Produced Water Management & Treatment
Dr. Yasmeen Al LawatiProduced Water Management & Sustainable
Development AdvisorOman Water Society
Outline Introduction Produced Water Treatment Produced Water Management Greening the Desert Initiative at Petroleum Development
Oman Outcome of Desktop Study on Potential What are the Produced Water Management challenges?
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Outline
21/10/2014 2
Produced Water (PW) Definition
Water trapped in reservoir (or below Oil zone) and brought to surface along with oil & gas production
It usually contains oil (dispersed & dissolved), metals, (heavy metals), NORM, Salt, Chemical additives used during drilling, Suspended Solids….etc
Quantities of Produced Water increase as Oil producing field matures
Treatment of produced water is a major cost component of Oil production
H2OH2O
H2O
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O
OIL
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 3
Oil Production Growth
Excludes Associated Gas Production
Oil, Condensate & Gas Production
1967 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012
BO
O p
er d
ay
Oil
Gas
Condensate
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 4
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
Wat
er &
Oil
Prod
uctio
n (k
b/d)
INJECTION WATER / RESERVOIR SUPPORT
DEEP WATER DISPOSAL
Wells in 1994: 2340
Wells in 2011: 5088
Wells in 2020: ~7700
Oil Water Production Forecast
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 5
Worldwide Quantities of PW
In the US, average water-to-oil ratio is 10 (2010)*
Kuwait Oil Company produces 500,000 bbl/day of water Compared to 2.5 million bbl of oil
ARAMCO produces approximately 5 Mbbl/day in comparison to 12 million bbl of Oil
Oman (PDO) produces 5 Mbbl/day of water versus 550,000 bbl/day Oil
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 6
Oman: Largest Produced Water Quantities in Shell
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
MM
m3
EPE - UK (Expro)
EPE - Norway (SEPNo)
EPE - Netherlands (NAM)
Nigeria (SPDC)
Nigeria (SNEPCO)
Gabon (SHLGB)
Cameroon (PECTEN)
Russia Sakhalin (SEIC)
Russia (Salym)
Oman (PDO)
EPM-AFPC-Syria
USA (Sure)
Venezuela (SVSA)
USA (SEPCo)
Shell Brazil (SBEP)
Canada (SCAN)
Canada (AOSP)
Philippines (SPEX)
New Zealand (STOS)
Malaysia (SMEP)
Brunei (BSP)
The highest water producer within Shell
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 7
Oman Highest Water Producer
Oman Oil fields reached maturity Oman has started exploring and implementing new
technologies to extract difficult Oil Produced Water treatment and management are
the major challenges in Enhanced Oil RecoveryPolymer InjectionSteam Injection
Oman with all their experience and challenges faced, is an excellent candidate for Center of Excellence on Produced Water treatment & management
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 8
Fate of Produced Water (Petroleum Development Oman)
One bbl of oil => 10 bbl produced water
4.5 bbl Water Injection, Enhanced Oil Recovery to produce more Oil
5.5 bbl Deep Water Disposal, Energy Intensive Operation up to 3 km deep into ground at 120-170 bar pressure - wasted energy & resource
Nimr Water Treatment Plant (Reed Beds) is handling~100,000m3/d
Alternatives are investigated for efficient utilisation of produced water - Aquifer Recharge, Bio-saline Agriculture, Trans-Oman Water line….
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 9
Produced Water Treatment Challenges in the Oil Industry
21/10/2014 10Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Oil Produced
Water DWD/WI
Water EOR
Produced Water Treatment Stages
Primary
Secondary
• Corrugated Plate Interceptors (CPIs)• Tilted Plate Interceptors (TPIs)• Skim Tanks
• Hydro cyclones• Gas Flotation Tank (GFT)• Induced Gas Flotation (IGF)• Centrifuges
• Nutshell Filters• Ceramic Membranes• Ion Exchange• Double Pass RO
Polishing/Tertiary
DWD
WI/DWD
EOR/ Polymer Injection/Steam Injection
Water quality varies from one field to the other across Oman In past most Oil fields used Skim or settling tanks and CPIs for bulk water treatment Currently; water flood projects & Enhanced Oil Recovery projects require stringent
water specifications and hence more complex water treatment equipment
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 11
Water Treatment Challenges
Improving Primary Separation Performance of secondary and tertiary WT equipment depends on
design and operation of primary separation Increasing residence time improves primary separation and reduces
cost of water treatment Troubleshooting of New Water Treatment Equipment Some new technologies are being implemented for the first time e.g.
