Produced Water Recovery Techniques
Produced water recovery can greatly lower the operational cost of your gas and oil business. It can also enable your business or company to comply with the set laws that regulate the disposal of this water. This water comprises of a complex composition. Much of this composition is usually classified as inorganic and organic compounds that include heavy metals, greases, dispersed oils, formation solids, waxes, salts, dissolved oxygen and treating chemicals among others.
Globally, more than 250 million barrels of this water are produced on daily basis from gas and oil fields. Over 40 percent of this water is released into the environment. Fortunately, this water can now be recovered using innovative technologies and reused in the gas and oil production processes. Several techniques are used in produced water recovery.
They include the following:
* Avoiding the production of this water: This is done by blocking water fractures using down-hole water separators. However, this option in some cases is not possible.
* Injecting it back into the formation: The produced water can be injected back into the formations where it came from or other formations. With this option however, water transportation is required. The water should also be treated to reduce bacterial growth and fouling. The stored water might also pollute ground water in long term.
* Reuse in other operations of the petroleum industry: After minimum treatment, produced water can be used in work-over and drilling operations in the petroleum industry.
* Other uses: Produced water can be used in other beneficial means. For instance, it can go into wild life consumption, irrigation or used as drinking or industrial water after treatment. However, this water usually requires significant treatment before being put into such beneficial uses.
Today, environmental concerns have been raised about the disposal or use of produced water all over the world. This requires businesses and companies that deal with gas and oil exploration to consider their policies on how they recycle or dispose produced water.
Fortunately, if your company or business engages in gas and oil exploration and extraction, you do not have to worry about compliance issues with the set laws that regulate produced water disposal. This is because there are companies that help gas and oil firms in recovering produced water. With the service of the best company, you will not only save money that you would spend in buying for your gas and oil extraction, but also help in preserving the environment by using the appropriate produced water recovery techniques.
Although there are many produced water recovery techniques, not all of them might be appropriate for your company. Visit us website for more information and professional guidance.