Produced waste water is a term mainly used in the oil industry to refer to the water that is recovered as a by-product along with gas and oil. This process is also known as hydraulic fracking where water is pumped underground and allowed to mix with oils and gases before being extracted.
Produced water contains dissolved organic salts, treatment chemicals, work over chemicals, dissolved gasses, bacterial, dispersed solid particles, dissolved organic compounds and other living micro-organisms. The concentration of these compounds in produced water varies depending on whether the frac waste water was pretreated or not.
The major problem associated with produced water is the growth of bacteria that result in harmful products, corrosion that results from acid gasses and suspended oil droplets. Produced water does not contain oxygen and most of its compounds are in a chemically reduced state that can readily react with atmospheric oxygen.
The compounds found in produced water exist in a chemically equilibrium state that changes from one state to another depending on temperature and pressure. Therefore, appropriate disposal measures must be put in place to ensure that produced water disposal is done in the most effective way.
The frac waste water, which is normally full of frac waste, is normally diluted to levels that are harmless to the environment before being releases to lakes, ponds and rivers. Produced water is considered an industrial waste and therefore environmental organizations require that produced water should be properly disposed to avoid pollution to the environment. Companies responsible for the production of produced water are now required to apply beneficial re-use of produced water to avoid contaminating the environment.
Produced water disposal can be done using either disposal wells or injection wells. For injection wells, the produced water is re-injected from the same reservoir from which the fluid originated. Large numbers of companies use this technique to dispose produce water and it has been termed as one of the most efficient and cost effective way.
On the other hand, a disposable well may inject produced water into an underground interval that is not productive of gas and oil and sealed below and above. The disposal of produced water is a very important practice especially in areas where hydraulic fracking takes place because produce water contains chemicals that may cause leaching or even harm to humans, especially when it contains high concentrations of toxic chemicals. Appropriate measures have to be put in place.
HED system use advanced applications of chemical engineering process principles applied to natural fluid characteristics that is defined by Pasteur, fulton and watt. Please feel free to v
