Recycle of Produced and Flowback Water in Eagle Ford Shale Texas Picks Up Momentum

Together, Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, and Omni Water Solutions have treated more than 245,000 barrels of flowback and produced water from Texas’ Eagle Ford shale hydraulic fracturing operations.

Already in operation in Karnes County since June, Omni’s HIPPO mobile water treatment unit – which includes both Dow ultrafiltration and DOW FILMTEC Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane technologies – is being used by another leading operator in Gonzales County to reduce water hardness and boron, and enable reuse of the cleaned water for drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations.

The Gonzales County Operator has been using Omni’s HIPPO mobile treatment unit in a water recycling project to convert produced water into freshwater, brine, and hydro-carbon streams. The project’s goal is to reduce boron levels from 90 parts per million to less than 5 parts per million in the fresh water stream, so it is compatible with gel frac formulations, and can be reused in subsequent well operations without having to blend in additional fresh water.   

“Dow technologies serve a critical purpose in our HIPPO mobile units, which deliver cost-effective and sustainable water management solutions for our customers in hydraulic fracturing operations,” notes Warren Sumner, CEO of Omni Water Solutions. “By working together, we’ve extended what can be done with chemistry and membrane technology, applying solutions in unique ways to deliver advanced performance at an affordable price.”

The reuse of produced and flowback water is of high significance to oil and gas operators, particularly due to local water shortages and historically dry conditions in the region. Water reuse allows operators to minimise the use and cost of freshwater resources, while reducing complexities surrounding local wastewater disposal and onsite wastewater trucking. 

“We are applying advanced technology from other vertical markets where we have decades of experience to the constantly evolving oil and gas industry,” remarks Snehal Desai, global business director of Dow Water & Process Solutions. “Our innovations and solutions help operators improve shale oil and gas recovery, while minimising environmental impact to facilitate sustainable water management throughout the hydraulic fracturing process.” 

After the process, fracturing fluids return to the surface and must be effectively cleaned with advanced treatment solutions to remove high levels of solids, organics, and other impurities. Over the longer term, produced water is brought to the surface contaminated with rapidly changing and difficult-to-remove elements such as calcium and boron from the formation rock. By applying an integrated set of advanced treatment technologies with an automated control system, Omni is able to deliver consistent water quality so operators can reuse produced water with superior results.