Water Re-Use: No Silver Bullets 

 No single technology fits every situation 

 Variables include: 

– Location 

– Water discharge regulations 

• Surface discharge 

• Storage in above ground structure 

• In ground pits 

– Quality of influent water 

– Desired quality of effluent water 

– Disposal costs 

– Re-Use options 

– Transportation 

1 
Water Treatment Technologies 

 TSS/Selected TDS Removal 

– Systems remove suspended solids and some dissolved 

solids depending on process used. 

– Most are very mobile and can be re-located and set up 

in short amount of time. 

– Does not remove salt from water. 

– Most are capable of processing high volumes 

– Limited waste streams of solids and liquids 

– Examples are Electro-Coagulation, Nano-Filtration, 

Ultra-Filtration, or Clarifier 

2 
Water Treatment Technologies 

 Reverse Osmosis 

– Mobile treatment for salt removal from wastewater 

– More economic than evaporative system 

– Limited by TDS level of 50,000 ppm 

– Quality pre-treatment necessary 

– Recovery of “fresh-water” based on TDS of influent 

water 

– Three Products Produced 

• Fresh-water 

• Concentrated brine 

• Solids 

3 
Water Treatment Technologies 

 Thermal/Evaporative Technologies 

– Typically less mobile for same output as reverse osmosis system 

– More costly than a reverse osmosis system 

– Highest efficiency of freshwater recovery from wastewater 

– Efficiency based on influent TDS 

– Many can use waste heat to lessen energy costs 

– Three products generated 

• Fresh-water 

• Concentrated brine 

• Solids 

– Examples 

• Evaporators 

• Mechanical Vapor Recompression 

• Crystallizers 4 
(Poor) Reclaimed Oilfield Waste Water Quality (High) 

No 

Treatment 

Course Filtration 

w/ Dilution 

Chemical 

Treatment & 

Separation 

RO / FO / 

Evaporation 

(Low) Reclaimed Wastewater Treatment cost (High) 

( (High) Down-hole Quality Risks (reuse) / Environmental Risks(discharge) 

(Low)) 

High Scale, 

High Bacteria, 

High Suspended Solids, 

High TDS 

Ultra-Low Scale, 

No Bacteria, 

No Suspended Solids 

Low TDS 

Water Treatment Optimization 
Water Quality Specifications 

Analyte( Units( Limits(

Total(Suspended(Solids( mg/L% 30(

Total(Dissolved(Solids( mg/L% 50,000(

Sulfate( mg/L% 1,000(

Stron=um( mg/L% 100(

Silica(Gel(Treated(HEM((TPH(as(

HEM)( mg/L% ND((

Oil(&(Grease(HEM( mg/L% ND(

Magnesium( mg/L% 100(

Iron( mg/L% 25(

Chloride( mg/L% 30,000(

Carbonate(as(CaCO3( mg/L% ND(

Calcium( mg/L% 1,000(

Boron( mg/L% 10(

Barium( mg/L% 100( 6 

-Example 
How much Water can be Re-Used? 

 Factors to Consider: 

– Influent water quality 

– Effluent stream desired (Ex: fresh-water, clean brine, etc.) 

– Purpose of re-use 

• Hydraulic fracturing 

– Type of frac (Ex: slick-water, gel fracs etc.) 

• Drilling 

– Volume of water available 

• Flow-back 

• Produced water 

– Chemical costs associated with quality of water 

• Bio-cide

• Scale inhibitor 

• Friction reducer 

7 
Planning for Re-Use 

 Centralized vs. Mobile 

– How much water do I have in one area? 

– How long will the facility be in one place? 

 Transportation - Trucking vs. Piping 

– Distance water will be moved 

– Costs associated with each 

– Quality & size of pipe needed 

 Available Space for Equipment 

– Terrain 

– Size of location 

 Re-usable Water Recovered 

– Quality of water needed 

– Will this water be blended with other water sources? 

8 
Planning for Re-Use  Storage – Frac tanks – In-ground ponds – Above ground containments  Disposal Options – Solids – Concentrated brine – Sludge  Cost – Processing – Mobilization/De-Mobilization – Site construction – Maintenance 

9 
Planning for Re-Use 

 Regulations/Restrictions in Area of Operation 

– Can I surface discharge water? 

– Are there disposal wells in operation? 

– What are pond storage guidelines? 

– Can the water be sold for other uses? 

 Land-Owners 

– Acquiring land 

– Additional activity expected 

 Commercial vs. Private 

– Is the facility open to the public? 

– Tracking incoming water tickets and reporting 

10 
Why Recycle?

 Less Impact on Surface/Groundwater Resources 

– Fewer water wells and costs associated with operating/maintaining 

• Costs of new wells ranges from $30K-$225K/well 

• Rate of water wells decreases over time 

– Savings of paying landowners/municipalities for accessing water 

 Self-Reliance of a Known Resource 

– Water recovery from oil/gas wells 

– Less disposal = fewer SWD’s 

 Less Time to Fill Ponds for Future Operations 

– More wells can be drilled/completed in shorter time due to water 

availability 

 Influence Future Regulations/Permitting Procedures 

 Positive Perception by the Public 

 It’s The Right Thing To Do 

11 
Water Recycling Conclusions 

 Most of the technologies are already proven 

 Transportation and storage logistics are critical 

 Varying levels of water treatment impact cost 

 Texas operations have low cost water sourcing options 

and low cost produced water disposal options 

 Recycling is more of an economic challenge than a 

technical challenge 

 New technologies are being developed that should help 

to lower cost of recycling while providing a quality water 

to store, transport and use in future operations. 

12 
Water Treatment 

QUESTIONS? 

13