GFT, Electro-coagulation and electro-floculation This requires advanced expertise on Engineering, Maintenance &
Operation Vendor Experience and Contracting StrategyVendor experience and references are of most importance Investigating possibility of DBO&T, DBOO for water treatment
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 12
Water Treatment Facts
Water treatment is crucial for Oil production Major cost of Oil production is attributed to water
treatment and management Oil operators are developing more focused approach
towards selecting appropriate water treatment technologies There is a clear gap between the demand in the Oil
industry and what the market and water experts are providing Oil industry has the ability to move fast in developing
new technologies simply because cost effective & continuous energy production is of highest importance
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 13
Produced Water Management (Utilisation) Drivers
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Objective: Offset Deep Water Disposal high energy demand operation-Cost Relatively Good Water Quality in South Oman-low
salinity (5000ppm) and increasing water rates An excellent Sustainable Development initiative &
strategic move towards turning PW from a liability into an OpportunityNew business Opportunity for Oil companies by
diversifying core activities; bio-fuels, carbon sinks, bio-saline forestry, water based industries, biomass production, aquifer recharge -Game Changer
21/10/2014 14
Produced Water Management at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
a. Greening the Desert Initiativeb. Desk Top Investigation of Potential
Low Salinity Systems
21/10/2014 15Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Nimr Reed Bed Pilot-2000B-TRAIN
TOTAL AREA = 6 HA
A2
A3
A4
A1
B2
B3
B1
B4
EVAPORATION POND A
A-TRAINC
-Tr
ain
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 16
Pilot Performance Since 2002
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Avoid direct food chainFodder- Racing HorsesTimber for wood productionHalophytes for landscapingPlants for CO2 sequestration
21/10/2014 17
Status of Nimr Reed Bed Pilot 2013
18
Atriplex sp. Sesuvium sp. Conocarpus lancifolius
Salvadora persicaAcacia ampliceps
21/10/2014 18Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Oil-Water Separation
Reed Bed
Evaporation Salt Fields
Sodiumchloride precipitation
area
Residual Storage area
Summer/winter Buffer Area
Nimr Water Treatment Plant
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 19
Nimr Water Treatment Plant
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Offset energy used for DWD (10MW pumps) Biomass or Bio-fuel Production
potential Salt Production-base case scenario Currently 110,000 m3/d capacity
21/10/2014 20
Produced Water Management at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
a. Greening the Desert Initiativeb. Desk Top Investigation of Potential
Low Salinity Systems
21/10/2014 21Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management
Potential Utilisation Options for Produced Water
Excess treated Produced Water can be used for; Agriculture
– Bio-Saline such as Jatropha ,Cotton and halophytes or forages
– Spec B (Cereals, seed crops & fodder) Aquifer recharge Solar desalination
– Fresh Water – Salt
Water Based Industries– CO2 sequestration– Pulp industry– Duqum area development (Industrial Use)
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 22
TDS
(mg/
l)
120,000
20,000
40,000
80,000
Water Quality in terms of salinity, heavy metals & Boron
End Use/Product
Treatment Requirements & Cost Benefit analysis
Contracting Strategies (DBOO & DBOT)
Vision 2020, 2030 (National SD Plans)
PW Management Critical Factors
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 23
Produced Water Management Challenges
Treating produced water as liability rather than resource Lack of recognition from water experts and Decision makers in order to
develop & accelerate the process of PW utilization Full solutions are required from source (produced water) to sink ( value
product) to sustain Oil production Stakeholder serious commitment (Ministry of Water resources, Ministry of
Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, Regulatory &International bodies to certify the Water Quality, …etc)
Contracting Strategies a sub company of Oil operator, or different players ?!! Oil price fluctuations and National SD plans The legacy of time consuming R&D still prevailing despite the advances made
worldwide Too many initiatives/pilots and lack of follow up Availability and reliability Ease of technology installation, operation & maintenance Continuous monitoring, evaluation and follow up
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 29
Way Forward
An independent specialized Produced Water Center of Excellence has to be established that includes; Water technologists/Experts Government Representatives who are decision makers and able to
influence the National Sustainable Development Plans Industrialists who can manufacture & develop water treatment
technologies – “In Country Value” Initiative Experts that do base line assessment, define, select and assist in
implementation of produced water utilisation options Define & Certify water qualities per end use requirements Guard the intellectual property of these technologies and initiatives
in order to develop into new business portfolio for the country/company
A center that is moving fast with technology taking into account the national and regional SD needs/plans
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 30
Close Out
Oman is the lead in PW utilization field regionally and this in itself is a new business potential The produced water treatment and utilisation should
involve other decision makers on National level There is a strong link between Water industry & Oil
Industry Oil industry is willing to spend money on research and
technology advancement however they need serious commitment & assurance from other key players Need for proper utilisation of Produced Water has to
come from decision makers in the country and not as a courtesy from Oil industry
Water in the GCC...Towards Efficient Management 21/10/2014 31