Katharine Dahm 

Colorado School of Mines 

Predicting Water Quality Variability to 

Design Treatment Processes for 

Beneficial Use 

The 16th Annual Petroleum & Biofuels 

Environmental Conference (IPEC) 

November 5th, 2009 

Houston, TX
Outline 

► Scope and Objectives 

► Study Areas 

► Database Compilation 

► Water Quality Data Analysis 

► Water Quality Module 

► Conclusions 
Project Scope and Objectives 

Scope 

► Coalbed Methane (CBM) Produced Water 

► Major CBM Basins in the Rocky Mountain Region 

Objectives 

► Compile Produced Water Quality Database 

► Determine Water Quality Variability 

► Expand Databases to include constituents of 

concern for treatment 

► Develop Data for Water Quality Module 
Study Area – Rocky Mountain Region 

Major CBM Producing Basins 

► Greater Green River 

► Powder River 

► Raton 

► San Juan 

► Wind River 

Public Data Sources 

► Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation 

Commission (COGCC) 

► Wyoming Oil and Gas 

Conservation Commission 

(WYOGCC) 

► USGS Produced Water Quality 

Database 

Database QA/QC 

► CBM Well Identification 

► NETL Defined Culling Criteria 

► Industry Data Comparison 

► Sampling Campaigns 

► Basins Sampled 

● Raton 

● Powder River 

● Atlantic Rim 

● San Juan 

► Samples Taken 

● Field measurements 

● 5 gallon carboy 

● Bulk analysis bottles 

● Volatile Organic Analysis 
Laboratory Analyses 

► Expanded Database of Constituents 

● Inorganic Constituent Analysis 

■ Ion Chromatography (IC), non-metals 

■ Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), metals 

● Treatment Bench Tests 

■ Silt Density Index (SDI) 

● Organic Constituent Analysis 

■ Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene, Xylene (BTEX) 

■ Total and Dissolved Organic Carbon (TOC/DOC) 

►Fluorescence Spectroscopy (EEM) 

►Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) 
Water Quality Data Observations 

► Major ions are detected across all basins and 

formations 

► Formation geochemistry varies statistically 

● Between formations in the same basin 

● Between regional producing basins 

► Formations need to be plotted individually for 

spatial analyses 

► More data needed to expand study area and data 

confidence 

Analyses allow comprehensive data input into the 

Water Quality Module 
The Integrated Framework 

Water Quality 

Module (WQM) 

Treatment 

Selection Module 

(TSM) 

Beneficial Use 

Screening Module 

(BSM) 

Beneficial Use 

Economic Module 

(BEM) 
Water Quality Module (WQM) 

Objectives 

► Utilize Database 

► Output constituent list 

for the TSM 

► Format into ExcelTM 

based macro enabled 

workbook tool 

► Downloadable from the 

project website 
Tool Flow Chart 

Outputs

Treatment Selection 

Module Output File

Regional Variability 

through Constituent 

Mapping

Coordinates

Water Quality 

Data

Optional

Support Data

Basin Statistics

Averaged Data

Correlations

Formation 

Statistics

Variability

Grid Files

Contour Plots

Formation Statistics, 

Ranges, Detection 

Frequency

QA/QC of User Data

Water Quality Tool

Location Default 

Constituent Values

Correlation of User 

Input Data

User Inputs

Required

Basin

State

Formation

Percentile
Functions and Features 

► Accessibility 

● Comprehensive Database 

● Specific Locations and Formations 

● Regional Variability Information 

● User Defined Design Criteria 

► Blending Tool 

● Blend Multiple Well Water Qualities 

● Save Data as Named Well Inputs 

● Estimates of Water Quantity 

► User Output 

● WQ Information 

● Graphs, charts, statistics and maps 
Target Users 

► Producers 

● Lacking water quality information 

■ New producers or producers interested in a new location 

● Limited water quality database 

■ Small producers 

● Large water quality database 

■ Large producers 

● Designing Treatment 

■ Facility drawing from wells in a specific location 

► Interested Parties 

● Potential end users 

 i.e., Farmers 

● Regulators 

● Service providers
Conclusions 

► Database Compilation from Many Sources 

► Comprehensive Constituent Analysis 

► Good Understanding of Spatial Variability 

● Basin to Basin 

● Formation to Formation 

► WQM Provides Accessibility 

● Produced Water Quality Database 

● Spatial and Regional Variability 

● Design Flexibility for TSM 

► WQM Provides Input for TSM and Available Options 

for Beneficial Use 
Contacts 

Katharine Dahm, 

Colorado School of Mines 

kdahm@mines.edu

(303) 273-3871 

An Integrated Framework for Treatment and 

Management of Produced Water 

SPONSORED BY: