Steps to utilize and recycle water at oil & gas exploration site

Water is the most essential source and is most easily to be contaminated at well sites, especially at oil & gas exploration sites mostly distributed in water-scarce areas where water is invaluable and it is a high necessity to properly utilize and recycle it. We need the dewatering and water treatment since solids contain abundant water being removed by solids control system. The solution processes mud up to standard via high-speed centrifuge, filtering system, purification system, etc. and reuse it at drilling oilfields.

Offshore and onshore rigs running water-base systems where there are limited- or zero-discharge regulations, where there is a scarcity of water, and/or where it is necessary to drill with a low-density or clearwater system.

Colloidal-size particles build up in the fluid system, require dilution which can create excessive fluid volumes. There ultra-fine particles, less than 5 to 7 microns in size, cannot be removed via centrifuge alone. The excess waste volumes created by dilution add to drilling costs and increase environmental liability.

The KOSUN D450L mobile dewatering systems use a combination of chemical treatment and centrifugation to separate these ultra-fine particles from the fluid system effectively and economically.
If needed, dilution water is added. Some fluids have extremely high concentrations of fine solids and need more free water for proper treatment. The centrate, water extracted by the centrifuge, can be used for some of the dilution water.

There are two main types of coagulants: organic and inorganic. They reduce the electrostatic charge of the particles and enable them to stick or bond together when they make contact with each other. At higher concentrations, the inorganic salts can form large precipitates, called sweep flocs that also envelop the colloidal particles. Note: Some inorganics could add to your waste-disposal stream.

The next step in the process involves the addition of a special polymer flocculant to the coagulated fluid. The polymer forms bridges between the coagulated particles, enabling them to physically join together into larger, porous, three-dimensional structures known as “flocs”. Compared to the original colloidal-size particles, these larger flocs are relatively easy to remove as a moist sludge.

The final step in the dewatering process is the removal of the flocculated solids with a high-speed centrifuge to generate a solids-free, reusable, recovered fluid.

Besides, Hi-G dryer shaker and vertical centrifuge can be introduced as drill cuttings usually take away much drilling mud and thus raise drilling cost. Hi-G dryer manages oil content and water content down to 10% from 30% while vertical cutting dryer lowers oil on cuttings below 5%, to the greatest degree, with small rotary speed and centrifugal filtration. Either of them is effective to recover drilling mud and shrink drilling cost.