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Not all produced water can be recycled or reused for other drilling or completion 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 water with a lower mineral content. Specifically, calcium, magnesium, barium and sulfate all contribute to scaling, which can significantly reduce the productivity of a well. In addition, extremely high salt content requires the use of reformulated additives to allow the water to be used downhole.
State regulations also play a major role in the industry’s ability to recycle or reuse produced water. Recently Louisiana and Texas have worked to modify regulations to encourage the opportunity for recycling and reusing produced water where technologically and economically feasible.
Recently Louisiana and Texas have worked to modify regulations to encourage the opportunity for recycling and reusing produced water where technologically and economically feasible.
Wellsite location is also a factor for produced water management. For instance, in some areas well locations are widely spaced. Due to this distance, the creation and operation of a centralized treatment facility would 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 in 2006, Chesapeake’s 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.
Since this preliminary reclamation project, our focus on reuse and water conservation has become a company-wide endeavor to include a variety of technologies and methods.
For example, our Marcellus Shale operations are treating and recycling a vast majority of the produced water from our operations. At each Marcellus wellsite, produced water is collected and stored in on-site holding tanks before being transferred to the next well scheduled for hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracing. The water is tested for salt and other mineral content to determine the rate at which it can be blended with freshwater to ensure proper quality and quantity for reuse.
While the recycled produced water must still be mixed with freshwater in order to ensure the proper mixture for hydraulic fracturing, every gallon of produced water the company reuses is one less gallon of water that has to be trucked to a disposal and one less gallon of freshwater that has to be purchased and used.
On average, this process is able to reuse more than 10 million gallons of produced water a month in Marcellus Shale fracing operations. With such large volumes of recycled water, the company is seeing more than just environmental advantages. Chesapeake’s Accounting Department has estimated that this aspect of the process is saving an average of $12 million a year in its Eastern Division alone. The program is garnering results like these throughout its shale play operations.
Chesapeake is currently exploring ways to expand the program throughout our operations in the Barnett ShaleEagle Ford ShaleHaynesville ShaleMarcellus ShaleNiobrara ShaleUtica Shale region. The company is also continuously looking for ways to expand the program by evaluating new technology both on its own and through partnerships with a number of environmental organizations.
Additional Water Resources
Additional Water Resources
Additional Water Resources
Additional Water Resources
Additional Water Resources
Additional Water Resources
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