Water Reuse: Technologies for Industrial & Municipal Applications

Daniel Christodoss, Ph.D., P.E.

(Principal Municipal Engineer)

John Kovski, P.E.

(Department Manager - Engineering)

URS Corporation, Houston, TX

(713) 914-6699 | daniel.christodoss@urs.com | john.kovski@urs.com

2013 9th Annual

Practical “WATER Issues & Technologies” Short Course

Sponsored by:
Food Protein R&D Center
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
 Outline

World Water Stress

Water Use by Industry Sector
Water Demand 2010 to 2060
Case for Reclamation (reuse)
Water Reuse Process (Food Industry)
Water Reuse Process (Oil & Gas)
Water Reuse Process (Municipal)
Water Reuse Process (Agricultural)
 Diminishing Water Resources

Critical worldwide concern

Previously developing nation’s issues

Now Global Crisis

Quantity and Quality Issues

From Surplus to Limited

World Water Stress
EPA 2012
Source: Earth Forum: Houston Museum of Natural Science
 TX Surface
3% Water
Freshwater

Source: www.fracfocus.org & Estimated Use of Water in the United States, USGS 2005
TX Ground Water
 Municipal

Source: AiChE 2011 Eastman Kodak Co.

Industrial
Mining
Manufacturing
Texas (TWDB)
 “I am convinced that, under
present conditions and with the
way water is being managed, we
will run out of water long before
we run out of fuel.” – former CEO
of Nestle, Peter Brabeck-
Letmathe in The Economist
(2008)
Source: AiChE 2011 Eastman Kodak Co.
 EPA, 2012

Process Water Recovery Treatment Plant Frito Lay, AZ

EPA, 2012
EPA, 2012
 Refinery WW Reuse for Boiler Feed Water (BFW)

Source: 2012 Industrial Waste and Pretreatment Seminar, Virginia Water Env Assn.,
AECOM
Source: SAWEA 2005 Workshop, ZENON Environmental, Inc.
 Membranes Dominate Industrial Water Reuse

Source: SAWEA 2005 Workshop, ZENON Environmental, Inc.

 Osmotic pressure

Fresh water Saline water Semipermeable

membrane

(a) direct osmosis (b) osmotic-equilibrium (c) reverse osmosis

 KBR 2005

Wastewater Recycle for Boiler Feed-Houston Ship Channel

 KBR 2005

Wastewater Recycle for Boiler Feed-Houston Ship Channel

EPA, 2012
 Example Resource Recovery Center
Primary Revenue
Primary Clarifier Low Energy Membrane for Ultrapure water for
Sewage industry makeup
or Filter BOD and TSS Removal and aquifer
Food waste, recharge
misc. organics
Electricity Peak electricity
sales to grid
Methane Electricity
Nutrient Generation
Removal and Anaerobic
Recovery Digester CO2

Final Secondary Revenue

Algae Conversion Irrigation water
to Biodiesel Filter
Fuel savings
Inorganic fertilizer

AICHE 2011 Eastman Kodak Co

 Wetlands Cell
Rainwater is
collected
from the
roof top,
stored in UG
Cisterns and
used to flush
toilets

Rainwater UG Drip Irrigation

Cistern
Settling Equalization Trickling
tank Tank Filter

EPA, 2012

Water Purification Eco-Center

 North American Shale Plays

Water management is a key element in

all of the shale plays

KEY ELEMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT

is: The Water Lifecycle Development

Approach to Flowback and Produced

Water Treatment and Management

Data Collection

Concept/Feasibility Studies

Bench-/Pilot-scale Testing

Technology Screening and Identification

Lifecycle Cost Evaluation

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 North American Experience
Variations within and between
shale plays

Flowback % MULTIPLE SHALE PLAYS

Salinity /TDS Values

Formation-Derived Inputs
(e.g., Scale Formers, NORM)

Locational differences but

common treatment and disposal
scenarios

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 Play Characteristics

Salinity/ Other
Play Flowback % TDS Values Issues*
Medium to
high (30-
Barnett 70%) 50,000 to 140,000

Black Warrior 500 to 140,000

Eagle Ford 2,000 to 10,000 BTEX, Boron, Ammonia
NORM, BTEX, Scale formers, Boron,
Haynesville Low (5%) 90,000 to 200,000 Ammonia

Marcellus 40,000 to 240,000 NORM, BTEX, Ammonia

Niobara 1,000 to 10,000
NORM, BTEX, Scale formers, Boron,
Permian 30,000 Ammonia
Medium to
Piceance high 1,000 to 15,000
Utica >100,000

