Meeting Summary

Topic: Meeting with Purestream Technology about Treatment Technologies 

Relevant to the Unconventional Oil and Gas Industry

Meeting Date: 08 November 2013

Participants: Lisa Biddle, Jesse Pritts, Karen Milam (EPA/EAD)

Meghan Camp, Sarah Hays (ERG)

Amy Hansen, Todd Ennenga (Purestream)

On 08 November 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with 

EPA’s contractor, Eastern Research Group, Inc (ERG), held a meeting with Purestream 

Technology (Purestream) 1to discuss treatment technologies relevant to the unconventional oil 

and gas extraction industry. Todd Ennenga and Amy Hansen, represented Purestream 

Technology. Discussion topics included:

 Water management options for the unconventional oil and gas (UOG) industry;

 Comparison of treatment and reuse; and

 Purestream Technology treatment options.

Attachment 1 lists the meeting participants. Attachment 2 provides a presentation provided by 

Purestream after to the call.

Purestream Technology Background

Purestream was founded in 2009 and operated wastewater disposal ponds in UT and WY. 

Purestream partnered with approximately 400 researchers at Utah State University, who are 

experts in thermal management, and created the AVARA mobile treatment unit, which uses

vapor recompression technology to convert UOG wastewater to distillate (low TDS treated 

wastewater) and concentrated brine (high TDS). Purestream licensed the AVARA technology 

and to-date, the largest commercial installation of the AVARA treatment system is in the 

Fayetteville shale formation (AR). Purestream also offers induced gas flotation technology

(IGF), which targets removal of suspended solids and organic compounds. Purestream offers IGF 

to operators for standalone treatment prior to reuse and as pretreatment prior to 

evaporation/condensation in the AVARA treatment unit.

 

1 More information on Purestream Technology is available online at: http://purestreamtechnology.com/
Meeting Summary

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Total Water Management Scenario

Purestream presented the following three water management options used by 

unconventional oil and gas (UOG) operators:

 Once-through use and subsequent disposal – Operators have the option to dispose 

of UOG wastewater at underground injection disposal wells or centralized waste 

treatment facilities (CWTs).

 Treatment and reuse in fracturing fluid - Operators have the option to reuse UOG 

wastewater in subsequent fracture jobs, which sometimes requires mixing with 

freshwater to obtain the correct water quality characteristics. Purestream noted 

that operators usually only need to remove solids and oil & grease to meet reuse 

water quality requirements.

 Treatment and discharge – Operators have the option to treat UOG wastewater to 

meet effluent discharge limits set by the state or EPA and then discharge directly 

to surface water2.

UOG Wastewater Treatment Considerations

Purestream recognizes that transferring UOG wastewater is typically the highest cost 

component associated with managing and/or disposing of UOG wastewater. However, 

Purestream focuses on the treatment component of managing and/or disposing of UOG 

wastewater. Purestream noted that treating UOG wastewater for reuse has the following benefits:

 Reduces the demands for fresh water;

 Reduces the amount of UOG wastewater requiring disposal3; and

 Reduces transportation associated with transferring UOG wastewater to disposal 

locations4.

However, Purestream noted that operators in the UOG industry have the following 

concerns with treating UOG wastewater:

 There are many treatment technologies and hundreds of water treatment vendors 

to choose from, so evaluating the options can be challenging.

 There is not one technology that fits every treatment need. Each basin has 

different characteristics (e.g., economics, wastewater pollutants) and there are 

even different characteristics within some basins (e.g., Bakken). 

 The cost of treatment must compete with the cost of underground injection 

disposal, which is typically the cheapest disposal option (except in Pennsylvania).

 

2 Treatment and discharge is the disposal method implemented at the Southwestern Energy facility in the 

Fayetteville shale formation (AR).

3 For example, western Texas, central Arkansas, and portions of the Marcellus shale formation have specific 

restraints on the quality and quantity of UOG wastewater that can be disposed of at underground injection disposal 

wells.

