Flowback Water Concentrator for Downbore Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The hydraulic fracking industry faces challenges in reducing the volume and treatment costs of flowback and produced water, which contain dissolved solids, and in achieving economically feasible downbore pressures for natural gas extraction.
Innovation Solution
A wastewater concentrator assembly that evaporates water to reduce the volume of flowback and produced water, concentrates dissolved solids, and increases the density of the remaining liquid, allowing it to be reused as fracking fluid, and functions as an anti-freeze or capping fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If salt is mixed into fracking water to increase density, then downbore pressure is improved, but cost increases beyond economic feasibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the density parameter of fracking fluid by using a centrifugal concentrator to concentrate dissolved solids from flowback and produced water, creating a dense brine solution that can replace expensive salt-based density increase methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers dissolved solids from flowback and produced water that would otherwise be discarded as waste, converting them into a valuable dense brine solution for reuse in fracking operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If flowback and produced water are processed to remove dissolved solids, then environmental compliance is improved, but treatment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful dissolved solids in flowback and produced water into a beneficial dense brine solution that can be reused as fracking fluid, eliminating treatment costs while providing a valuable resource
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers dissolved solids from wastewater streams that would otherwise require expensive treatment and disposal, converting them into a reusable resource
3Quantity of substance
If volume of flowback and produced water is reduced, then transportation cost is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses phase transition of water from liquid to vapor in the centrifugal concentrator to separate and concentrate dissolved solids, reducing the volume of water that needs to be transported and treated
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces transportation and treatment costs, enhances downbore pressures, and provides a dense, reusable fluid for fracking operations while preventing blowouts in oil wells.
Implementation Method 1
A wastewater concentrator assembly that evaporates water to reduce the volume of flowback and produced water
Implementation Method 2
concentrates dissolved solids, and increases the density of the remaining liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A flowback water concentrating system, and method, include a liquid evaporator assembly that concentrates flowback water, a gas-liquid separator that separates entrained liquid from a gas exiting the liquid evaporator assembly, an exhaust assembly that vents exhaust gases, and a flowback water concentrating system that separates the concentrated flowback water into a supernatant liquid and a concentrated slurry. The flowback water concentrating system includes a settling tank fluidly connected to the gas-liquid separator and a supernatant liquid concentration sensor for measuring a concentration of dissolved solids in the supernatant liquid in the settling tank.