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 COMPONENTS OF UNCONVENTIONAL GAS
LIFECYCLE WATER MANAGMENT
Water Conveyance Flowback/Produced
Flow Back/
Conveyance Storage Uses
Sources Brines & Brines
Water
Groundwater Tank Truck Delivery Portable Storage Fracture Potential Treatment
Withdrawals Tanks at Well Sites Stimulation Skid or Facility
Pipe Delivery
Stream Holding Ponds at Well Drilling/
Withdrawals Well Sites Construction Reuse
Well Completion Reuse for
and Appurtenances Development
Treated Effluent Hydrostatic/ Discharge to
from WWTP Geophysical/ Other Receiving
Testing Waters
Public Water
Supply Dust Control Waste

Injection
Incorporated into
Products/ Solid Waste
Wastes
By-Products/Waste

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 Current Flowback Water Management
Approaches
• Evaporation in pits/ponds
• Trucked off-site for:
− Reinjection into Class II disposal wells
− Treatment at a commercial wastewater treatment plant or a
POTW if disposal wells are not available.
• Direct reuse for fracing by diluting it with makeup
water-considered best practice
• Treatment for reuse or surface discharge

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 Available Treatment Technologies

Contaminant Process Comments

Free oil, TSS, Bacteria DGF/Filtration/ UV Biocides Low cost technologies $2/bbl

Scale formers(Ba,Ca,Fe,Mg,Mn) Clarifier water softening ,electrocoagulation, Attractive for reuse in fraccing,
ceramic membranes waste stream created, $2-8/bbl

Dissolved solids Membranes/RO/Evaporators/Crystallisers See table

Volatile organics Stripping and incineration, AC, Ozone oxidation air discharge and energy usage
Create waste AC, ozone energy
intensive
up to $4/bbl

Dissolved organics Biological oxidation Susceptible to toxic shocks,

operating knowledge, not short
term
general Chemical treatments Wide range offered
Summary of Characteristics of Major Flowback Water
Treatment Technologies-discharge and or reuse

Thermal
Characteristics Ion Exchange Reverse Osmosis EDR Distillation
Energy Cost Low Moderate High High
Energy Usage vs TDS Low Increase High Increase Independent
Applicable to All Water types Moderate TDS High TDS High TDS
Plant/Unit size Small/Modular Modular Modular Large
Microbiological Fouling Possible Possible Low N/A
Complexity of Technology Easy Moderate/High Regular Complex
Maintenance Maintenance
Scaling Potential Low High Low Low
Theoretical TDS Feed Limit N/A 32,000 40,000 100,000+
Pretreatment Requirement Filtration Extensive Filtration Minimal
Final Water TDS 200-500 ppm 200-500 ppm 200-1000 ppm < 10 mg/L
Recovery Rate N/A Low (30-50%) Medium (60-80%) High (75-85%)
(Feed TDS >20,000mg/L)

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 Play Characteristics and Treatment

Salinity/ Other
Play Flowback % TDS Values Issues* Typical Treatment System Components Residual Water Disposal
50,000 to solids removal, chem precip, thermal
Barnett Medium to high 140,000 evaporation
solids removal, chem precip, RO or surface discharge or
Black Warrior 500 to 140,000 evaporation injection well
BTEX, Boron,
Eagle Ford 2,000 to 10,000 Ammonia Solids removal, chem precip, RO Injection well
NORM, BTEX,
90,000 to Scale formers,
Haynesville Low 200,000 Boron, Ammonia Organics / solids removal, evaporator Injection well
40,000 to NORM, BTEX,
Marcellus 240,000 Ammonia Organics and solids removal, evaporation Injection wells in Ohio
Niobara 1,000 to 10,000 Solids removal, chem precip, RO Injection well
NORM, BTEX,
Scale formers,Organics and solids removal, chem precip,
Permian 30,000 Boron, AmmoniaRO or evaporation Injection well
solids removal, chem precip, RO or surface discharge or
Piceance Medium to high 1,000 to 15,000 evaporation injection well
Powder River Ba, Iron, Na, TDS Greensands, Ion exchange , RO

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 Flowback Pre-treatment Followed by Thermal
Evaporation for Disposal

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Flowback Pre-treatment Followed by Membrane
Separation for Disposal

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 Frac Fluid Lifecycle
Modular
Movable
Treatment

Fraccing Gas
Fluid Flowback/
Hydrocarbon
Produced
Flowback
Water
~25 – 70%
Hydrocarbon/ TYPICAL
Water TREATMENT
SYSTEM
First COMPONENTS
Well Residues

Treated Water

Solids/
Organics
Removal

Chemical
Storage Pond Precipitation
Excess water
Filtration
requiring disposal Frac
or beneficial use Chemicals
(RO)
Fraccing
Fluid

Flowback

Makeup
Water Intermediate
Storage
Last
Well

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 Lifecycle Water Management Approach

• Optimize Water Re-use in Fracing

• Minimize Lifecycle Costs while Meeting Production Needs
• Minimize environmental footprints
By
Reuse of frac water
modular mobile unit for frac water reuse

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