4 For example, an operator would need approximately 300 truck trips to transfer half of the volume of flowback 

from a 125,000 bbl fracture job to a disposal location.
Meeting Summary

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 Although long term contracts are attractive to water treatment providers, they are 

not attractive to UOG operators.

The following describes some of the major drivers for operators when deciding whether 

or not to reuse UOG wastewater in subsequent fracture jobs:

 Quality of influent water - Purestream noted that the most common problem with 

the quality of influent water is the elevated concentration of TDS, treatment of 

which may require brine handling and disposal. Other pollutants of concern 

include hydrogen sulfide (H2S), bacteria, and oil & grease.

o TDS - The AVARA treatment unit’s maximum influent TDS 

concentration is 280,000 mg/L, which is the threshold for keeping solids 

saturated so that brine handling and disposal is not necessary (i.e., disposal 

via UIC is still appropriate). An alternative to brine disposal is to use the 

brine in other UOG processes (e.g., as a kill fluid)5.

o Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), bacteria, and oil & grease - These constituents 

may require a pretreatment step (e.g., oil/water separator, UV disinfection) 

upstream of the AVARA treatment unit to remove these constituents6.

 Required quality criteria for reuse

 Volume of wastewater available for reuse

 Chemical costs for treatment

 Energy availability and costs

 Alternative management strategy costs 

 Transportation costs

Purestream also identified the following variable drivers that may or may not play into 

the UOG operator’s decision about whether or not to reuse UOG wastewater:

 Location of Field – Operators may have the option of managing and/or disposing 

of UOG wastewater via existing infrastructure in the field.

 Existing Regulations – Operators may need to consider the regulations that apply 

to surface discharge, above ground storage pits, in-ground storage pits, etc.

 Reuse Options – Operators in different locations may have different infrastructure 

and options in place to aid in reusing UOG wastewater. For example, in the Eagle 

Ford, Fayetteville, and western Texas shale formations, operators are pursuing the 

hub and spoke concept (i.e., centralized waste treatment with piping and/or 

trucking of treated water back out into the field for reuse).

Depending on the quality of the wastewater and the type of treatment implemented (if 

any), operators may consider blending untreated wastewater with freshwater prior to reuse in a 

subsequent fracture job. Operators also consider which storage and transportation methods they 

 

5 Purestream described that an operator fractures a well and as they’re plugging each fracture stage, they use a heavy 

brine to act as a barrier and prevent water from flowing back up before they set the plug. Typically, operators 

purchase this heavy brine (KCl), but brine generated as a result of treatment can be used as an alternative.

6

In the Fayetteville shale installation, aerated pits containing aerobic bacteria naturally remove ammonia in 

wastewater prior to treatment in the AVARA system.
Meeting Summary

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will use during reuse. Operators may store wastewater in above- or in-ground storage tanks, 

which may have their own set of regulations in certain states (e.g., leak detection system and/or 

lining requirements). Operators must also transfer wastewater to and from treatment and from the 

producing well to the next well to be fractured. Finally, operators must determine which disposal 

options they will need for the generated waste streams (e.g., solid waste, concentrated brine, 

sludge).

Purestream identified multi-site water balance as another important component of UOG 

wastewater reuse. Operators must consider the following components when evaluating the water 

balance: on-site fracturing fluid storage, fracturing fluid demand, on-site flowback storage, 

transportation (e.g., percentage transported by truck versus by pipe), availability of off-site 

storage (e.g., percentage stored in water tanks versus impoundments versus brine tanks), and 

fresh water supply options (e.g., groundwater, surface water). All of these components play into 

an operator’s decision about whether they will recycle or dispose of UOG wastewater. 

Purestream acknowledged that it takes time and effort for operators to decide what reuse option 

works best for them. However, Purestream stated that it is becoming easier for operators to reuse 

because reuse now offers a low liability and low cost option for obtaining water.

Purestream stated that there is untapped potential in reusing water for beneficial reuse. 

