2012 INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATION

Presented By: 

Water Management Strategy

Trican Well Service , L.P. | 5825 N Sam Houston Pkwy W | Houston, TX 77086 | P: (281)716.9152 | F: (281)716.9211 | www.trican.us

Recycling Water

Frank Zamora
Fast Facts

• Fracture Stimulation is a safe and proven technology 

• Used for more than 60 years; 1 million applications

• Used to safely and effectively recover natural gas from 

hard-to-produce resources trapped in deep shale and 

other unconventional formations deep below ground. 

• No confirmed cases of drinking-water contamination

• Fracture Stimulation is KEY

to releasing America's 

abundant domestic supply 

of clean-burning natural gas 

– Required for 60-80% of 

wells drilled in the U.S. 

during the next decade
Developing Your Water Management Strategy

• Company Philosophy and Decision Drivers

• Frac design

• Source Water Options, Costs, Sustainability

• Wastewater volumes and chemistries

• Current operational practices and development plans (Reuse 

capacity)

• Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

• Adaptability and Flexibility

• Frac design
North American Shale Gas & Oil Plays

• Barnett 

• Marcellus 

• Montney 

• Horn River 

• Haynesville 

• Eagle Ford 

• Woodford 

• Fayetteville 

• Utica 

• Niobrara 

• Antrim 

• Monterey 

• Mancos 
Hydraulic Fracturing Uses High Volumes of Fresh 

Water
Frac Fluid Chemistry

Source: Energy in Defense

Trican Water Philosophy

• What kind of environmental steward do you want to be? You 

have choices!

– Less than 1% of the earth’s water is potable quality

– Agriculture and most other industries don’t remove water 

from the cycle (e.g. little to no deep well injection)

– The technologies exist to keep all E&P waste in the water 

cycle

– All models are predicting MAJOR battles for freshwater 

emerging in the next 10 years
Water Philosophy

• How are the key drivers around water affecting your 

company?

– How much water do you need to develop your field?

• What type of source waters are available to you?

• What type of regulations are threatening the use of each source?

– How much wastewater are you going to produce?

• What risks are associated with your wastewater management 

strategy?

– What is your well-completion strategy and how does your 

source water (base-fluid) affect that strategy?
Water is a Major Consideration in 

Shale Wells
Water Philosophy

• We will only change when forced to change

• We’ll change before we are forced to change if the 

water-balance sheet economics are favorable (or at 

least not unfavorable)

• We’ll change before we are forced to change if the Net 

D,C, & LOE are favorable and well productivity is not 

compromised 

• We want to participate in reuse practices and be 

known as a leader in our industry

The choice you make initially will have operational and economic consequences 

and subsequent changes to your water management strategy will be more difficult 

and costly! 

Wastewater Volumes and Chemistries Affect How 

You Structure Your Recycling Program.

• Ponds, frac tanks, surface tanks, bladders, or on-the-fly

• Treatment process (Salinity of reclaimed water is a big 

factor)

• Trucks, temporary pipeline, permanent pipeline

• Reuse schedule, geography, and seasonal considerations

• Final waste disposition plan
Three Primary Types of E&P Wastewater

• Drilling Fluids

– Water-based mud

– Rig supply water

• Completion Fluids

– Stimulation fluid (upstream frac water)

– Flowback (downstream frac wastewater)

– Workover fluid

• Production Fluids

– Geological saltwater produced with the hydrocarbons

The chemistry, volume, rate, and 

logistical timing of each type of 

fluid is unique to EACH well
Current Operational Practices and 

Development Plans (Reuse Capacity)

FLUID VOLUME NEEDED

WASTEWATER VOLUME AVAILABLE

FLUID COMPATIBILITY

STORAGE, & TRANSFER LOGISTICS

Drilling 

Design

Completi

on Design

Frac

Drill-Out

Workover

Drilling 

Waste

Completi

on Waste

Productio

n Waste
Reserve Pit 

Water 

(100%)

Flowback 

Water 

(100%)

Produced 

Saltwater 

(100%)

WB Drilling Solids 

(100%)

OB Drilling Solids 

(100%)

Reclaimed 

Pit Water 

(90%)

Slurry (10%)

Reclaimed 

Flowback 

Water 

(90%)

Slurry (10%)

Reclaimed 

Salt Water 

(90%)

Slurry (10%)

2’ recov. 

(90%)

Solids

2’ recov. 

(90%)

Solids

2’ recov. 

(90%)

Solids

2’ recovery 

(90%)

Solids

2’ recovery 

(90%)

Solids

Road base, Soil 

Stabilization, 

Firewalls, Ponds, or 

other reuse 

materials

>99% of the 

hydrocarbons 

Recycled as Oil

Reclaimed Water

(95%)

Can be separated into individual streams or 

comingled into one stream

100% E&P Waste Treatment Flow Diagram

Can be treated as four 

separated waste streams or 

comingled into one stream 

prior to treatment

Liquid Waste Streams

Solid Waste Streams

Emerald Surf can also provide logistical supervision and 

coordination of all water activities in the field

Coil Tubing 

Flowback 

(100%)

Reclaimed 

CT Water 

(90%)

Slurry (10%)

2’ recov. 

