Treatment FAQ

what chemicals are added to produced water during treatment

by Mya Sanford Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Other Chemicals Used in Wastwater Treatment Plants Include

  • Sulfur Dioxide
  • Magnesium Oxide
  • Calcium Oxide
  • Carbon Dioxide

Full Answer

Which water treatment chemicals to use?

The water(brine) brought to the surface from the hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs during the extraction of oil and gas can include formation water, injection water, and any chemicals added downhole or during oil/water separation processes is termed “Produced Water”. The produced water is very high in salt content and also contains oil in dispersed form and therefore needs to …

Which chemicals are used to purify the water?

 · These include: sodium sulfite (Na 2 SO 3) sulfur dioxide (SO 2) sodium bisulphate (NaHSO 3) sodium metabisulfite (Na 2 S 2 O 5) ammonium bisulfite (NH 4 HSO 3)

What chemicals are used to disinfect water?

The major constituents of interest in produced water are: Salt content: Salt content can be expressed as salinity, total dissolved solids, or electrical conductivity. The salt... Oil and grease: …

What chemicals are used to clean water wells?

Microorganisms occur naturally in the produced water or may be added during de-oiling treatments. Advanced filtration techniques are one of the effective technologies used to …

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What chemicals are added in water treatment?

The most commonly used chemicals for water treatment process are:Algicide.Chlorine.Chlorine dioxide.Muriatic acid.Soda ash or Sodium bicarbonate.

What chemicals are in produced water?

Generally, produced water is composed of dissolved and dispersed oil components, dissolved formation minerals, production chemicals, dissolved gases (including CO2 and H2S) and produced solids [14].

How is produced water treated?

Treatment Alternatives. Considering the main contaminants present in produced water, treatment goals include deoiling, desalination, degassing, suspended solids removal, organic compounds removal, heavy metal and radionuclides removal, and disinfection.

What are the products of water treatment?

Water & Wastewater Treatment ProductsPretreatment Systems.Demineralization.Membrane Processes.Wastewater Recycle/Water Reuse.Zero Liquid Discharge.Desalination Technology.Evaporative Processes.HERO™ (High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis) Technology.More items...

Is produced water toxic?

PRODUCES SKIN IRRITATION UPON PROLONGED OR REPEATED CONTACT. LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO COMPONENTS OF THIS MATERIAL HAS CAUSED SYSTEMIC TOXICITY AND CANCER IN LABORATORY ANIMALS.

How are produced water generated?

Most oil- and gas-bearing rocks also contain water. When the oil or gas is extracted from these rocks, the water comes out too. This “produced water” is a byproduct of almost all oil and gas extraction, though the amounts of produced water can vary widely in different places or over the lifetime of a single well.

What is the pH of produced water?

However, studies investigating produced water pH ranges over a period of nine years found out that water samples discharged from oil platforms had values varying from 4.2 to 6.8, while produced water samples from gas platforms were between 3.5 and 5.

What is produced water used for?

Produced water that has been treated can be used to stimulate oil and gas reservoirs to increase production and for other oil field operations. It can also be used for fire control, power generation, vehicle and equipment washing, and even non-edible crop irrigation.

How do you remove iron from water?

Filtration is the best way to remove this while also removing: sand, mica, dirt, or sediment if present in your well water. Sometimes the Kinetico® Mach Super Kit cartridge filter can work in removing ferric iron. If levels are high a chemical-free backwashing filter is a better filtration option.

What is chemical treatment?

Chemical treatment (of hazardous waste) refers to the treatment methods that are used to effect the complete breakdown of hazardous waste into non-toxic gases or, more frequently, to modify the chemical properties of the waste, for example, through reduction of water solubility or neutralisation of acidity or ...

Why is chlorine added to water?

Drinking water chlorination is the addition of chlorine to drinking water systems. It is the most common type of drinking water disinfection. Disinfection kills bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that cause disease and immediate illness.

What is produced water in fracking?

Produced water typically includes salts from dissolution of the underlying rock, naturally occurring radioactive substances, and chemicals added during the drilling and fracking process.

What is produced water used for?

Produced water that has been treated can be used to stimulate oil and gas reservoirs to increase production and for other oil field operations. It can also be used for fire control, power generation, vehicle and equipment washing, and even non-edible crop irrigation.

Why is produced water salty?

Caption: Water produced from an operating oil or gas well, usually very salty after contacting underground rocks, can be cleaned of its salts and other contaminants using electrodialysis, and then reused to reduce the amount of freshwater needed.

