Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

6 Technologies and Costs for Coalbed Methane Produced Water Treatment
Pages 161-180

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 161...
... The same permitting and technological treatment issues apply to other western CBM basins, which have employed surface discharge for CBM produced water in a very limited way. Within the San Juan, Raton, Uinta, and Piceance basins, treatment of waters with high total dissolved solids (TDS)
From page 162...
... These variations in treatment and disposal options occur despite the fact that currently available water treatment technologies allow almost any water quality requirement or goal to be achieved, regardless of the initial quality or quantity of the source water, although at varying costs.1 The Clean Water Act expresses the necessary level of treatment for discharges to be that achievable with the best available technology at an economically achievable level. This chapter includes information specific to the treatment techniques predominantly used today for CBM produced water in the western CBM basins, as well as some of the techniques for which significant field-scale tests have been conducted but that are not necessarily currently used on a commercial scale.
From page 163...
... In as much as the fixed- and fluid-bed resin exchange technologies that are being used employ primarily sodium cation-specific resins, these treatment systems do not remove substantial proportions of anions or other cations in the produced water stream. Exterran Water Management Services has developed ion exchange water treatment technologies that use a modification of a Higgins Loop CCIX technology -- a patented process exclusively licensed from Severn Trent Services -- referred to as continuous countercurrent ion exchange systems for removing sodium and other cations from produced water.
From page 164...
... effective effective effective effective effective effective effective effective effective Zeolites Effective Effective Effective Ancillary Ancillary Ancillary Very Very Very NA effective effective effective Phytoremediation NA NA NA NA NA NA Very Very NA NA effective effective NOTE: "Very effective" indicates data from one or more studies showing ≥70 percent removal of the given constituent; "Effective" indicates data from one or more studies showing some and up to 70 percent removal of the given constituent; "NA" indicates not applicable because the method is not optimized for that constituent; "Variable" indicates situation-specific approaches and lack of data to make a determination; "Ancillary" indicates that, although this is not the primary target for the treatment method, the method has proven effective at significantly reducing the constituent concentration. More definitive or precise evaluations of the effectiveness of these methods for applications to CBM produced water were not possible because of the lack of independently acquired and verified data, different pretreatment applications, and different starting produced water qualities in different studies.
From page 165...
... TABLE 6.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Common CBM Produced Water Treatment Methods Treatment Method Use Principle Advantages Disadvantages Limitations Relative Cost Ion Extensive use Selective Very efficient Requires large volumes Significant High initial exchange in Powder removal and specifically for sodium of water to be cost infrastructure; capital River Basin; replacement (SAR) reduction; effective; elimination involves hazardous investment limited trial use of sodium extensive history; low of concentrated brine material handling cost; relatively in other basins using cation energy requirement; waste stream may low per-unit exchange capable of processing be required; turnkey treatment cost resin; ancillary large volumes of operation involving once in operation treatment is water; proven hazardous material; bicarbonate -- technology; all- requires routine, TDS reduction; weather operational; regular maintenance; can be long operating life; resin needs periodic combined with operation time of replacement; constituent secondary 99% in service; removal is specific treatments waste stream can to resin; treatment for fluoride, be eliminated with process specifically barium, marketable dried targets sodium; can be ammonia, SAR product or reduced combined in series for reduction to 5 percent of input removal or reduction of volume; certain other constituents systems are portable and mobile  continued
From page 166...
... TABLE 6.2 Continued  Treatment Method Use Principle Advantages Disadvantages Limitations Relative Cost Reverse Specialized Pressurized Highly effective, Requires frequent May require High initial osmosis use in San filtration can remove most maintenance; produces pretreatment; capital Juan, Raton, through contaminants; can concentrated brine waste temperature investment cost; Uinta, and fine-pore minimize waste stream; treated water sensitive -- operates high per-unit Piceance membrane stream for disposal; quality may exceed treatment cost; in 50 to 95° F basins; trial proven technique and needs; substantial energy range; significant waste stream use in Powder technology requirement; may require infrastructure, disposal cost River Basin membrane replacement; relatively immobile turnkey operation; requires large volumes to be cost effective Freeze- Application Distillation by No energy input No mobility of treatment Wastewater High initial Thaw specific freezing and required at facility; often requires storage ponds capital cost for Evaporation to limited evaporation treatment facility; hauling water long and basins may land acquisition locations; environmentally distances; requires large, be hazardous and basin initially benign process; no dedicated land area; only to waterfowl; construction; developed for hazardous waste effective in subfreezing may require relatively conventional material handling; environments, for canopy screening; high per-unit oil and gas relatively inexpensive limited time periods; requires access to treatment cost waste handling per-unit treatment cost requires full-time onsite disposal facility management when in for concentrate; operation unpredictable process timing
From page 167...