For example, Arkansas could use treated UOG wastewater for agriculture, irrigation, or cattle 

water. EPA noted that they are aware of conventional oil and gas wastewater that is used for 

beneficial reuse, but not UOG wastewater. Purestream agreed that they are also not aware of any 

UOG wastewater that is beneficially reused. EPA asked Purestream if there are other industries 

where there are roadblocks to reuse. Purestream responded by saying that there are not 

roadblocks to reuse in other industries, the problem is that operators do not know all of their 

options for reuse until they become more popular options.

Technology History and Overview of Purestream Treatment Technologies 

Purestream provided a brief overview of the history of UOG wastewater treatment 

technologies. Three years ago, technology focused on large desalination plants using reverse 

osmosis. Reverse osmosis is only effective with low influent TDS concentrations (e.g., 

maximum of 50,000), so they are not always feasible for UOG wastewater. Beginning 

approximately eighteen months ago, technology shifted focus to suspended solids and organic 

compounds removal technologies, selective ion removal technologies, smaller scale evaporators, 

and crystallization (see descriptions below).

 Suspended solids and organic compound removal technologies are used to target 

suspended solids and organic compounds.

 Selective ion removal technologies are used to target and remove specific ions 

from an influent stream. One example of this type of technology is 

electrocoagulation.

 Smaller scale evaporators are capable of treating between 1,000 to 2,500 barrels 

per day and create distilled quality effluent water as well as a concentrated brine 

stream. The evaporators can be constructed as mobile or semi-mobile units and 
Meeting Summary

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therefore, reduce the amount of trucking associated with transferring water to 

treatment locations.

 Crystallization treatment is capable of treating less than 10,000 barrels per day of 

wastewater and requires a market for the byproduct (e.g., road salt), otherwise it is 

not a cost effective treatment option. Purestream noted that crystallization is 

popular in the Marcellus shale formation.

Purestream introduced three levels of their treatment technologies in terms of costs and 

pollutant removals: high end, middle of the spectrum, and low end. Purestream noted that they 

have not focused on treatment technologies that lie in the middle of the spectrum (e.g., 

electrocoagulation, reverse osmosis). More details about the treatment technologies Purestream 

has offered to UOG operators are described below.

IGF Treatment Process 

Purestream’s IGF treatment unit is at the low end of the treatment level spectrum. These 

treatment units are capable of reducing the concentrations of TSS, oil and grease, and iron while 

producing an effluent water quality that is typically acceptable for reuse or acceptable as feed 

wastewater to the AVARA treatment process. The fully automated technology uses air flotation 

and polymer addition. Purestream designs a typical IGF to treat 2,500 barrels of UOG 

wastewater per day.

7 As the air bubbles float to the top of the vessel, particles attach to them are 

skimmed off of the top of the column as sludge. Depending on influent concentrations, 

approximately 1 to 3 percent of the influent volume is converted to waste, which is typically 

disposed of at injection for disposal wells. Purestream also offers a treatment unit called IGF+, 

which includes a nut shell filtration process after the IGF treatment.

On a rental/contract basis, Purestream typically charges operators approximately $0.50 

per barrel of influent wastewater depending on energy costs, influent wastewater quality, and the 

number of units on-site. Typical energy consumption is approximately 0.144 kWh8per barrel of 

influent wastewater. Purestream also noted that about half of their customers desire to purchase 

the IGF treatment unit. Total IGF purchasing cost ranges from $250,000 to $350,000 for a 2,500 

barrel per day unit. Total IGF+ purchasing cost ranges from $350,000 to $400,000 for a 2,500 

barrel per day unit.

