Drilling Wastewater Capacity is Running Out in the Permian Basin
BNN Bloomberg published an article by David Wethe about a crisis building up in the Permian Basin shale-oilfield in west Texas. Drilling is facing the possibility of shutting down unless the new wastewater disposal wells are found. Wastewater is generated at a rate of 16 million barrels per day in the area and is pumped into disposal wells. The water can be up to 10 times saltier than seawater. These wells are seeing increasing backpressure indicating they are nearing capacity. Without disposal well space, oil drilling cannot continue to move forward. Associated with the disposal wells are earthquakes in the region.
From the article-
The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates drilling in the largest US oil state, in December announced cuts to water disposal in certain areas after a 5.4-magnitude quake rocked the region.
“We are one earthquake away from having a whole different dynamic” in the shale sector, Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright told the Oilfield Water Markets Conference in Fort Worth this week. Drilling will “come to a screeching halt” unless the industry develops “seismic-resilient” disposal techniques or alternative uses for the 16 million barrels (672 million gallons) of wastewater injected underground in the Permian region on a daily basis.
The water-recycling sector only has the capacity to process about 30% of the waste flows for reuse in fracking, Amanda Brock, CEO of Aris Water Solutions, told the conference.
Credit: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/shale-oil-drillers-are-running-out-of-places-to-dump-toxic-wastewater-1.1922000
Houston-based Oil & Gas producer Apache Corporation was cited by the Texas Comptroller website as an example of applied water conservation.
According to Apache, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can use 340,000 barrels of water per well. In order to conserve water, they treat and reuse water recovered from previous well completions. They also use brackish water from the local Santa Rosa aquifer which they collect in lined containment basins which can be transferred by pipes to other drill sites.
Say what you will about oil & gas companies, but this seems pretty progressive to me. The financial pressures on exploration and drilling people is immense. Compounding it is the highly volatile oil & gas market adding to the risk. It is no wonder that opening a new oil field is called a “play.”
Somehow Apache found the motivation and the funds to conserve water in an industry not known for progressive actions like this. The scheme does not seem technically difficult at first blush. It does, however, require up-from money to be allocated to the recycling infrastructure. Should the day come when recycling of water becomes mandatory, Apache will be in a good spot.
Hydraulic fracturing is a very contentious subject. Proponents cite the urgent need for oil & gas energy in the economy. This is meant to justify what environmental damage may come from it with their chosen practices. Opponents cite the adverse effects of leakage of both fracking fluid and produced water to potable groundwater. A pathway for drilling fluid migration also opens a pathway for oil & gas seepage as well. One EPA draft-document from 2011 is available for scrutiny. It is in regard to fracking activity in the Marcellus Shale area of Pennsylvania.
It is interesting to note that Radium-226 was identified in the water samples. Ra-226 is the most stable decay of the radium isotopes (alpha decay, half-life 1600 years) and derives from the uranium-238 decay chain. Ra-226 alpha decays to radon-222 (alpha, half life 3.8 days) followed by numerous alpha and beta decays to Lead-206 which is stable.
Drilling muds are highly engineered fluids that have very specific properties. They must have closely controlled density and rheology in order to perform properly. Returning drilling mud is stripped of drilling chips and sent back down the hole for recycling. Managing your drilling mud is an important part of the art and science of drilling for oil. I am unaware of the significance of ground contamination by drilling mud.
Online you can find a long list of substances used in hydraulic fracturing. There is a large variety of formulated commercial products, possibly containing multiple chemicals, that are used in fracking fluids in the US. Determining the actual chemical hazards at any given fracking site will require knowledge of what they are using. Safety Data Sheets may or may not be helpful in uncovering the chemical composition of a fluid. The hazards associated with fracking fluids naturally depends on the identities of the chemicals present, the amount of chemical and the way it is presented in the environment. Dose makes the poison as Paracelsus said in 1538.
Note to the wise: If you plan on raising a stink about “chemicals” in the local fracking activities, try to find out what chemicals are being used. Chemicals can vary widely in their toxic potency and health effects. Be armed with specific information to the extent possible. If you stand there angrily gibbering on about “chemicals” it will be seen as loudmouthed histrionics. Hand waving arguments can be brushed off with handwaving dismissal. If you can talk about specific chemicals, then you can bring the issue into a sharper focus and demand facts.