(90%)

Solids
(Poor) Reclaimed Oilfield Waste Water Quality (High)

Wastewater Treatment Optimization

No 

Treatment

Course 

Filtration

Course 

Filtration 

w/ Dilution

Chemical 

Treatment & 

Separation

Designer 

Chemicals & 

Separation

RO / FO / 

Evaporation

(Low) Reclaimed Wastewater Treatment cost (High)

(High) Down-hole Quality Risks (reuse) / Environmental Risks (discharge) (Low)

High Scale,

High 

Bacteria,

High 

Suspended 

Solids,

High TDS

High Scale,

Mod. 

Bacteria,

Mod. 

Suspended 

Solids,

High TDS

Mod. Scale,

Mod. 

Bacteria,

Low 

Suspended 

Solids,

Mod TDS

Mod. Scale,

Low 

Bacteria,

Low 

Suspended 

Solids,

Mod TDS

Low Scale,

Low 

Bacteria,

Ultra-Low 

Suspended 

Solids,

Mod TDS

Ultra-Low 

Scale,

No Bacteria,

No 

Suspended 

Solids

Low TDS
No “One-size-fits-all”

• Evaluate all potential disposal, reuse, and treatment 

options

• Custom design each solution to maximize the benefits 

and minimize the costs

• Consider dozens of technologies that can be 

incorporated into the optimum solution 

• Integrate engineering and field experience to 

seamlessly implement the solution
Technology Competencies & Services to Consider

• Material Sciences – Chemistry

– Flocculation

– Coagulation

– Solidification / Separation

• Membrane Systems and Manufacturing

• Reverse Osmosis / Nano Filtration

• Forward Osmosis

• Ultra Filtration

• Evaporation / ZLD

• Microfiltration Systems

• EC - Electrocoagulation

• Advance Oxidation

• Oilfield Engineering & Well-site Supervision

• Oilfield Environmental Consulting

• Logistics Support Services

• Solid Waste Management

• Optimized Fluid System Design and QA
Example 1: Recycling Reserve Pit Waste w/ FO 

for reuse as Completion Fluid 
Location Layout with FO Machine
Source Water Options, Costs, Sustainability

Surface, Ground (fresh or brackish) Freshwater, 20,000 bbls @ $0.50/bbl

Acquisition, storage and transport costs Vacuum Truck, 154 loads @ $2.30/bbl

Storage capacity, geography, and infrastructure Frac Tanks, 8, 500 bbl tanks @ $0.33/bbl

 $3.13/bbl

Wastewater volumes and chemistries

Drilling Mud Water based mud, 20,000 bbls @ $2.00/bbl

Transport to commercial disposal facility Vacuum Truck, 154 loads @ $2.30/bbl

 $4.30/bbl

Current operational practices and development plans (Reuse capacity)

Completion Fluid Design Hybrid gel frac, 150,000 bbls __________

26% NaCl clay control, 2% = 11,5K bbls @ $3.73/bbl

 $11.16/bbl

Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

Fluid storage (temporary or permanent) Frac Tanks, 8, 500 bbls tanks @ $0.33/bbl

Fluid transfer (temporary or permanent) 4x4 pump w/ fastline @ $0.22/bbl

Treatment process (portable / continuous operation) Forward Osmosis @ $4.50/bbl

Waste management Return to Reserve pit for burial @ $1.10/bbl

Regulatory permitting LA CFR 29-B @ $0.06/bbl

Operational oversight ESS Field Engineers __________

$6.21/bbl

Example 1: Recycling Reserve Pit Waste w/ FO 

for reuse as Completion Fluid 
Example 2: Removing contaminants from produced saltwater to 

make clean brine concentrate for reuse during hydraulic frac operations

Mobile produced 

water treatment 

facility was set up at 

saltwater storage

site

Produced 13,000 bbls of 

clean 18% NaCl from dirty 

Cotton Valley saltwater

Fractured all 14 stages with 

cross-linked gel, 2% NaCl downhole
Source Water Options, Costs, Sustainability

Surface, Ground (fresh or brackish) Groundwater, 13,000 bbls @ $0.20/bbl

Acquisition, storage and transport costs Surface transfer @ $0.50/bbl

Storage capacity, geography, and infrastructure Frac Tanks, 8, 500 bbl tanks @ $0.33/bbl

 $1.03/bbl

Wastewater volumes and chemistries

Produced Salt Water 180,000 TDS 13,000 bbls @ $0.47/bbl

Transport to infield disposal facility In-field gather system @ $0.10/bbl

 $0.57/bbl

Current operational practices and development plans (Reuse capacity)

