ORNL Assists with Characterization and Treatment of Produced Water

Large amounts of brine are often associated with oil and gas production.  Because these produced waters are in contact with oil at high pressures, they can become contaminated with water-soluble organic compounds.  The discharge of produced water in the Gulf of Mexico is regulated by NPDES permits, which specify that total oil and grease in the water be below a daily maximum of 42 ppm.

The measurement of the solubility of organic fractions in brines was conducted at ORNL in collaboration with the Petroleum Environmental Research Forum. Distribution coefficients for various categories of water-soluble organic components (aliphatic, aromatic, and polar) were derived from these data. The results indicated that a significant fraction of the water-soluble organic component in the brine comprised C1 to C3 organic acids.  A model for the solubility of organic compounds in produced water was developed and compared with the PERF characterization experiments. The objective was for the model to be used to predict the non-volatile water-soluble organic content in brines associated with deep-well oil production.  

• Natural Gas and Oil Technology Partnership presentation

DOE Fellow from Florida International University Collaborates with ORNL and Campbell Applied Physics on Produced Water Treatment

A project focused on remediation of coalbed-methane produced-water treatment is using a combination of approaches including ozonation, magnetically seeded filtration, and electrosorption. Ozonation promotes oxidation of organics in produced water. Magnetically seeded filtration helps on aggregation of solid particles with magnetic sorbent particles and subsequently remove the resulting magnetic aggregates by magnetic filtration. As the magnetic aggregates are physically stabilized in the ferromagnetic matrix of the magnetic filter, electrical charge will be applied to promote electrosorption of ions. Capacitive de-ionization will be used to remove inorganic salts, once the organic components have been stripped. Initial results from the ozonation of produced water have been prepared as a poster for presentation by Amy Pahmer at the conference on HLW, TRU, LLW/ILW, Mixed Hazardous Wastes & Environmental Management, to be held in Phoenix AZ, March 1-5, 2009.