What is “Salt Water” in Oil Extraction?
“Salt water” in oil extraction isn’t the same as the “salt water” we think of in the ocean. The term refers to the often hazardous waste byproduct of oil extraction, which is composed of salts, hydrocarbons, industrial compounds, and various metals. This byproduct has a number of other names, such as “produced water”, “produced wash water”, “wastewater”, or “oilfield brine”, all of which refer to the same substance. This waste, of course, can vary greatly in its actual chemical composition, depending on a number of site-specific factors, such as the site’s ecological composition or distance above sea level.
What is Salt Water Disposal?
Salt water disposal refers to the EPA-required process of safely ridding the site of the produced water. The Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974 regulated the minimum requirements for salt water injection wells, which are sites where the waste product is injected into natural underground formations. If the produced water isn’t purified, it needs to be injected into a salt water well explicitly following the EPA’s standards of the 1974 SWDA. If it won’t be injected into a well, but otherwise safely disposed of or reused, the water needs to be purified to meet EPA-approved standards.
How can Chlorine Dioxide Purify Salt Water?
PureLine has significant experience with salt water disposal for oil extraction sites across the world. PureLine incorporates three-precursor, on-site generation of chlorine dioxide to effectively treat produced water, either for disposal or for reuse. Redundant systems guarantee uptime (99.97%, 2018), and oxidation of H2S and FeS (and other sulfides), SRB (sulfate reducing bacteria), APB (acid producing bacteria) coupled low residual levels of chlorine dioxide offers treated water for reuse or for disposal while maintaining the integrity of the saltwater disposal system and wellbore. Moreover, PureLine offers live feed monitoring, which offers clients a 24/7 view of treatment dose, residual chlorine dioxide, pH levels, and water flow to ensure total treatment. To learn more about how PureLine uses chlorine dioxide in the saltwater disposal process, along with providing assistance in pit turns, water transfers, tank treatments, and on-the-fly treatment of hydraulic fracturing water, fill out the form below and a representative will be in touch shortly.