What is Produced Water

Produced water is generally water that is trapped in the underground formations which is brought to the earths surface together with gas or oil. Since water has elements of hydrocarbon formation for a long time, it has a few chemical formation characteristics and the real hydrocarbon in it. This may comprise water from reservoirs, water that is injected to the formations and the addition of any chemical during the processes of treatment and production. Produced water is also known as formation water or brine. There are main constituents of produced water and these include: The salinity, electrical conductivity, and fully dissolved solids, which are generally the salt content. The components of organic chemicals such as grease and oil. Different chemical additives or organic and inorganic compounds utilized in operating and drilling the well. The radioactive materials that occurs naturally. Produced water is not just a commodity. The chemical and physical properties of it vary considerably with the influence of the geographical area, the produced hydrocarbon product type, and the formation of geological host. Its elements and volume can also vary throughout the reservoirs lifetime. Formation water is the largest waste stream or byproduct that is related to gas and oil production and exploration. With an approximate 21 billion barrels of brine are produced every year in some countries such as United States just from over a million wells. Other countries can possibly generate over 50 billion barrels of this water each year from thousands of wells. As the matter of facts, in the initial stages of oil extraction, the production of oil is extremely high and production of water is relatively low. However, over time, the production of oil goes down and the production of water goes up. This is determined through examining and evaluating water-to-oil ratio. Sometimes, the expenses of managing the water formation can exceed the profit got from the oil sales and at this point, the well operations are shut in. Since the produced water is just a byproduct, which is as a result of oil and gas production, then it is important to treat or decontaminate it before being used by humans. The produced water may sometimes comprise several elements of contaminants such as oil and metals. These also vary from one well to another depending on the place of origin. For instance, some geographical areas have radioactive particles. This contaminants continuity has contributed to the growth of decontamination services industries. Produced water decontamination should be a small-scale project by no means. As the offshore gas and oil, industries have continued to evolve and grow so that the risk of their pollution potential and the demand for the services of decontamination also continues to grow and evolve. Most areas across the world have been affected by these industrial contamination. For example, in the United Kingdom, over 300,000 hectares of groundwater and land have experienced the same. In this regard, most companies have developed a low cost and efficient ways of processing produced water by using catalysts like semiconductors. Lastly, produced water should not be used before decontaminated.

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