Welcome to the September/October edition of Industrial WaterWorld magazine where we’ll take a look at two technologies making waves in the conventional oil and gas market. One is an advanced mobile water treatment technology that’s converting seawater into highly pure source water for use as boiler feedwater at a Bahraini refinery; the other is modular crystallization technology that will help a Canadian SAGD facility manage its highly contaminated evaporator blowdown waste stream. As Jeff Gunderson explains on page 16, both cases illustrate how strategic water and wastewater management not only addresses the primary issue at hand but delivers ancillary benefits as well.
Creating ultrapure water is expensive so why throw it away after only one use? That’s what Lonnie Chun wondered when he saw his electronics manufacturing company disposing of its production discharge water. He teamed up with Dave Silverman to develop a process for recycling that water, and ‘the Water Guys’ were born. Together they devised a closed-loop system that not only saves money but also conserves local water resources. Read the whole story on page 20.
In oil and gas operations, water for drilling or hydraulic fracturing needs to be disinfected, as bacteria can cause souring and corrosion issues. Traditional disinfection methods involve harsh chemicals, which can carry safety risks and environmental impacts. The article on page 24 presents one possible alternative — a green solution that uses table salt, water and an electrolytic cell to generate sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide on site.
Wastewater contaminated with oil is extremely difficult to decontaminate, and the sludge is particularly challenging. Add the complication of having to do it at sea, and you’ve got a perplexing challenge. The case study on page 41 demonstrates a compact, onboard wastewater treatment system for treating petroleum-contaminated water directly on vessels (such as oil tankers).
We hope you enjoy this edition of Industrial WaterWorld!
