Northern Great Plains Wa

Consortium (NGPWC)

Bakken Water Opportunities Asses

North Dakota Petroleum Council Annual Me

September 2009
Background

• Water is the most critical limiting res

throughout the world.

• Sustainable water supplies are need

– Energy production.– Growing and processing high-value cro– Industrial manufacturing.– Expanding populations.
NGPWC

• The Energy & Environmental Research C

(EERC) has developed a partnership betwthe U.S. Department of Energy and key stakeholders, representing electrical powgeneration utilities, oil and gas companieindustry, municipalities, and other interesentities to address critical issues that imp

water resources of the northern Great Plaregion.
NGPWC Region

• The NGPWC expands the geograph

extent and the membership of the ERed River Water Management Consortium.
NGPWC Goals and Objecti

• The overall goal of this program is to 

assess, develop, and demonstrate technologies and methodologies thaminimize water use and reduce impawater discharges from a range of entechnologies, including coal combuscoal gasification, coalbed methane, and natural gas production. 
NGPWC Fact Sheets
Bakken Water Opportuniti

• Project to assess the economic pote

recycle frac flowback water in the Baplay

• Project Sponsors

– U.S. Department of Energy– North Dakota Petroleum Council– North Dakota Industrial Commission O

Research Council
Bakken Formation

• Described in 1953 by J.W. Nordquist.• Late Devonian to Early Mississippian age.• 200,000 square miles covering parts of Montana, 

North Dakota, and Saskatchewan.

• Bakken Formation consists of three members:

– Lower shale– Middle dolomite– Upper shale

• Upper and lower shales are the source rock; 

Middle Bakken is the reservoir.

• April 2008 USGS estimate of 3.0 to 4.3 billion 

bbls of technically recoverable oil.

• 2.1 billion bbls technically recoverable in the 

North Dakota portion of the Bakken.
Bakken Frac Water

• Frac water is freshwater that 

is used to pressurize and fracture oil-bearing formations to increase permeability and enhance the flow and recovery of oil.

• As much as 1.0 million 

gallons of water per well to fracture the Bakken Formation.

• Typically transported to well 

site in 7500- to 8000-gallon tanker trucks. 

• Transportation costs for long 

haul distances can be excessive. 
Water Permitting Issues 

North Dakota 

• Permits to obtain water from high-quality 

groundwater sources can be difficult and consuming to obtain.

• The North Dakota State Water Commissio

(SWC) is encouraging withdrawal of watethe Missouri River system for uses like fra

• The SWC and Corps of Engineers are cur

working together to identify “low-risk” corrfor water extraction (i.e., easy access, low probability of cultural features, etc...).
Bakken Water Opportuniti

• Task 1 – Inventory Industry 

Freshwater Use

– Water acquisition locations– Current Bakken reuse/recycling 

efforts

– Key water quality constraints for 

use/reuse

• Task 2 – Assess Flowback 

Quality with Time and Location

– Detail general chemical makeup 

and variation with different technology, geology, etc.

– Develop sampling and analysis 

plan

– Conduct a sampling and 

analysis campaign at selected industry locations 
Bakken Water Opportuniti

• Task 3 – Evaluate 

Current WaterHandling Costs

– Detail water acquisition 

costs (including transportation)

– Detail water disposal 

costs (including transportation)
Bakken Water Opportuniti

• Task 4 – Evaluate Feasibility 

of Recycle/Reuse Technologies

– Evaluate technical suitability 

of existing technologies for Bakken flow

– Evaluate economic suitability 

of existing technologies for Bakken flowback

• Task 5 – Assess Current 

State of Existing Recycling Technologies

– Interview technology vendors 

and operators utilizing technologies (Barnett) – visit locations
Bakken Water Opportuniti

• Task 6 – Detail Phase II 

Recommendations and Plans
Project Status

• Samples have been analyzed and/o

have been collected from four of five producers participating in the assess

• Extensive, but not comprehensive, f

flowback water chemistry data.

• Technology review and capabilities 

assessment.

• Preliminary economic assessment.
Frac Flowback Water Character

• Relatively low recovery of the origina

water within the first 10 days.

– Ranges from 15% to 50% recovery

• Very high salinity in flowback water.

– Salinity levels as high as 200,000 mg/L

• Water chemistry is predominantly so

chloride (NaCl), with lesser amounts calcium, potassium, and sulfate.
Flowback Water Sample

0

500

10001500200025003000350040004500

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time, hr

Cumulative Flowback, bbl Water Oil Total Flowback
Frac Flowback Water Chem

(values in mg/L unless otherwise noted)

Cations

Barium 13Calcium 9020Iron 77Magnesium 720Potassium 3550Sodium 45,100

Anions

Chloride 91,300Sulfate 440

Other

pH, units 6.3Salinity 200,000Conductivity, mS/cm 180
Frac Flowback Water Treatm

• Oil fieldcompatible• Robust• Mobile• Existing 

technology

• High treated 

water recovery

Bakken Recycling Challeng

• Slow recovery of flowback water• Relatively low volume initial recovery• Extremely high dissolved salts early 

flowback

• Treatment very challenging, even w

most robust technologies

• Treatment very likely not cost-effect

most cases
Current Frac Water Cost

• Acquisition costs

– $0.25–$0.75 raw water cost– $0.63–$5.00 transportation costs

• Disposal costs

– $0.63–$5.00 transportation– $0.50–$1.00 disposal via deep well inje

• Total costs

– $2.00–$11.75/bbl
New Water Opportunity

• Access to freshwater for hydraulic 

fracturing continues to be a challeng

• Abundant supply of marginal-quality 

groundwater that is not a potential U

• Treatment of nonpotable groundwat

provide an economical alternative resource.
Groundwater Treatment 

Demonstration

• Phase II of the existing Bakken Wate

Opportunities project could provide a portion of the necessary financial resources.

• Industry partner and potential 

demonstration location tentatively identified.

• EERC in discussions with technolog

providers (MVR and RO)
Contact Information

John HarjuAssociate Director for ResearchEnergy & Environmental Research Center15 North 23rd Street, Stop 9018Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018(701) 777-5157jharju@undeerc.org

Contact Information

John HarjuAssociate Director for ResearchEnergy & Environmental Research Center15 North 23rd Street, Stop 9018Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018(701) 777-5157jharju@undeerc.org