What should oil and gas companies do with all the contaminated water they produce during the oil and gas recovery process? If you’re in the oil and gas industry, then you’ve probably grappled with this frustrating question.
The question is challenging because, up to this point, the options for oil and gas water treatment and disposal have been less than ideal. Most companies wind up disposing of the water with around 10% of oil and gas still in it! Not only does this practice literally flush hundreds of thousands of dollars down the drain, but it also puts the environment at risk of contamination and earthquakes.
But what if companies didn’t have to settle for disposing of produced water? What if you could use an alternative oil and gas treatment method to recover all the oil from the water and make it reusable again?
At Nano Gas™ Environmental, we’ve perfected such a method using our patented nanobubble technology. In this post, we’ll explain how our method works and the five incredible benefits it provides for oil and gas companies.
As you will see, our solution makes these companies more productive, profitable and protective of the environment.
1. Recover More Oil and Gas from Produced Water
The primary goal with produced water is to recover as much oil and gas from it as possible. However, most available water treatment options have a limited ability to separate oil from contaminated water. Because of this, oil and gas companies skim some oil off the top, but many wind up disposing of a lot of oil with the produced water. In this way, they quite literally flush potential profits down the drain.
We’ve optimized our nanobubble technology to address this problem head-on and fix it. The proven scientific process is incredibly effective at separating the oil from the contaminated water so that oil and gas companies can easily recover it. We’ll take a closer look at how this works below.
How Our Nanobubbles Separate Oil from Produced Water
We inject the smaller-than-microscopic bubbles of gas into the produced water to chemically, alter it from the inside out. Because the nanobubbles are so small, they do not float to the surface of the water but remain instead in the solution, allowing them time to do their transformative work.
In this case, the transformative work is to make virtually all the oil in the produced water float to the surface for easy skimming. We also collect the now oil-free water for further treatment and reuse.
Why Our Solution is the Best for the Job
Our nanobubbles are the best available for oil and gas water treatment for two reasons:
- We can produce higher concentrations of nanobubbles than any other method.
- Our solution runs without membranes, so it doesn’t clog up when producing nanobubbles in dirty water.
Other nanobubble companies struggle to produce enough nanobubbles to effectively treat produced water. Plus, the process they use has huge maintenance costs in cleaning membranes or filters, or in replacing broken pipes, tanks or equipment caused by cavitation. Their nanobubbles tend to plug up and not work in such highly contaminated solutions. However, ours do not have these problems.
Instead, we’re able to inject nanobubbles containing the gases necessary to separate oil from water. In this case, our nitrogen-filled nanobubbles (or Nitro Nano™ bubbles) tend to do the trick. The nitrogen gas causes all the oil within the produced water to rise to the surface, where it can be skimmed off the top. Oil and gas companies avoid wasting this valuable resource as a result.
2. Completely Remove Corrosive Chemicals and Suspended Solids
Even with the oil removed, produced water is still not okay for reuse because it usually contains corrosive chemicals and suspended solids. Chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and iron sulfide wear down equipment and increase maintenance costs. Companies also spend a lot on the chemicals needed to treat and remove the chemicals and solids with varying results.
Ultimately, this type of oil and gas wastewater treatment is often incomplete. The water remains unusable, so the companies still wind up disposing of it even after the expensive treatment.
Fortunately, our nanobubble technology is also up to the task of getting rid of these contaminants. The most common way we do this is by injecting oxygen nanobubbles into the water. As the bubbles release oxygen gas, they cause a chemical reaction with the hydrogen sulfide and transform it into clean water molecules. We also inject nanobubbles that have similar effects on iron sulfide and other corrosive chemicals.
The nanobubbles also cause the suspended solids to drop out of the produced water for easy removal. Our solution accomplishes this by making the water lighter so that it floats upward while the solids sink to the bottom of the tank. As a result, we can filter out the solids without contaminating the recovered oil.
As a result, the water no longer has corrosive sulfides or suspended solids, causing less harmful wear and tear on company equipment. Not only does this save companies from expensive maintenance costs, but it also makes purchasing costly and hazardous chemicals for water treatment unnecessary.
Furthermore, our nanobubble technology is much less expensive than multi-million-dollar saltwater disposal wells and chemical water treatment for oil and gas. Your company will pay a fraction of the cost and enjoy not having to pay more for a less effective solution.
3. Make Water Suitable for Reuse
Once we remove all the oil, corrosive chemicals and suspended solids, the produced water becomes suitable for reuse in the oil and gas recovery process. In this way, what once was a waste product for disposal transforms into an invaluable commodity for your business!
Your company will no longer have to spend a fortune on the large quantities of fresh water needed for the oil and gas recovery process. Instead, you can recycle the produced water again and again for a more affordable and eco-friendly practice.
Recycling produced water also goes a long way in improving the public perception of oil and gas companies. It shows that, contrary to what some may think, the industry is taking steps to protect the environment and society at large.
Rather than contributing to the growing water scarcity problem by wasting billions of gallons of fresh water, your company will save all that water by recycling it. In this way, everyone wins.
We can transform the sludgy produced water on the left into the much cleaner, reusable water on the right!
4. Eliminate the Need for Saltwater Disposal Wells
Our oil and gas water treatment also reduces another major expense for oil and gas companies: saltwater disposal wells (SWDs). Companies currently spend millions of dollars to create these facilities to treat and dispose of produced water, but our nanobubbles make them unnecessary.
Our oil and gas wastewater treatment process covers everything typically done at SWDs but does it more effectively. We do it so well, in fact, that the water usually does not need to be disposed of underground once we’re done with it.
Therefore, your company will be able to significantly reduce its reliance on SWDs and enjoy greater profits and productivity instead.
5. Protect the Environment from the Harmful Effects of Disposal
One final way our water treatment works wonders for the oil and gas industry is by protecting it from environmental hazards. Studies have shown that disposing of produced water underground contributes to earthquakes by lubricating the tectonic plates. There’s also growing concern that as we inject more and more highly contaminated water underground, it will make its way into our drinking water supply.
Needless to say, the oil and gas industry can’t afford to be associated with either of these problems. Fortunately, by using our superior produced water treatment method, they don’t have to.
Improve Your Company with Better Oil and Gas Water Treatment
As you can see, your company doesn’t have to settle for wasting produced water anymore. Our industry-leading nanobubble solutions will improve your bottom line by giving you more oil to sell and eliminating several expensive production costs. Plus, you’ll protect the environment along the way.
Are you interested in working with Nano Gas™ Environmental for your oil and gas wastewater treatment needs? Our company will work closely with you and provide a custom solution to recover more oil and make produced water reusable.
Please call (832) 903-5961 or email info@ngtenergy.com to discuss how we can help you. We’re located in Houston, TX, and Ontario, Canada, and provide services both nationally and internationally.
