

Co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy and Crystal Solutions, LLC, the team of BC Technologies, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and the Integrated Petroleum Environmental Consortium have been in the process of developing and demonstrating a unique and synergistic process for the treatment of produced water at the wellhead to a quality suitable for a variety of beneficial uses, discharge or infiltration since 2005. That process uses a self-contained co-flow (twin-fluid) injection device for in-situ gas hydrate formation on location. This presentation will focus on the current status of the development of the technology, the results from the field demonstration of the wellhead unit, and the benefits that can be gained from this treatment process.

Related NETL Project
This presentation is related to the NETL project DE-FC26-05NT15551, “Produced Water Treatment Using Gas Hydrate Formation at the Wellhead”. The overall objective is to develop a technically feasible, environmentally benign and cost effective process for produced water treatment at the wellhead. The project team plans to develop and demonstrate a unique process for wellhead produced water treatment to bring the brines to a level where beneficial use, discharge or infiltration are possible. The process uses a self-contained co-flow (i.e. twin fluid) injection device for on-location gas hydrate formation. Thus, it may be possible to reduce water treatment costs by converting a major portion of produced water to stable gas hydrates on location. The gas hydrates can then be converted to potable water and the gas recovered by pressure reduction. This concept results in cost savings by being able to discharge purified water at the wellhead, which lowers brine transportation costs.

Project Contacts
NETL – Sandra McSurdy (sandra.mcsurdy@netl.doe.gov or 412-386-4533)
BC Technologies, Ltd, LLC. – John Boysen (bctechnologies@qwest.net or 307-742-5651)