Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Produced Water Desalination

Oct 7th 2019

Saltworks completed two successful live oil field pilots that desalinated enhanced oil recovery (EOR) produced water. The objectives were to lower the clients’ polymer consumption costs and improve the quality of injection water in order to improve hydrocarbon recovery and lower operating cost. These objectives were met, with over 97% up-time. A video walk through of the pilot can be viewed here.

For further background, some EOR practitioners add polymer to increase the viscosity (“thickness”) of injection water in order to recover more oil. Water returns to the surface as produced water that is often more saline. Operators add expensive polymer back to this water to meet their injection viscosity goal. However, polymer consumption and costs increase dramatically with salinity. Polymer costs alone can be over $4-5/m3 injected. By desalinating the produced water prior to polymer addition, the following benefits can be realized:

  1. Reduce polymer consumption to meet the injection viscosity goal.
  2. Re-activate and recycle residual polymer in the produced water.
  3. Deliver an injection water with lower hardness, multivalent ions, and suspended solids, which can improve well performance to recover more hydrocarbon.
  4. Increase water recycling, resulting in less produced water disposal and freshwater withdrawal.

The technology and products employed equally apply to other types of produced water desalination, where operators are seeking to treat produced water for discharge and/or to reduce disposal costs. Sign up to download a presentation report, and/or contact Saltworks with your produced water challenge!

Download the Free Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Pilot Results

About Saltworks

Saltworks Technologies is a leader in the development and delivery of solutions for industrial wastewater treatment and lithium refining. By working with customers to understand their unique challenges and focusing on continuous innovation, Saltworks’ solutions provide best-in-class performance and reliability. From its headquarters in Richmond, BC, Canada, Saltworks’ team designs, builds, and operates full-scale plants, and offers comprehensive onsite and offsite testing services with its fleet of mobile pilots.

Related Resources

Photo of a FlexEDR stack in a shipping container pilot plant
News

EOR Economics Improved with Innovation in Produced Water Desalination

Saltworks successfully tested FlexEDR advanced electrodialysis reversal technology to treat produced water at an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in Alberta, Canada. The field pilot proved that desalting EOR produced water can provide a substantial return on investment, helping to make water treatment a profit center rather than a cost center.

Photo of a fracking site with wastewater treatment needs
Article

Frac & Shale Water Management, Treatment Costs & Options

Although there are many water management options available for shale operators, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is important to understand the costs, alternatives, and technical limitations of each option and develop a blended water management strategy.

A photo of injection wells used for wastewater disposal
Article

Protect Disposal Wells, Optimize Capacity, and Reduce Disposal Costs

Disposal wells are an established method for disposing of hazardous fluids by injecting them deep underground. Commingling (mixing) incompatible fluids in a disposal well may inadvertently cause solids to precipitate, which risks plugging the well. Plugging is disruptive and costly to fix, but operators can prevent it with advanced sensors, controls, and targeted wastewater treatment.