Marcellus Water Beneficial Reuse Strategy 

Christie Webb 

Talisman Energy USA Inc. 

March 28, 2012 
2 

Marcellus Production Water Identification 

• Marcellus Formation Recoveries 

• Regionally variable – 15-50+% recoveries 

• 1751 wells drilled in Pennsylvania in 2011 by all operators* –between 1-3BB gallons recovered 

• Talisman’s total 2011 generation beneficially reused: ~114MM gallons 

• Fluid characterization consistency from the Marcellus 

• Geological setting and influence on water characterization 

• Factors Impacting Reuse 

• Completions activity level 

• Fluid characterization 

• Treatment requirements 

• Storage of flowback/production 

• Downhole compatibility 

• Fracture Additive compatibility 

• Cost - $/bbl all in 

• Disclosure – fracfocus.org 

• Benefits of Reuse 

• Reduction in fresh water consumption 

• Mitigates the need for deep well disposal / surface discharge 

• Economics 

*facts obtained from Department of Environmental Protection - http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/2011%20Wells%20Drilled.gif 
3 

Talisman Water Terminology Flowchart 

Disposal

Fresh Water 

• Surface)Water)

Bodies)(e.g.,)lakes,)

rivers,)streams,)

ponds))

• Freshwater)

Supplies/UAliAes)

• Groundwater)

Alternative Water 

• Brackish)Water)

• Saline)Water)

• Municipal)or)

Industrial)

Wastewater)

• Acid)Mine)Drainage)

• NonHfresh)water)

from)another)

Talisman)asset)

(e.g.,)Trenton)

Black)River))

Water 

Withdrawal 

Water 

Withdrawal 

Produc'on)

Comple'ons)(i.e.)fracking))

Flowback Water 

Treatment)

Reused Water 

Recycled Water 

Produced Water 

Talisman Asset (e.g., Marcellus) 

Disposal

Produced Water 
4 

Marcellus Water Flow Schematic 
5 

Marcellus Water Reuse Strategy 

• Talisman Energy USA has taken a structured approach to beneficial 

reuse in accordance with regulatory and environmental standards 

• Evaluate the means of reuse 

• Evaluate the source fluid 

• Evaluate downhole and frac fluid compatibility 

• Evaluate economics 
6 

Evaluate the means of reuse 

• Understand source generation rates and regional allocation 

• Daily averages and standard deviations from this average 

• Yearly water production forecast 

• Relationship to gas production – 5-10bbl/mcf 

• Understand the completions schedule 

• How many frac crews 

• Frac crew downtimes – planned and unplanned 

• Frac design 

• total clean volume 

• blend of fresh/flowback 

• single well completions 

• Rate of consumption – efficiency of fracing operations 

• Mass balance of rate of reuse vs. rate of generation 

• Supply vs Demand 

• Storage to meet shortfalls 
7 

Evaluate the characteristics of produced and 

fresh water 

• Understand characteristics of source water recovered 

• Sequential source fluid analysis to understand characteristics as a function of 

time 

• Development of production water ‘type curve’ 

• Core analyses – dissolution testing 

• Influences to downhole salinity presence 

• Understand characteristics of makeup water 

• Fresh fluid characteristics 

• Presence of scaling constituents 

• Bacterial influence 

• Sampling across development to derive trends and evaluate 

consistencies regionally 
8 

Evaluate downhole compatibility 

• Understanding the properties native to the reservoir 

• Frac fluid equilibrium with formation 

• Formation chemistry – ionic balance, probable salts, solubility 

• Total Dissolved Solids increase over time (increased solubilization) of scaling 

cation 

• Blend characteristics @ 20% Blend, 30% Blend, 50% Blend 

• Scaling and precipitation considerations 

• Observation on surface equipment and tubulars 

• Cationic heavy metal salt formation - Barium, Strontium, Calcium, Magnesium 

• Regionally dependent – Marcellus water in the north is not Marcellus water in 

the south 
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Treatment 

• Treatment Considerations 

• Hardness, solids, bacteria removal needs 

• Conditioned fluid compatibility 

• Treatment onsite, offsite 

• Cost of treatment 

• Means of storage post treatment 

• Technologies available for treatment if required 

• Chemical assistive hardness removal 

• Filtration for suspended solid removal 

• Distillation (Evaporation)/crystallization technology 

• Organic removal – biocides, electric coagulation, UV penetration 
10 

Evaluate frac fluid compatibility 

• Understand frac fluid chemical limitations and improvements 

• Suspended solids 

• Salinity 

• Understand abilities and effectiveness of the frac fluid chemicals under 

different blend ratios 

• Scale inhibitors 

• Bacteria treatment 

• Friction Reducers 

• Rate of recycle 

• Pre-treatment of fluid requirements 

• Seasonal influence 
11 

Evaluate economics 

• Cost and type of transport 

• Trucks 

• Pipeline 

• Cost and type of storage 

• Portable 500bbl wheelie tanks 

• Above ground containment 

• Flowback impoundments 

• All in Cost $/bbl 
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So what about when you cannot beneficially reuse fluid 

• Influencing factors 

• Activity level 

• Incompatibility 

• Cost 

• Options 

• Deep well injection 

• Water treatment facilities that take to full distillation 

• Operator based treatments 
13 

Closing statements 

• Where do we go from here 

• $/bbl environmentally and regulatory compliant options wins the race 

• Transportation $/bbl – large factor 

• Gas price environment 

• Sustainability 

• Contract models to provide guarantees or act as insurance policy