Multistage Water Filtration for Compact Continuous Reconditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for treating and recycling produced water and flowback fluids in the oil and gas industry require large footprints, extensive chemical use, complex testing, and continuous personnel presence, with effectiveness limited to 80-90%, and involve lengthy settling times.
Innovation Solution
An automated, multi-stage, multi-media filter system mounted on a skid that continuously treats fluids with minimal chemicals and personnel, using oxidants to adhere contaminants to media components, eliminating settling times and enabling continuous operation with automated adjustments and backwashing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional floc and drop method is used to treat produced water, then water treatment effectiveness is achieved (80-90%), but large footprint area is required
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment process is divided into multiple sequential filtration stages (coarse filtration, intermediate filtration, fine filtration) with each stage handling specific particle sizes. This segmentation allows compact arrangement of filter elements while maintaining high treatment effectiveness through progressive contaminant removal at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple filter elements are nested or stacked within a single pressure vessel, with fine filter elements positioned inside coarser filter elements. This nested configuration maximizes the treatment surface area within a compact cylindrical footprint, achieving high effectiveness without requiring large horizontal space.
2Reliability
If conventional floc and drop method is used, then water treatment is performed, but extensive chemical use (flocculants like alum) is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for extensive chemical flocculants by using purely physical filtration mechanisms. The multi-stage filter system captures suspended solids through mechanical straining and adsorption onto filter media, replacing the chemical coagulation-flocculation process with physical separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter elements use inexpensive, replaceable media such as pleated polyester screens and granular activated carbon that can be periodically backwashed or replaced. This approach substitutes expensive chemicals with affordable, regenerable physical filters that require minimal chemical maintenance.
3Reliability
If conventional floc and drop method is used, then water treatment is achieved, but complex chemical testing and personnel presence are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-monitoring through differential pressure sensors across filter stages that automatically detect when filter elements require cleaning. The automated backwash system activates when pressure differentials indicate contamination, eliminating the need for manual chemical testing and continuous personnel intervention while maintaining consistent treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Differential pressure sensors provide continuous feedback on filter element contamination levels. When the pressure differential across a filter stage exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control system automatically initiates backwashing of the affected filter elements, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains optimal performance without manual intervention.
4Reliability
If conventional floc and drop method is used, then water treatment is performed, but long settling times are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous treatment without settling time interruptions. Contaminated water enters the pressure vessels and passes through multiple filtration stages in continuous flow, with automated backwashing occurring during normal operation. This eliminates the batch processing and long settling times inherent in conventional methods, providing uninterrupted clean water output.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the gravitational settling mechanism with pressure-driven mechanical filtration. Water is forced through pleated filter screens and porous media under pressure, capturing suspended solids instantly as they pass through the filter media rather than requiring hours of gravitational settling, thereby eliminating retention time requirements.
5Reliability
If conventional floc and drop method is used, then water treatment is achieved, but large amounts of power are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses variable frequency drives on pump motors that automatically adjust pump speed based on differential pressure sensor feedback. When filter elements are clean and flow resistance is low, pumps operate at lower speeds consuming less power. When backwashing is required, pumps temporarily increase power consumption. This dynamic control optimizes energy usage while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
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 achieves 99% effectiveness in fluid reconditioning with a small footprint, reduced chemical use, and lower operational costs, providing a continuous stream of cleaned water without the need for extensive personnel or long retention times.
Implementation Method 1
an oxidant is injected upstream of a main system pump... uses multiple stages in which an oxidant chemically interacts with water contaminants to cause the contaminants to adhere to one or more components of a media mix loaded in filter tanks
Implementation Method 2
an oxidant is injected upstream of a main system pump... an oxidant chemically interacts with water contaminants
Data Source
AI summary
A system for reconditioning contaminated water includes a plurality of filter tanks, each filter tank configured to hold a media mixture comprising media particles to which contaminants adhere when the contaminated water is pumped through the filter tanks and a feed water pump to pump the contaminated water through the plurality of filter tanks. The plurality of filter tanks are configured to form a multistage filter system for filtering the contaminated water at different contaminant particle sizes, and the feed water pump pumps the contaminated water through the multistage filter system in a continuous manner during a normal filtering mode.