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Although the oil and gas boom in the United States owes much of its success to the abundance of cheap sources of fresh water, the status quo is beginning to change. Groundwater remains the main source of water for most onshore exploration and production companies; however, they are increasingly investing in produced and flowback water-treatment technologies. Many of the same companies are also turning to brackish water sources in places where freshwater aquifers are becoming depleted, such as the Permian Basin that spans west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Brackish water, sometimes called fossil water, has less salt content than seawater, making it cheaper to treat, and is typically found in the same areas where hydrocarbons are developed. The Fasken Oil and Ranch in Midland, Texas, relies on produced-water recycling and brackish water for nearly all of its oil and gas operations at its primary operating area. In August, a larger operator in the area called to buy produced water from Fasken, said Jimmy Davis, operations manager at the family-owned oil company. The friendly request exemplifies the increasingly desperate water situation that oil companies are facing in the Permian Basin, one of the most productive onshore area in North America. "They are in a fix for water," Davis said.
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Sourcing (0.78)
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Treatment (0.70)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.68)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yeso Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yates Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Wolfcamp Formation (0.99)
- (26 more...)
Although the oil and gas boom in the United States owes much of its success to the abundance of cheap sources of fresh water, the status quo is beginning to change. Groundwater remains the main source of water for most onshore exploration and production companies; however, they are increasingly investing in produced and flowback water-treatment technologies. Many of the same companies are also turning to brackish water sources in places where freshwater aquifers are becoming depleted, such as the Permian Basin that spans west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Brackish water, sometimes called fossil water, has less salt content than seawater, making it cheaper to treat, and is typically found in the same areas where hydrocarbons are developed. The Fasken Oil and Ranch in Midland, Texas, relies on produced-water recycling and brackish water for nearly all of its oil and gas operations at its primary operating area. In August, a larger operator in the area called to buy produced water from Fasken, said Jimmy Davis, operations manager at the family-owned oil company. The friendly request exemplifies the increasingly desperate water situation that oil companies are facing in the Permian Basin, one of the most productive onshore area in North America. "They are in a fix for water," Davis said.
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Sourcing (0.78)
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Treatment (0.70)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.68)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yeso Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yates Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Wolfcamp Formation (0.99)
- (26 more...)
Water Treatment Although the oil and gas boom in the United States owes much of its success to the abundance of cheap sources of fresh water, the status quo is beginning to change. Groundwater remains the main source of water for most onshore exploration and production companies; however, they are increasingly investing in produced and flowback water- treatment technologies. Many of the same companies are also turning to brackish water sources in places where freshwater aquifers are becoming depleted, such as the Permian Basin that spans west Texas and eastern New Mexico. Brackish water, sometimes called fossil water, has less salt content than seawater, making it cheaper to treat, and is typically found in the same areas where hydrocarbons are developed. The Fasken Oil and Ranch in Midland, Texas, relies on produced-water recycling and brackish water for nearly all of its oil and gas operations at its primary operating area. In August, a larger operator in the area called to buy produced water from Fasken, said Jimmy Davis, operations manager at the family-owned oil company. The friendly request exemplifies the increasingly desperate water situation that oil companies are facing in the Permian Basin, one of the most productive onshore areas in North America. โThey are in a fix for water,โ Davis said. โI am starting to hear that over and over. What we are doing out here as an industry is using water to frac, and we are in a drought-stricken area so you have to find other means than fresh water to meet those needs.โ Based on the number of inquiries and activity that he is seeing from neighboring companies, Davis said he predicts that over the next few years, a majority of Permian Basin operators will turn to brackish and produced water as their primary sources. โIf you are going to continue to frac like we are, that is what you are going to have to do to sustain it,โ he said. According to a market analysis report by Houston-based PacWest Consulting, onshore oil and gas companies in the United States spent USD 20.1 billion last year on water-management services. While only 4% of the spending was for water treatment, if projections hold true, then this year will mark the turning point. The report said that water treatment represents the smallest yet fastest growing segment of the water-management market with a forecast of 23% growth each year to USD 1.3 billion by 2016. โPrevailing drought conditions and long-term sustainability of freshwater sources is expected to steadily increase demand for treatment services,โ the report concluded.
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Treatment (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yeso Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yates Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Wolfcamp Formation (0.99)
- (29 more...)
Abstract As per NFPA standard, every offshore platform is required to test the deluge system 3-yearly. Use of seawater to test the deluge system introduces multiple issues with materials offshore due to direct impingement of seawater coupled with chloride ingestion in instruments and other electrical items. This was experienced[SP(L1] by more senior engineers and operators working on other platforms commissioning and hence KBB was tasked to test the deluge system using freshwater. On the KBB platform, freshwater system was never designed to be used for the deluge, and retrofitting or modifying the platform proved to have major obstacles. KBB investigated use of a barge or standby vessel to conduct this test, but the standby vessel pipeline header did not have sufficient capacity for the required test. KBB then designed an external system using water tanks, rented firewater pump, flexible hoses and pre-fabricated spools for use of fresh water on the deluge system. KBB was not successful on inquiries sent on similar test being conducted on other offshore facilities in the region. The deluge test work pack was developed with due consideration given towards safe execution of work. This paper will present the details of how this was achieved safely offshore, bringing in fundamental innovations to ensure value is safeguarded while ensuring the regulatory requirement is met[SP(L2] which is to test the deluge valve dry yearly or wet test the system 3-yearly. Some of the findings from the deluge test will also be presented.
- Management (1.00)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Safety (1.00)
Officials in New Mexico will no longer grant approvals for the use of fresh groundwater sourced from state lands in oil and gas operations. Announced this week by the New Mexico State Land Office, the order will primarily impact unconventional oil and gas producers that require several millions of gallons to drill and later hydraulically fracture each horizontal well. The State Land Office cited water scarcity as the primary driver behind the policy shift. Oil output in New Mexico has soared over the past 5 years, making it the third largest producer in the US. Most of the state's 3 million B/D come from the Delaware Basin, one-half of the prolific Permian Basin that extends eastward into Texas.
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Water & Waste Management > Water Management > Lifecycle > Sourcing (0.40)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yeso Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Yates Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Permian Basin > Wolfcamp Formation (0.99)
- (23 more...)
- Well Drilling (0.89)
- Production and Well Operations (0.73)
- Well Completion (0.69)
- (2 more...)