Completion Fluid Design Hybrid gel frac, 120,000 bbls __________

KCl-sub clay control, 2% = 24K bbls-eq. @ $8.00/bbl

 $9.60/bbl

Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

Fluid storage (temporary or permanent) Frac Tanks, 9, 500 bbls tanks @ $0.37/bbl

Fluid transfer (temporary or permanent) 4x4 pump w/ fastline @ $0.65/bbl

Treatment process (portable / batch operation) ‘Sludge Hammer” to 18% NaCl @ $5.15/bbl

Waste management Class II Solid Waste facility @ $2.50/bbl

Regulatory permitting LA CFR 29-B

Operational oversight ESS Field Engineers __________

$8.67/bbl

Example 2: Removing contaminants from produced saltwater to 

make clean brine concentrate for reuse during hydraulic frac operations
Eagleford Shale Flow Back Treatment

200 feet

Before 

Treatment

After 

Treatment

350,000 bbls

70,000 

bbls

Processing

Equipment

& Housing

Example 3: Removing solids and contaminants from 

flowback reuse on hydro frac operations

• 265,000 bbls (11,130,000 gallons) of flowback reclaimed 

in 4 days of operations

• 600 bbls of merchantable oil reclaimed
Source Water Options, Costs, Sustainability

Surface, Ground (fresh or brackish) Groundwater, 265K bbls @ $0.50/bbl

Acquisition, storage and transport costs In-ground pond + pipeline @ $0.50/bbl

Storage capacity, geography, and infrastructure Frac Tanks, 20, 500 bbl tanks @ $0.83/bbl

 $1.83/bbl

Wastewater volumes and chemistries

Flowback 40,000 TDS 265K bbls @ $2.00/bbl

Transport to commercial disposal facility Vacuum Truck @ $4.75/bbl

 $6.75/bbl

Current operational practices and development plans (Reuse capacity)

Completion Fluid Design Hybrid gel frac, 140,000 bbls __________

 $8.58/bbl

Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

Fluid storage (temporary or permanent) Flowback pond @ $0.67/bbl

Fluid transfer (temporary or permanent) 10x8 pump w/ fastline @ $2.35/bbl

Treatment process (portable / batch operation) ‘’ES84” to 4% NaCl @ $2.35/bbl

Waste management In-pond, in-situ remediation

Regulatory permitting TX RRC Rule 8

Operational oversight ESS Field Engineers __________

$5.37/bbl

Reclaimed oil ‘Rebate’ = 600 bbls @ $90/bbl = $54,000 $0.20/bbl

$5.17/bbl

Example 3: Removing solids and contaminants from 

flowback reuse on hydro frac operations
Example 4: Six well flowback reclamation for 3-well frac

~1⁄4 mile

Frac Site

3 well

Hybrid

Flowback

3 well

Slickwater

Flowback

Reclamation Equipment

Over 36,000 bbls of flowback was 

reclaimed on-the-fly from the well 

head for reuse with hybrid frac gel 

system.

Up to 80% reclaimed fluid was 

pumped on some stages without any 

frac fluid interference.
Source Water Options, Costs, Sustainability

Surface, Ground (fresh or brackish) Groundwater, 36K bbls @ $0.50/bbl

Acquisition, storage and transport costs Surface pipeline @ $0.60/bbl

Storage capacity, geography, and infrastructure Frac Tanks, 20, 500 bbl tanks @ $0.83/bbl

 $1.83/bbl

Wastewater volumes and chemistries

Flowback 20K-40K TDS 36K bbls @ $2.00/bbl

Transport to commercial disposal facility Vacuum Truck @ $4.75/bbl

 $6.75/bbl

Current operational practices and development plans (Reuse capacity)

Completion Fluid Design Hybrid gel frac, 140,000 bbls __________

 $8.58/bbl

Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

Fluid storage (temporary or permanent) Frac Tanks, 20, 500 bbl tanks @ $0.83/bbl

Fluid transfer (temporary or permanent) 10x8 pump w/ 8” victaulic seal @ $0.78/bbl

Treatment process (portable / batch operation) ‘’ES84” to 4% NaCl @ $2.25/bbl

Waste management Commercial disposal

Regulatory permitting TX RRC Rule 8

Operational oversight ESS Field Engineers __________

$3.86/bbl

Example 4: Six well flowback reclamation for 3-well frac
Adaptability and Flexibility

– Field development plans

• Will change w/ commodity prices

• Will change w/ acreage performance

– Contingency plans

• Are your service providers able to change with you?
Adaptability and Flexibility

– Dynamic water chemistries

• Water chemistry will change

• What changes will need to be made when this happens?

– Seasonal operational considerations

• Freezing

• Temperature effect on treatment efficiency

• Logistics impact
Spraberry Frac Fluid
Developing Your Water Management Strategy

Summary

• Frac Plan and Design

• Environmental Steward

• Best Economics on Freshwater Sources

• Overall Plan to acquire Recycled water

• Engineered-for-purpose solution(s)

– Cost effective Storage to minimize fresh water

• Adaptability and Flexibility

– Field development plan to develop approaches for a 

cost-effective water supply

• Frac Design to Optimize limits 
Any Questions?

Thank you.