Purestream provided some qualitative information on IGF pollutant removal efficiencies 

for TSS and oil and grease. Purestream reported that the IGF can treat UOG wastewater with a 

maximum influent TSS concentration of 500 mg/L. Typical effluent TSS concentrations are 

approximately 10 mg/L but can vary with influent concentration. The IGF+ treatment unit 

produces a more consistent effluent TSS concentration of 5 mg/L. Purestream reported typical 

influent oil and grease concentrations of approximately 150 mg/L and typical effluent oil and 

grease concentrations are less than 10 mg/L. Purestream also noted that oil and grease 

concentrations vary significantly across UOG formations. Oil and grease can be as high as 

20,000 mg/L immediately after UOG wastewater leaves the oil/gas/water separator at the well 

 

7 Purestream can design IGF treatment units with varying capacities. For example, they have designed units for 

offshore applications to treat 80,000 barrels per day.

8 Calculated based on 15 kW power source and 2,500 barrel per day capacity reported by Purestream assuming 24 

hours of operation.
Meeting Summary

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pad. If oil and grease is this high in a particulate area, operators typically remove the bulk of it 

themselves prior to IGF treatment so they can recover the product for sale. As a result, the oil 

and grease content, by the time Purestream treats the wastewater, is much less.

AVARA Treatment Process 

Purestream’s AVARA treatment unit is at the high end of the treatment level spectrum. 

The AVARA treatment is capable of reducing the concentrations of TDS and heavy metals while 

producing a distilled quality effluent.9 The AVARA treatment process is a low pressure, light 

weight, low energy vapor recompression unit. The AVARA unit boils water to concentrate salts, 

but keeps the solids saturated in the liquid phase by running just below the 260,000 to 280,000 

mg/L concentration of TDS, which is the typical dissolved solids precipitation point for UOG 

wastewater. The AVARA treatment is remote controlled.

On a rental/contract basis, Purestream typically charges operators between $2.00 and 

$3.00 per barrel treated depending on energy costs, influent wastewater quality, and the number 

of units on-site. Purestream also noted that about half of their customers desire to purchase the 

AVARA treatment unit. Total purchasing cost ranges from $2.2 to $2.3 million for a unit that 

will generate 1,000 barrels per day of treated wastewater (i.e., distillate). The influent capacity 

for this unit depends on the influent TDS concentration. As the influent TDS concentration

increases, the distillate recovery of the treatment unit decreases. At an influent TDS 

concentration of 40,000 mg/L, distillate recovery is approximately 80 percent of the influent 

volume. At an influent TDS concentration of 100,000 mg/L, the distillate recovery drops below 

60 percent of the influent volume. 

Energy consumption is approximately 5 kWh per barrel of influent wastewater using a 

300 kW power source. However, this energy consumption may be higher for higher influent TDS 

concentrations.

AVARA Treatment Application in the UOG Industry

As of March 2014, Purestream has several on-going pilot projects as well as several

deployments of their treatment systems. The following provides additional information about 

these pilot and full scale deployments.10 Although Purestream is capable of obtaining permits 

that would allow them to treat UOG wastewater from multiple operators at one site, none of their 

full scale projects are currently accepting UOG wastewater from multiple operators. 

Fayetteville (shale gas) 

Purestream has a full scale operation for Southwestern Energy (Southwestern) in the 

Fayetteville shale formation in Arkansas. The system includes both the IGF and AVARA 

 

9 Purestream also noted that they were awarded a DOD grant to use this treatment for military applications to treat 

groundwater to potable water quality. The treatment system created for this purpose is very small (10’ x 8’ x 6’).

10 Purestream noted that they are also working with ethanol plants, hog farms, poultry producers, distilleries, and the 

nuclear industry to see if their treatment technologies are a good fit for these industries.
Meeting Summary

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treatment units. Southwestern is treating a portion of their wastewater using the AVARA 

treatment unit and discharging the distillate to a nearby surface water. Southwestern uses this 

treatment system for the portion of wastewater that they are unable to reuse. Purestream noted 

that the AVARA treatment facility is less expensive for Southwestern to operate than the cost of

trucking wastewater to injection wells because there are only a few underground injection wells 

located nearby. Purestream also noted that the Southwestern AVARA facility is the only 

Purestream treatment system that is discharging directly to surface water.