What is processed water?

Process water is water that is used for a variety of manufacturing processes, including: boiler make-up water; cooling tower make-up water; coating and plating; rinsing and spraying; washing and many others.

What are the most important treatments applied to produced water?

Actually, the most important treatments applied to produced water are classified as primary, secondary and tertiary processes. In the following it is possible to find a short description of these processes.

What is added to water in reverse osmosis?

To prevent precipitation of low soluble salts on the membrane surface, antiscalant and chemicals are added to water in the upstream of reverse osmosis stage. The permeate is then pressurized and sent to the reverse osmosis stage.The process scheme includes also an energy recovery device (R) and a booster pump.

What are the best techniques for producing water?

The main “secondary” treatments are known as Best Available Techniques for produced water treatment [7]. These techniques (based on adsorption, biodegradation, stripping, membrane separation) not only allow the removal of organic compounds, suspended solids and oil, but are also able to eliminate the dissolved aromatic hydrocarbons such as BTEX and NPD. It was possible to establish that the treatment with the vibrating membrane system VSEP (Vibratory Shear Enhances Process) turns out to be the best process to be applied to the produced water, managing to get with a single operation an effluent with an extremely high degree of purity without the addiction of any other chemical and without the production of a large amount of waste.

What is primary treatment?

Primary Treatments are mainly devoted to remove suspended hydrocarbons components and solids from produced water. Figure 1 reports the block scheme of the primary processes [6]. The produced water, leaving the three-phase separator which separates oil, gas and water coming from the wellhead, is sent to the gravity separator (API separator), which removes, from water surface, oils and other light fractions with a lower density than water. These fractions, removed by an oil skimmer, are then sent to the oil recovery stage. The settled particles are conveyed on the bottom of the separator and transferred to the oil sludge processing.

What is produced water?

Produced water is typically generated in large quantity for the lifespan of a well. It is made up of natural formation water as well as the uphole return of water injected into the formation as part of an enhanced recovery operation.

What is the treatment of water?

This type of treatment package utilizes water polishing adsorption filters which are specifically designed to remove oil, grease and soluble organics from water based streams. The adsorption media is based on resin, polymer, and clay technology.

What stage does water enter?

Then, water enters into the dissolved gas flotation (DGF) stage, where nitrogen or natural gas (to avoid explosions upon contact with hydrocarbons) is blown to separate oil, suspended solids and other macromolecules.

What is water treatment?

In water treating, chemicals aid in producing suitable water for discharge or injection. A wide range of chemicals is available for water treating. A chemical-injection package enables various types of chemicals to be dosed into the water stream to optimize the treatment process. In many operations, each chemical-injection stream is equipped ...

Why are chemicals important in oil production?

They assist oil/water/gas separation, aid in fluid transport, protect treating equipment, and improve the quality of the gas, oil, and water.

Why does water foam?

Some water systems (e.g., seawater) have a tendency to create foam when subjected to high pressure-drop or turbulence conditions. This foaming is very unpredictable and can cause enormous problems, particularly in deaerator columns. In the deaerator, foaming may result in failure of the level control on the base of the column and reduced oxygen-removal efficiency.

What pH is used for coagulant?

For instance, aluminum coagulants require a minimum pH of 6 to 7, while iron salts are effective in a pH range of 5 to 11. These chemicals are very effective in promoting coagulation of oil and solids particles; however, excessive use or improper application of these chemicals will form undesirable oily gel-type settlements and occasionally cause malfunction of the monitoring/controlling instrument. The inorganic or low-molecular-weight coagulant is effective in the range of 10 to 45 ppm.

How do corrosion inhibitors reduce corrosion?

Corrosion inhibitors reduce the corrosion rate by interrupting the electrochemical corrosion cell setup between the metal and the liquid or by stopping the deterioration of metal by a chemical reaction. One method of interrupting the electrochemical cell is to form a film on the metal surface, which stops the transfer of ions. One method of chemical protection uses an absorption inhibitor, such as a surface-active amine, which forms a chemisorption bond to the metal, rendering it incapable of dissolving into the fluid.

Why is it important to develop means to control bacteria growth in surface water treatment systems?

Both surface and produced water contain biological constituents (primarily bacteria) that can contaminate the water-treatment or -injection systems. Because bacteria have the ability to multiply rapidly into colonies, they can cause plugging of surface and downhole equipment and injection-well formations, promote corrosion of surface piping and downhole tubulars, and generate H 2 S that can cause pitting corrosion. Therefore, it is essential to develop means to control bacteria growth in surface-water-treatment systems.