... by specificity of zeolite Phyto- Extensive Consumptive Utilizes natural and Limited or no No net long- Ranges from remediation wetlands have water use constructed wetlands effectiveness for salt or term beneficial none to extensive evolved in and selective as water treatment sodium removal; potential water treatment if wetlands or Wyoming due removal of mechanism; no evapoconcentration in context of plant community to discharges elements by energy input required; of salts; consumes CBM produced construction and seeps; plants no hazardous waste water; requires large water treatment; required; limited direct material handling; operational footprint; functional benefits only per-unit or intentional no waste stream; has potential to may be temporally treatment cost is construction environmentally enhance invasive plant limited water delivery or use benign; enhanced species and ecological wildlife/waterfowl community change; habitat nonsustainable in absence of water; may require periodic flushing NOTE: Unless stated, technologies summarized in table do not provide treatment or control for bacteria.
From page 168...
... The patented Drake system5 is a variant of the ion exchange process that was developed specifically for treatment of sodium bicarbonate-rich CBM produced water of the Powder River Basin. The system uses a modified fluid-bed ion exchange treatment that produces low-sodium treated water and minimal sodium sulfate brine (1 to 3 percent of influent water)
From page 169...
... CBM operations in the Powder River Basin (RPSEA, 2009)
From page 170...
... . Freeze Separation Process One method of produced water treatment that has been used successfully for conventional oil and gas produced water management at commercial scales is the freeze separation See also www.excelwater.com/eng/b2c/rejection.php (accessed February 23, 2010)
From page 171...
... .10 Zeolites Researchers have investigated the potential for use of naturally occurring processes and minerals to remove sodium and other dissolved constituents from CBM produced water. Zeolites are naturally occurring alumino-silicates (minerals)
From page 172...
... Top: Summer evaporation of melted, relatively pure ice. Bottom: Winter freezing of produced water solution to result in relatively pure water2 bitmaps ice crystals.
From page 173...
... Although research has been conducted regarding the use of zeolites in the treatment of CBM produced water (see descriptions below) , no commercial-scale zeolite water treatment operations for CBM water treatment are known at this time.
From page 174...
... Research with an artificial sedge wetlands system to treat CBM produced water has investigated constituents concentrated in produced water, mainly SAR, iron, and barium, and whether these constituents could be treated cost effectively with artificial wetlands. The constructed wetlands effectively sequestered iron and possibly barium but resulted in no significant capability for reducing salinity or SAR (Schulz and Peall, 2001)
From page 175...
... originally intended to survey CBM operators' produced water treatment practices and costs, as a basis for assessment of whether technology-based treatment and effluent limitation guidelines should be applied to CBM produced water. The RPSEA study is now compiling this kind of information and is working in partnership with EPA and other groups.
From page 176...
... Vendors for this size equipment are vastly different than for centralized systems with flows from 100 to 200 times greater. Only when a number of CBM produced water wells can be centralized would economies of scale be achieved for the water treatment vendor and the well operator with regard to treatment costs.
From page 177...
... Mitigating factors such as costs, uncertainty about quantities and duration of water supply, water transport and storage, and the legal framework for application of produced water to beneficial uses place practical constraints on the flexibility to use these technologies to achieve a desired water quality for a specific purpose. Treatment technologies with extensive performance histories have been demonstrated as effective and have been implemented on a commercial scale to achieve any regulatory discharge permitting requirements for CBM produced water, particularly in the Powder River Basin.
From page 178...
... 2008. Evaluation of Phytoremediation of Coal Bed Methane Produced Water and Waters of Quality Similar to that Associated with Coal Bed Methane Reserves of the Powder River Basin, Montana and Wyoming.
From page 179...
... 2009. Reverse osmosis treatment of CBM produced water continues to evolve.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.