American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2016 - 58

SpecialReport: Hydraulic Fracturing Technology
en by the volume of water that can be recovered and the
amount of treating necessary to deliver water at the rates, quality and consistency needed to support fracturing operations.

and minimizes trucks on the road, since this volume otherwise
would have to be taken to a disposal site.
Operators must plan for the water recovered early in a well's
flowback since this water contains a mix of frac fluid, proppant
Treatment Challenges
and reservoir water. After completion, wells are cleaned up and
Regardless of source, almost all water needs some form of treatthe flowback water is handled separately from the produced wament. Whether treatment is done at the source location or after transter that follows. Operators typically do not run flowback water
porting to storage near a fracturing site is an operator decision drivthrough production facilities because of the risk that entrained
en by logistics and economics. Determining the best option durproppant will damage expensive production equipment.
ing the field development planTreated produced and flowning stage can optimize water reback water is transferred to lined
"With sufficient scale, pad operations give operators the ability to install flexible piping and
sources and deliver significant
earthen pits or aboveground storequipment to capture, treat and store flowback
saving over the life of the field.
age tanks to await the next stimand produced water in relative close proximity
All water sources have their
ulation job. Technologies such as
both to where it is generated and where it will
own unique chemical signadouble-jacketed hoses enable safe
be needed to complete the next well pad."
tures, and therefore present their
local transfer of water. Fixed pipown inherent treatment chaling and trucks also may be emlenges. Depending on water quality and treatment method, some
ployed as defined in an operator's field development plan.
precipitation and scale formation typically takes place, which reWhen reusing produced and flowback water, temporary storsults in coagulation of small droplets of oil and larger solids. Baage is needed to gather and treat the captured volumes in prepasic recommended treatment includes filtration, oil removal, bioration for reuse in frac operations. Operators with large frac opcide injection, oxidation for iron removal and potentially other
erations are setting up hub-and-spoke operations, which promote
mechanical and chemical treatment methods, depending on waefficiency and cost saving. These storage designs include hanter quality. In addition, brackish and produced waters often have
dling for both produced water and potentially freshwater/brackhigh chloride and salinity levels that must be reduced to frac fluish water that can be blended with the produced water for delivid specifications.
ery to nearby completion pads.
Oil removal from produced water also is required. The oil reWater sources, frac fluids types and frac volumes are critmoval technology often pays for itself because of the high perical inputs needed for creating a detailed water infrastructure
centage of oil recovered from produced water streams. Some opplan. The development and implementation of a forward-lookerators are seeing recoveries as high as 95 percent pure oil off proing plan will increase the efficiency and reduce the overall cost
duced water volumes. This process simultaneously recovers oil
of future operations.

Regardless of source, almost all water needs some form of treatment. Moreover, all water sources have their own unique chemical signatures that present their own inherent treatment challenges. Basic recommended treatment includes filtration, oil
removal, biocide injection, oxidation for iron removal, and other
mechanical and chemical methods. When reusing produced and

58 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

flowback water, temporary storage is needed to gather and treat
in preparation for reuse in frac treatments. Operators with large
hydraulic fracturing operations are setting up hub-and-spoke facility designs that include local storage for produced water as
well as freshwater and brackish water that can be blended for delivery to nearby pads.

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2016

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