How do oil droplets grow?

Oil droplets grow by coalescence, and solid particles grow by forming flocs. The larger oil droplets or larger solid flocs are easier to separate. Particle separation from water follows from Stokes’ law in that larger particles separate more quickly from water.

Why does the chemical industry use water treatment?

Hence, the chemical industry uses the innovative ways of water treatment in order to make water acceptable for end-use, such as drinking, cooking, irrigation and industrial purpose to name a few.

What is water treatment?

Water treatment chemicals, a modern approach for safe drinking water. “Millions lived without love, none without water!”. This dihydrogen infused oxygen molecule forms the basis of all living forms on Earth. Whether it’s for cooking or basic sanitation needs, the role of water remains irreplaceable as the entire human survival depends on water.

Why is the demand for water increasing?

Contemporarily, the demand for safe and fresh water is consistently rising, owing to satisfy the human needs and to support the industrial activities. With the increasing urbanization and economic development, the current water supply is unlikely to satisfy the ever growing demands.

How many people die from drinking water every year?

It is estimated that about 3.4 million of the world’s population die every year due to deprived access to clean drinking water. Providing safe drinking water remains a global challenge, for which only chemistry has a solution.

What are the constituents of water?

The major constituents of interest in produced water are: 1 Salt content: Salt content can be expressed as salinity, total dissolved solids, or electrical conductivity. The salt content in produced water varies widely, from nearly freshwater to salt levels up to ten times higher than seawater. 2 Oil and grease: Oil and grease is not an individual chemical. Rather, the term "oil and grease" refers to a common test method that measures many types of organic chemicals that collectively lend an "oily" property to the water. 3 Various inorganic and organic chemicals: These chemicals are found naturally in the formation, are transferred to the water through long-term contact with the hydrocarbon, or are chemical additives used during drilling and operation of the well. The presence of specific chemicals and the concentrations of those chemicals vary widely among different produced water samples. 4 Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM): Some of the formations holding oil and gas have small concentrations of natural radioactivity. Low levels of the radioactivity can be transferred into produced water. Generally, the radiation levels in produced water are very low and pose no risk. However, scale from pipes and sludge from tanks holding produced water can concentrate NORM.

What are the properties of produced water?

The major constituents of interest in produced water are: Salt content: Salt content can be expressed as salinity, total dissolved solids, or electrical conductivity.

How much water is produced in the US?

Approximately 21 billion bbl (barrels; 1 bbl = 42 U.S. gallons) of produced water are generated each year in the United States from about 900,000 wells. This is equivalent to a volume of 2.4 billion gallons per day. Within the five Rocky Mountain States that are the focus of this website (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming), approximately 430 million gallons of produced water are generated each day. Argonne National Laboratory has recently published a report titled Produced Water Volumes and Management Practices in the United States [PDF].

How does water's physical and chemical properties vary?

The physical and chemical properties of produced water vary considerably depending on the geographic location of the field, the geological formation from which it comes, and the type of hydrocarbon product being produced. Produced water properties and volume can even vary throughout the lifetime of a reservoir. Click to enlarge.

Why is water pumped to the surface?

In coal bed methane production, wells are drilled into coal seams, and the water located there is pumped to the surface in order to allow gas to release from the coal seams. Because the water has been in contact with the hydrocarbon-bearing formation ...

How many water treatment plants are there in Denver?

To put this volume into perspective, the large Denver Water agency, which supplies drinking water to the City and County of Denver and other customers who live in the surrounding suburbs (1.3 million customers), operates three traditional water treatment plants and one recycled water treatment plant . The combined total capacity of those plants is approximately 745 million gallons per day.

Is radioactivity in water safe?

Low levels of the radioactivity can be transferred into produced water. Generally, the radiation levels in produced water are very low and pose no risk. However, scale from pipes and sludge from tanks holding produced water can concentrate NORM. This website focuses on beneficial use of produced water.

What chemicals are used in wastewater?

Another use of chemicals in wastewater is for Disinfection . Commodity chemicals, like Bleach, produced in various concentrations, are often used for this purpose. One common concentration that OU offers, is our Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%, but we offer other concentrations as well. Bleach is used for disinfection and production processes in all kinds of industrial applications including coatings, food processing, paper & packaging, pharmaceuticals, and more.

What are the functions of wastewater treatment?

These functions include: Removal of solid particles, pH Adjustment, Odor Control, Disinfection, Foam Prevention & Removal, and Sludge Removal .