Marcellus (shale gas)

Purestream has completed one full scale deployment in the Marcellus region that has 

been in place for one year. The system includes the IGF treatment unit. The operator recently 

ordered a second unit to increase capacity to 5,000 barrels per day. All treated UOG wastewater 

is returned to the operator for reuse in fracturing.

Eagle Ford (shale oil and gas)

Purestream has several on-going pilot projects using the AVARA treatment unit at 

multiple locations in Texas. Purestream expects some of these systems to become full scale 

projects. Purestream has a mobile recycling permit #MR001211 issued by the Texas Railroad 

Commission that allows them to operate treatment systems statewide. All treated UOG 

wastewater is returned to the operators for reuse in fracturing. Treatment locations include: 

 Sonora, TX;

 Tilden, TX; and

 Wheeler County, TX.

Woodford (shale oil and gas)

Purestream recently began a pilot project for a UOG operator. The treatment system 

consists of a standalone IGF treatment unit. All treated UOG wastewater is returned to the 

operator for reuse in fracturing.

Lance/Mesaverde (tight gas) 

Purestream has an on-going pilot scale project in the Lance/Mesaverde tight gas area of 

Wyoming. The treatment system consists of an AVARA evaporator and is located at an existing 

centralized waste treatment (CWT) facility. This existing CWT facility uses reverse osmosis 

(RO) to treatment UOG wastewater for direct discharge. Previously, this facility disposed of the 

concentrated brine generated by the RO unit in on-site injection for disposal wells. The AVARA 

will be utilized to treat the concentrated brine so that the facility can minimize the wastewater 

that is disposed of in the injection well. 

 

11 Available online at: http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/environmental/environsupport/disposalfacilitypermits/MR0012.pdf
Meeting Summary

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Bakken (shale oil and gas)

Approximately 2 years ago, Purestream deployed an AVARA treatment unit to North

Dakota for use in the Bakken shale formation. However, the high TDS concentrations in the 

Bakken wastewater (around 200,000 mg/L) proved difficult for the AVARA unit. The treatment 

system produced very small volumes of clean water compared to the large volume of brine 

requiring disposal. As a result, the treatment unit is no longer operational. 

Purestream noted that Bakken operators are beginning to focus more heavily on the 

feasibility of reuse, and want to be reusing 70% of their UOG wastewater. Purestream is hopeful 

to deploy pilot scale IGF units to Bakken operators in order to focus on removing certain 

pollutants (e.g., hydrocarbons, TSS, oil and grease) to provide reuse quality water, rather than 

trying to achieve distilled water effluent quality. 
Attachment 1

Table A-1. List of Meeting Participants

Name Affiliation

Amy Hansen Purestream Technology

Todd Ennenga Purestream Technology

Lisa Biddle US EPA

Jesse Pritts US EPA

Karen Milam US EPA

Meghan Camp ERG

Sarah Hays ERG
Meeting Summary

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Attachment 2

Presentation Materials Provided by Purestream
Purestream Technology
Company History

Purestream Technology

2

Purestream Technology was founded in 2009 and operated several 

wastewater disposal ponds in Utah and Wyoming.

In conjunction with Utah State University’s leading scientists in thermal 

management, Purestream Technology designed and engineered AVARA 

vapor recompression technology. 
Space Technology Applied to Water Treatment
Total Water Management

Once-through use and disposal

Treatment and reuse

• blended with freshwater to meet 

 volume and water quality requirements.

