Fluid Distillation System for Hydraulic Fracturing Flowback Volume Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The environmental and health risks associated with hydraulic fracturing flowback, a contaminated fluid byproduct of hydraulic fracturing, are exacerbated by the challenges of transporting, storing, and disposing of large quantities, as current methods are costly and pose risks of spills and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A fluid distillation system comprising a compartmentalized tank with heating tube assemblies that vaporize water from hydraulic fracturing flowback, reducing the volume of contaminated material for transport, storage, and disposal by separating water from contaminants through a distillation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydraulic fracturing flowback is transported to treatment facilities or injection wells, then the contaminated fluid can be treated or disposed of, but the transportation and storage processes pose risks of spills and contamination to the environment and human health
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful contaminants from the flowback fluid through distillation, separating the water that can be safely reused from the contaminated residues that need disposal. This eliminates the need for risky transportation of large volumes of contaminated fluid while still achieving proper treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of water in the flowback from liquid to vapor through heating and distillation, then condenses it back to liquid form. This phase change process separates pure water from contaminants, reducing the volume of hazardous material that would otherwise require risky transportation and disposal.
2Reliability
If large quantities of hydraulic fracturing flowback are stored in surface impoundments or transported to treatment facilities, then the fluid can be managed, but the volume requires costly and risky handling and transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by heating the flowback to vaporize water, then condensing the vapor back to liquid form. This distillation process separates pure water from contaminants, dramatically reducing the volume of contaminated material that requires costly storage and transportation while providing a manageable volume of concentrated residues.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the concentration parameter through distillation, the system transforms large volumes of dilute contaminated flowback into small volumes of concentrated residues and reusable pure water. This parameter change eliminates the need for costly infrastructure to handle and transport large quantities of contaminated fluid.
3Reliability
If hydraulic fracturing flowback is injected underground through injection wells, then disposal can be achieved, but injection wells have become strictly regulated due to links with triggering earthquakes and water table contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts pure water from the flowback through distillation, leaving behind concentrated contaminants in a small volume. This extracted pure water can be reused on-site for fracking operations, eliminating the need for underground injection disposal that causes earthquakes and water table contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers pure water from the contaminated flowback through distillation and phase change processes. The recovered water can be reused for fracking operations, while the small volume of concentrated residues can be disposed of safely without underground injection, avoiding earthquake triggering and water table contamination.
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 system effectively reduces the volume of hydraulic fracturing flowback by 92-95%, lowering costs and risks to the environment and human health by minimizing the quantity of contaminated material that needs to be handled and transported.
Implementation Method 1
heating tube assemblies that vaporize water from hydraulic fracturing flowback
Implementation Method 2
heating tube assemblies that vaporize water from hydraulic fracturing flowback
Implementation Method 3
separating water from contaminants through a distillation process
Implementation Method 4
separating water from contaminants through a distillation process
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of onsite distillation of contaminated fluid are disclosed, including a fluid distillation system comprising a tank having one or more exhaust outlet in one or more sidewall; a mid-floor plate within the tank dividing the tank into an upper chamber and a lower chamber; the exhaust outlet positioned in the lower chamber; one or more divider wall positioned in the lower chamber of the tank thereby dividing the lower chamber into two or more sections; one or more heating tube assembly, positioned between the bottom of the tank and the exhaust outlet, comprising: an outer burn chamber positioned outside the tank and having an inlet and a connecting tube; and an internal burn chamber extending from the connecting tube of the outer burn chamber through the one or more side wall of the tank.