Why are coagulant and floculant polymers important?

These polymers help the tiny particles in the water to begin to combine with each other to form larger particles and chains of particles that settle out of the water and drop to the bottom. Basically, the polymers are used to change the “charge” of the particles ...

What are the effects of wastewater?

Unpleasant odors produced by the wastewater can impact employee morale, invite complaints from neighbors including other businesses, and even be a health hazard. It is a major issue that must be solved. For most industrial plants something more must be done than just “covering up” the problem to contain the odors.

What is the most used acid in a plant?

Obviously either an acid or a base chemical will be used, depending on the pH level of the water. The most used acid is Sulfuric Acid.

What acid is used to adjust pH?

The most used acid is Sulfuric Acid. This is due to its cost, abundance, and effectiveness in adjusting the pH level. Other acids that are used include Hydrochloric Acid and Phosphoric Acid . As far as bases, some common chemicals that are effective are Sodium Hydroxide, Calcium Hydroxide (Lime), among others.

Can foam be in wastewater?

Often foam can develop in the wastewater treatment process, which can cause many problems. In fact, the foam can stand in the way of measuring instruments getting a true reading and can cause other difficulties. For more on how foam can develop in wastewater, see our article “What causes foam in wastewater treatment.”.

What is the first chemical in wastewater treatment?

Aluminum Sulfate. The first chemical in wastewater treatment plant is aluminum sulfate. Aluminum sulfate in wastewater plant acts as purifier of the wastewater. The chemical itself is soluble and easily reacts to the chemicals in wastewater. As a result, it produces protein antigens that break insoluble and hazardous chemicals.

What is the most important element in water purification?

Also read: Harmful Effects of Oxidizing Chemicals for Environmental Health. Sodium Aluminate. The next chemical used in wastewater treatment plant is sodium aluminate. Sodium aluminate is a chemical belongs to inorganic compound.

What is polyaluminum chloride?

In some products of wastewater treatment plant, they also use polyaluminum chloride. Polyaluminum choride is a chemical belongs to chloride class. The common function of polyaluminum cloride is as coagulant in waste management as well as water purification.

What is the function of polymer in wastewater treatment?

The function of polymer is to coagulate any solids dirts and work in diluted water in order to free these materials from suspension. In order to use polymer in wastewater treatment, people need to dilute polymer with water with a concentration around 0,5 percent.

What is ferric chloride?

A chemical that is also present in wastewater treatment plant is ferric chloride. Ferric chloride is a corrosive chemical used in water purification and sewage treatment. The function of ferric chloride is to remove metal substance from the waste that highly possible will harm environment as well as living being. It will dewater the metal works and make it a less dangerous substance.

What is wastewater treatment plant?

Wastewater treatment plant itself is a process of removing waste and dirts. This also works as a system to offer soluble and environmentally result of industrial waste. The contaminants in the sewage are removed and in turn produced safer wastewater for the environment. In order to do so, this treatment needs some chemicals as listed in the list ...

What can lower the pH in water?

If the ph is higher, people can use hydrochloric acid as one of the compounds to lower the ph in water.

What is the best way to treat water?

Oxidation. Oxidants like chlorine, chlorine dioxide, permanganate, oxygen, and ozone are also frequently used to treat produced water. Oxidation can be used to remove organics and some inorganic compounds like iron and manganese. No pretreatment is required, but solid separation post-treatment is often necessary to remove oxidized particles.

What is ED/EDR water treatment?

ED and EDR, both electrochemical-charge-driven separation processes, have been tested for produced water treatment at the laboratory-scale and are already being used for seawater and brackish water desalination and wastewater reclamation. The technologies utilize “dissolved ions which are separated from water through ion permeable membranes under the influence of an electrical potential gradient,” according to the CSM report. ED/EDR membranes are not as susceptible to degradation by chlorine and can treat surface and wastewaters that have high concentrations of organic materials and microorganisms without significant fouling. The technologies can withstand harsh conditions and are fairly flexible to varying water quality. However, ED/EDR have limited ability to remove non-charged constituents, including organics molecules, silica, and boron. A high level of skilled labor is also required to operate ED/EDR systems.

How does MSF work?

MSF uses flash evaporation, a process that evaporates water by reducing the pressure. “The MSF distillation process is based on the principle of flash evaporation in which water is evaporated by reducing the pressure as opposed to raising the temperature with additional heat/energy.

What are ceramic membranes used for?

