With on-line water quality sensors, treatment can be adjusted on the fly to consistently meet target specs while providing real-time quality assurance to the customer. |
But now with producers wanting - or more often needing - to reuse water, they’re aim is to complete fracks more efficiently, for a lower price with little or no fresh water blend. So now the pressure is on the treatment providers to meet those specs - and prove it.
More Data Saves Money
In order to optimize economics without sacrificing performance, cutting edge treatment providers should be using online sensors to track the parameters of the incoming, raw water in real time. With on-line sensors and automation algorithms, providers can adjust the dosage of treatment chemicals on the fly, thereby treating worst-case scenario water when it happens (like a burp of hydrogen sulfide) without having to charge worst-case scenario prices when it doesn’t.
Another set of sensors can be used to track the treated water, providing an additional feedback loop for dose control. It’s not enough to look for a pink dot on a test strip once a day. Over time, this water data can also be analyzed against well performance and trends can be identified, tying water quality to production volumes or, under more unfortunate circumstances, to souring wells.
By incorporating all of these sensors into the treatment process, providers are able to lower their costs while at the same time improving customer service. They are able to generate detailed reports, monitor wells remotely, and view all pertinent data via digital dashboards.
Upstream oil and gas is a data-intensive industry as all the action happens a mile underground. And yet the quality of water, the largest input to the frack, has gone largely ignored for the last decade. As the industry continues to optimize drilling and completion performance to achieve more competitive economics, every parameter should be more carefully understood - including water. Enabled by advances in sensors and remote communications, we can now deliver smart water in the oil field.
About the Author: Damon Waters is the CEO and cofounder of Clean Chemistry, a chemical technology company serving the oil and gas, pulp and paper, cooling tower, food and beverage and medical industries, among others. For more information about Clean Chemistry, visit www.cleanchemi.com.