Potential for the Reclamation of Water Produced by US Oil Fields
Abstract
It is estimated that approximately 10 barrels of water are produced for every barrel
of oil. The handling and disposal of this “produced water” represents the single
greatest environmental barrier for such operations especially due to its high salt
content and the presence of oil and grease. Current management options include a
variety of disposal methods, but with much potential to increase the percentage dedicated
to reuse. The objective of this project is to evaluate whether produced water can
be a practical water resource in terms of the quantity available, technology options
for treatment and cost-effectiveness of those options. The analysis also demonstrates
overall which states could benefit most from this water resource.
The results indicate that as the quality of the water is highly specific to each well
site, the best treatment and most cost-effective options are also as specific. Knowing
the intended use of the water is essential to determine which combination of treatment
technologies to utilize as water quality criteria differ for each use. In particular,
utilizing the water as a direct saline water use in thermoelectric power generation
could be a viable option requiring less treatment. Even though the overall quantity
available is 16-21 billion barrels annually, these resources represent only a small
percentage of total US water use. But they could yield a valuable offset for a particular,
very specific water use within a given state. However, along with the issues of best
intended use and cost, the problem of distribution must be overcome before produced
water can truly be a practical water resource. A number of states, namely Texas,
have a great potential to increase their reuse of this alternative water resource
and are already in critical need of water due to climate and increasing populations.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/514Citation
Peak, Kelly (2008). Potential for the Reclamation of Water Produced by US Oil Fields. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/514.Collections
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