Ceramic membranes show great potential for the treatment of oil-contaminated wastewaters. While the technology has yet to become commonplace, ceramic membrane are currently being used successfully in a full-scale facility in Wellington, CO, to treat oilfield produced water, as well as on smaller scales throughout the country . Ceramic ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes are made from oxides, nitrides, or carbides of metals such as aluminum, titanium, or zirconium. Ceramic membranes are more resilient than other types of membranes and are mechanically strong, chemically and thermally stable, and can achieve high flux rates. After ceramic microfiltration or ultrafiltration is performed, the resulting water is free of suspended solids and nearly all non-dissolved organic carbon is removed. Energy requirements for ceramic membranes are lower than for other types of membrane filtration, despite having similar infrastructure requirements. Ceramic membranes can be more expensive than other membrane technologies, but costs are expected to drop as more research is conducted and they become more widely used.

What is adsorption used for?

Adsorption is commonly used for the treatment of produced water, as it can remove more than 80 percent of heavy metals and results in nearly 100 percent product water recovery. A variety of materials are used for adsorption, including zeolites, organoclays, activated alumina, and activated carbon, which can remove iron, manganese, TOC, ...

What is media filtration?

Media filtration — most commonly using sand, anthracite coal, or walnut shells — is a simple yet effective method for treating produced water. Filtration can effectively remove oil and grease and total organic carbon (TOC), and be used on highly salty water without issue. Energy consumption is minimal.

Is pretreatment required for oxidation?

No pretreatment is required , but solid separation post-treatment is often necessary to remove oxidized particles. Oxidation can sometimes be a more expensive method, as chemical costs may be high and the purchase of chemical metering pumps is required for dosing.

What is the chemical used to prevent lead from entering water?

Chemicals called orthophosphates , such as phosphoric acid, are added for this purpose. These orthophosphates prevent lead in particular from making it into the water supply, by forming insoluble lead phosphate complexes on the inner surface go the pipes. This is exactly the measure that wasn’t taken in Flint, Michigan, one of the factors leading to the well-publicised high levels of lead in the city’s water.

Why add fluoride to water?

The purpose of this is to try and help prevent tooth decay. There’s more on the science behind water fluoridation in this previous post. After all of this, the water is finally free to leave and make its way to you – something to think about the next time you turn on the tap!

Why is chlorine used in water?

THM levels in water are closely monitored and are not allowed to exceed permitted levels. In addition, since it is the presence of organic compounds in the water that facilitates the formation of THMs, it is for this reason that chlorination usually takes place after organic matter has been mostly removed by filtration. Some facilities are bypassing this problem by using ozone to disinfect water instead of chlorine; however, the advantage of chlorine is that a residual amount of it remains in the water after leaving the treatment facility, helping to keep water pathogen-free until it arrives in your home.

What is the name of the process that increases the size of the clumped particles?

Flocculation is the name given to the mixing process that increases the size of the clumped particles, forming what’s known as a floc. The sludge formed by the coagulation and flocculation processes is allowed to settle in the subsequent stage, so that it can be removed from the water, treated, and disposed of.

What happens to sludge after it is removed from water?

Failing this, it must be sent to landfill or incinerated to dispose of it. After the sludge has been removed from the water, it moves to the filtration stage. Here, it is passed through beds of material to help remove any organic matter and particles not previously removed by coagulation.

What is sludge made of?

This sludge is partly in the form of metal hydroxides, formed during the coagulation process, as well as the organic materials removed. Some of its potential uses include being added to fields on which crops will be grown. Failing this, it must be sent to landfill or incinerated to dispose of it.

How do orthophosphates prevent lead?

These orthophosphates prevent lead in particular from making it into the water supply, by forming insoluble lead phosphate complexes on the inner surface go the pipes. This is exactly the measure that wasn’t taken in Flint, Michigan, one of the factors leading to the well-publicised high levels of lead in the city’s water.

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What Are Water Treatment Chemicals?

Common Water Treatment Chemicals

  • 2.1 Primary Treatments
    Primary Treatments are mainly devoted to remove suspended hydrocarbons components and solids from produced water. Figure 1 reports the block scheme of the primary processes. The produced water, leaving the three-phase separator which separates oil, gas and water coming fr…
  • 2.2 Secondary Treatments
    The main “secondary” treatments are known as Best Available Techniques for produced water treatment. These techniques (based on adsorption, biodegradation, stripping, membrane separation) not only allow the removal of organic compounds, suspended solids and oil, but are …
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