Not all produced water can be recycled or reused for other drilling operations. In some cases, the salt content of the produced water is simply too high. For example, regardless of the formation, current hydraulic fracturing technologies require the use of relatively low salinity water. High salt content makes the injection fluid difficult to pump downhole, thus increasing the power requirements and resulting in higher volumes of chemicals needed to reduce friction.
State regulations also play a major role in the industry’s ability to recycle or reuse produced water. Wellsite location is also a factor for produced water management. Due to distance, the creation and operation of a centralized treatment facility could result in higher volumes of truck traffic than that associated with the disposal of the fluid in a nearby saltwater injection well (SWD). In fact, even when produced water is treated or distilled, the salt content which is filtered out must still be transported and disposed of properly.
Chesapeake’s Aqua Renew® Program
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Founded under the concept of water recovery and reuse, the Aqua Renew® program is utilizing state-of-the-art technology in an effort to recycle produced water. This water is generally laden with various minerals and travels from the producing formation through the wellbore to the surface with natural gas during completion and production operations.
Chesapeake began to focus on developing ways to conserve and reclaim water in 2006-2007.
That experience, along with Chesapeake’s involvement in the Barnett Shale Water Conservation and Management Committee, evolved into an agreement with the City of Fort Worth to study water evaporation systems as a potential way to reduce the amount of produced water being injected into SWDs. Using an Evaporative Reduction and Solidification System (EVRAS) to capture heat generated by natural gas compressor stations, an energy source that would typically be wasted, a portion of the produced water is filtered and reduced to water vapor. The resulting clean vapor is then released into the atmosphere where it eventually returns to the earth as rain.
Since this preliminary reclamation project, Chesapeake’s focus on reuse and water conservation has become a company- wide endeavor, stretching from the Barnett Shale of North-central Texas to the Marcellus Shale of northern Pennsylvania.
Chesapeake is continuously looking for ways to expand its Aqua Renew program by evaluating new technology both on its own and through partnerships with a number of environmental organizations.