Treatment and discharge

Primary Oilfield Water Management Options 
Total Water Management

Sourcing

Transfer

Treatment Storage

Tracking & 

Logistics

Disposal
Reduces demand for fresh water

•water acquisition challenges

Reduces produced water disposal

•Disposal constraints 

Reduces transportation related to water movement:

•50% flowback on a 125,000 Bbl frac would require 

300 truck trips for disposal 

Ideally reduces overall production costs – multiple 

economies (disposal, trucking, water savings)

Why Treat in the first Place? 
 All water reuse technologies compete with the lowest cost 

alternative, SWD wells or disposal facilities

 The “new guy” in the company gets the water project

 “I can dispose of my water for $.50 per barrel all day long”, 

Understanding the true all-in costs

 Too many technologies, cluttered marketplace, over 100 

water treatment companies. Confusing to producers

 No single technology fits every need

 Don’t over promise and under deliver (manage 

expectations)

Long term contracts; Attractive to providers not to producers 

What We Have Learned... So Far
Major Drivers

Quality of influent water

Required quality of effluent water

Volume of water to be treated 

Chemical costs

Energy source

Disposal, Sourcing and

Transportation costs 

Variable Drivers

Field Location

Regulation

•Surface discharge

•Above ground storage

•In ground pits

 Re-use options

Planning for Reuse -Economics
Centralized vs. Mobile 

Transportation (Trucking vs. Piping)

Available space for equipment

Reusable water recovered

•Quality needed – blending

Storage (permitting and regulation)

Disposal options (solids, concentrated brine or sludge)

And Finally... Cost

•Perfect is the enemy of good; is a lower cost solution 

good enough?

Planning for Reuse - Logistics
Good Calculus = Effective Water Management 

The Problem

Right Amount, Right Place, Right Time

(flow balance)

The Answer

No Operational Disruptions

Optimize Value

Minimize Risk

E=MC2 (The Big Math Equation) 
Multi Site Water Balance: The Calculus Equation
Planning for Reuse – Regulation

Accessibility to New Technologies- State and Federal

Environmental Discharge

De-wasting 

•Would make it easier and less expensive to transport 

and store

• Would allow other industries to use (agriculture )

• Typically cleaner than source water. 

Reuse

Improved permitting timeline for reuse 

Clarity in storage permits

•Lined vs. unlined pits

•Freshwater vs. flowback pits
A look at Technology – The playing field

Ancient History (3 years ago)

Large Desalinization Plants

• 60 – 80 Million Dollars

• Focused on distillation and brine concentration

• Some Crystallization

Reverse Osmosis

• Lower initial capex

• Lower operating cost

• Limited application in high TDS 

environments
A look at Technology – Today

Last 18 months to Today

Smaller Scale Evaporators

•1000 – 2500 bpd

•Mobile and semi mobile

•Reduced Trucking

•Distilled water (reuse or discharge)

•Clean concentrated Brine

Selective Ion Removal

• F&D pre-treatment systems

• Electro-coagulation

• Effluent streams are clean enough for reuse
A look at Technology – Today Cont.

Last 18 months to Today

Crystallization

• <10,000 bpd

• Need market for byproduct (road salt)

to be cost effective
Purestream Solutions – The Book End Concept

Purestream Technology

Description Functional considerations Other considerations 

• Waste water 

reclamation via vapor 

recompression

• Flow-back/produced 

water can be used for 

fracking or discharge

• Low pressure/low temp.

• Compact size; quick and 

easy deployment near 

well-head or fixed

• Ability to concentrate 

waste water brine to 

TDS of 225,000 ppm 

• Scalable

• 20%+ hard cost savings 

vs. traditional solutions

• Successful active 

deployments

• Waste water 

reclamation via induced 

gas flotation

• Reduce total suspended 

solids (TSS)

• TSS floatable hydrocarbon 

levels <10 ppm

• Removal of 97% of TSS, 

including oil & condensate

• 2,500-115,000 bbl/day

• Lower cost approach 

for applications where 

TDS is not a concern

EC RO Filtration
Powerful Tools for use in Water Treatment

Level I – Recycle/Reuse 

Reduces: TSS 

Removes: Hydrocarbonsfor Re-use 

Level II – Recycle/Reuse

Produces: Distilled Water for Re-use, 

Blend, or Discharge

 Highly Mobile or Adaptable to Fixed Locations

 Easily Scalable

 Readily Combined Providing Systemic Solution

 Dynamically Responsive to Feed Variations

 Professionally Engineered for Oil & Gas Field Deployment
• Technology refined over decades of live deployments

