OriginOil introduces fracking wastewater treatment solution

US based technology developer OriginOil has launched CLEAN-FRAC PRIME, a core water treatment solution for frac flowback and produced water applications in the oil and gas industry.

The product integrates OriginOil’s core Electro Water Separation (EWS) technology with ‘heavies’ removal on the front end, intelligent controls, and a final post-polishing system.

OriginOil said the solution is capable of removing up to 99.9% of all free and emulsified oil, and 99.5% of suspended solids from oil & gas wastewater.

Besides having distillation and disinfection properties, it can also remove specific dissolved contaminants in the water which will co-precipitate along with it.

OriginOil oil & gas division engineering VP Lee Portillo said: "CLEAN-FRAC PRIME is designed to remove virtually all suspended contaminants, and even some dissolved solids.

"All components are built on a single skid with a common SCADA control system which will enable automatic control of the process, and remote monitoring and alarms. It can be built as a mobile or fixed system with quick water and power connections."

Tests for the solution have been carried out in Bakersfield in California, US, where the water produced from heavy oil in California’s Monterey Shale Formation, had been processed.

OriginOil Oil & Gas Division president Bill Charneski said: "CLEAN-FRAC is the product line that both licensees and customers can deploy right now, and PRIME is its basic building block.

"You can actually deploy CLEAN-FRAC PRIME standalone for a number of wastewater treatment applications in the oil & gas industry, such as waterflooding.

"Our downstream partners will now have a standardised input to do additional water quality processing for specific requirements, such as water softening."

CLEAN-FRAC PRIME can be used prior to other downstream processes to remove further contaminants from fracking wastewater.

Tri-Sep and Dow Chemical are the ‘design partners’ for the downstream technologies which involve scaling or cross-linking those chemicals which reduce the effectiveness of hydraulic fracking.

The solution is available in capacities of 250, 1000 and 5000 barrels per day and more.