### Mississippi Lime Production & Produced Water Congress 2013 Re-Using Produced Water

John Dees PE Consultant for Reeder Energy in Reservoir/Production Engineering Oklahoma City, OK 6/26/2013

## Re-Using Produced Water Exploring the Viability of Monetizing Produced Water by Re-Using It in Hydraulic Fracturing

## Re-Using Produced Water Accessing the cost of recycling produced water for frac jobs as a viable alternative to paying for disposal

## Fracturing with Fresh Water



## • Consider the cost of water for hydraulic fracturing

– Basic cost of the supply water

– Cost of transportation to the well site

– Cost of treatment to make the water compatible using biocide treatment 

### • and/or use other chemicals

– Cost of disposal after recovery, post frac (Please note spelling is without the k)

## Cost of Fresh Water for Fracturing

• Surface run-off water

– lowest cost • Treated municipal water cost more

– but requires less clean-up

– filtered and chlorinated • Transportation to the well site

– can be more costly if further away • Simple biocide treatment

– may still be required (example in KS) • FR for fresh water

– very effective at 0.25 gpt • Polymer gels and complexed fluid

– easily prepared with minimum pH control and crosslinker

## Fracturing with Produced Water

• Consider the cost of recycled water for hydraulic fracturing

– Basic cost of the supply water ! becomes zero

– Cost of transportation ! to the well site may be reduced

– Cost of treatment to make the water compatible ! biocide treatment and/or other chemicals ! FR chemicals change, Biocide can change, Polymers, Xlinkers

– Cost of water storage after recovery post frac (again without the k)

– Cost / risk of spilled salt water

### Cost of Produced Water for Fracturing



### • Determine the current cost of produced water disposal

– Cost of trucking • from producer to disposal well

– Cost of spills if any

– Cost of injection into the disposal well

– Cost of the disposal well and its operation

– Cost of any disposal well conditioning • treatment pre and post injection

### Cost of Produced Water for Fracturing



### • Produced water is lower cost than surface run-off water

– no purchase cost

– Oklahoma produces 22 BW per 1 BO 

### • Produced water treatment cost are more than municipal water

– due produced requiring more clean-up 

### • Transportation to the well site

– if further away can be more costly

### Cost of Produced Water for Fracturing



### • Two stage biocide treatment can be required

– Flash kill and long term control with two different chemicals

– Ie, Quaternary Amines and Glutaraldehyde 

### • FR for produced water is less effective

– usually requires more than the 0.25 gpt of fresh water

– Ie, Anionic (fresh) & Cationic (salty) polyacrylamide

### Cost of Produced Water for Fracturing



### • Polymer gels & complexed fluid

– are less easily prepared

– with more pH control and crosslinker

– sometimes required to adjust crosslink time 

### • Scaling tendency increases

– scale inhibitors must be considered

– Polyphosphates are used to sequester iron, calcium, and magnesium

## Re-Using Produced Water Evaluating whether the costs saved by not having to source fresh water for the frac outweigh the cost of disposal

# Evaluate the True Water Cost

• Consider any positive issues 

## • Consider any negative issues

– Formation Damage?

– Well Productivity?

– Increased Scaling?

– Rock Compatibility?

## Positive issues?



## • How about selling iodine? 

## • How does it work?

# Iodine Recovery from Brine

• A process at pH 7-9 fluid oxidixed with chlorine

– iodine capture with extraction and air blasting

– or anionic resin exchange 

### • Currently domestic production is 1.5 million kilograms

– Mostly with 3 plants in NW Oklahoma 

### • Current value is ~$6.00 per pound

– and the largest amount (45%)goes into cattle feed 

### • At 1200 ppm in some OK brine the process works 

### • Seawater is 60 ppb,

– Appears not worth it even at 100 ppm

### Reduced disposal costs making money off iodine recovery


### • Process of iodine recovery is very idealistic


### • Economics for the process in 2012

– showed a lack of revenue for the cost of recovery for Haynesville Shale produced saturated brine


### • Economics for iodine recovery were evaluated for the Mississippian in 2012

– with similar non-economic results

### How about less than positive issues?



## • How about formation damage? 

## • Well productivity loss? 

## • Scaling increases?

## Formation Damage? Will the water cause plugging of the formation face? Does it cause a quick precipitate to form? Will it scale on the production cycle?

## Well Productivity? Will it reduce flow capacity into the well bore? Can it plug natural fractures? Can it reduce proppant conductivity?

## Scaling Tendency?



## • Will it increase scale on production?

– Seen in the Haynesville Shale

– Seen in in Kansas/Mississippian water

– Expected increase in Oklahoma scale 

### • Formation water is already saturated 

### • Water properties are ripe for more scale

## Re-Using Produced Water My Goal: Investigating the impact of re-using produced water on the reservoir rock to prevent negative impact on production rates

### Solutions to: How to reduce the negative impact on production?


## • Biocide, biocide and more biocide

– Wells were lost to sulfate reducing bacteria

– Use a good amount of the good stuff 

### • With a safety margin 

## • Scale Control

– Well operating expense goes up with scale 

### • Wells OPEX goes up with remedial acid cleanups 

### • “More Better” to scale control up front

– (According to Garth Brooks on shirts)

## What can be done to reduce formation damage?
• Filtration

– Socks

– Bag

– Settling ponds

– Flocculants • Chemicals substance added to the suspended particles in water to enhance particle settling and separation 

### • Biocides 

### • Scale Inhibitors 

### • Supplement of fresh water by dilution of the solution

## Re-Using Produced Water Exploring how to treat produced water to allow for use in fracs with

minimum damage to the reservoir

## How to treat produced water?



## • See the previous slides 

## • Biocide 

## • Scale Control 

## • pH control 

## • FR for the exact fluid

– Hardness

– Salinity, TDS

## Re-Using Produced Water Comparing experiences between fresh water and recycled water fracs to or refute re-using produced water as an economical technique

## How about some experience?



## • Recycled water in the Haynesville Gas Shale went to 15% 

## • Recycled water in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale exceeds 25% 

## • Just believe with me on this,

– the Mississippian is no different 

### • Good decisions depend on your economics 

### • Expect to use all possibilities

## Our Topic was Re-Using Produced Water Exploring the Viability of Monetizing Produced Water by Re-Using It in Hydraulic Fracturing

## Thank you for listening 

## • And, now its time for your questions