• Low and Efficient residence time

• Minimal Maintenance and Operator required – Few Moving Parts 

• TSS and floatable hydrocarbon output < 10 ppm or 1 ppm with IGF+ 

• Easily Scalable from 2,500 bpd and up – Small Footprint

• Recycles low TDS water for beneficial reuse as a Stand Alone Unit

PST Level I Treatment

Single Cell IGF - Water Clarification: Level I Treatment
PST Level I Treatment Approach 

IGF - Water Clarification: Low Level Treatment
Mobile recycling and re-use of flowback/produced water

 Low Energy: 3 phase 480 V - 300 kW power source (AVARA 1000)

 Wireless uplinked: remote oversight and control

 Durable, Resilient, Reliable – Oil & Gas Field Tough

 Rapid deployment: 

Smaller footprint, no 

massive setup

 Self-contained: Ready to 

go, connect and play

 Power Flexible: 

adaptable to any on-site 

power source

 Robust: Instantly 

configures to dynamic 

feed water conditions

PST Level II Treatment
Remote Operation and Management
Sonora, TX Tilden, TX

AVARA Texas Deployments

Field tested in Texas

Wheeler County, TX
Variable Feed Water Results (In PPM)

Location: Source: Feed TDS: AVARA TDS:

Colorado CBM 6,870 20

Canada Produced 42,900 98

Wyoming Produced 59,440 20

Arkansas Flowback 10,000 ND

Colorado / Utah Produced / Flowback 37,900 14

Oklahoma Flowback 22,000 58

Arkansas Produced 23,500 ND

North Dakota Produced/Flowback 198,000 30

Texas Flowback 55,700 10

Various Samples

*See online database for complete water analysis

**AVARA capable of handling a wide array of water types
2500 Bpd System: Fixed Facility Example

Storage Pond

Verification Tanks

AVARA System

Discharge Pond

Settling pits
2500 Bpd System: White County, AR

AVARA system

4000 Bbl Discharge Tank
Space Technology Applied to Water Treatment
Technology Transition - DOD Potable Water

UNCLASSIFIED REVISED 25SEP2012 

UNCLASSIFIED: Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release 

"Logan, UT: The Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Thermal Management Technologies a $2.1 million 

contract to modify Purestream Technology's AVARA Accelerated Vapor Recompression system for military 

applications. 

Headed by Dr. Clair Batty, PhD, , Thermal Management Technologies (TMT) began as a Centers of Excellence 

program through the Utah State University Research Foundation (USURF) in 2008. Prior to starting TMT, Dr. Batty 

was Head of Utah State University's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. 

One of Dr. Batty's most recent and notable contributions in the area of heat transfer is the thermal link technology 

currently utilized by the MARS ROVER "Curiosity" Space Program. Dr. Batty's theories and expertise in thermal 

management is the basis for energy efficiencies utilized in the AVARA system. 

Purestream Technology, LLC owns the AVARA technology which provides economically viable, mobile water 

management solutions for the oil and gas industry. Purestream Technology solutions are geared towards the 

treatment and re-use of produced and hydraulic fracture (frac) flow-back water. 

Over the next 24 months, the project will focus on adapting Purestream's AVARA Technology for use in military field 

operations. 
Technology Transition - DOD Potable Water
Key Takeaways

Industry vetting process – Educating producers to reach 

an economic solution

Technology has become the lower cost alternative in 

many areas

Economics – Working through the numbers to understand 

the Total Water Management of the water 

Regulatory – Understanding the overall picture

Logistics – Devil is in the details. Solutions must fit 

regulation and vice versa
Amy Hansen :: Permitting & Regulatory

ahansen@pstrep.com

Todd Ennenga :: Vice President of Business Development

tennenga@pstrep.com

Corporate Office ::

510 South 600 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102

www.purestreamtechnology.com

Thank You