Sourcing water for hydraulic fracturing and disposing of produced water are well-known constraints and items of significant cost in the development of shale formations in the Permian Basin. Using a water-life-cycle approach, however, some of the produced water can be treated and reused. This paper discusses characterization of produced water from a few Permian shale fields and the selection of appropriate conventional, robust, and low-cost treatment systems.
Produced Water Characterization in Permian Fields
The types of sampling and analysis that are carried out to achieve an understanding of water characteristics must always be directly correlated with the anticipated final disposition. Water characterization in the Permian focuses on iron, hydrogen sulfide, and suspended solids.
One of the objectives of this discussion is to determine what information is required to design a produced-water-treatment scheme for a shale field in the Permian, given the two possible final dispositions, reuse and injection-well disposal.
