AADE Houston IETG Meeting

 

This presentation will provide highlights of technical data on produced water treatment technology performance and discuss how treatment and reuse of produced water can reduce seismicity issues, can be used safely to remediate oil and gas environmental contamination, support local community economic development, and provide agricultural and ecological benefits.

 

Mike is retired from Sandia National Laboratories where he worked in aerospace, weapons, energy, and natural resources research and engineering.  Mike holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from New Mexico State University.  For the past three decades he has focused on approaches to enhance critical infrastructure and natural resource stewardship and security through the research and development of innovative technologies and approaches.

 

 

In this session Capper presents lessons learned about produced water management in the Permian Basin in 2024, how subsurface risks may be identified,  related and avoided, and best practices for managing produced water and reducing injection volumes.  Topics covered will include Interstate water volumes, disposal well health and pressurization trends, seismic risk, demand for Beneficial Reuse, and navigating infrastructure risks.  Capper will also discuss anticipated regulatory policy changes, and expected impacts on Industry.

 

Laura’s expertise includes water management planning, treatment technologies, beneficial reuse and agricultural resource development, disposal well health and risk management, bottomhole pressure assessments, seismicity, regulatory permitting strategies and policymaking, subsurface infrastructure integrity, landowner development strategies, beneficial reuse and mineral harvesting strategies, geothermal infrastructure and treatment, carbon sequestration, hydrogen development, and related due diligence and M&A support.

 

Historically, what O&G currently terms Saltwater Disposal Wells (SWD’s) have been operated as Saltwater & Solids Disposal Wells (SW&SD’s). The SW&SD well model remains the standard

operation today, because economical alternative technology did not previously exist; therefore,

SW&SD’s have been both regulatorily and economically acceptable means of production water and solids disposal. However, for decades, SW&SD downhole pressures have increased from the solids injection and subsequent strata solidification. Thus, induced seismic stimulation, surface and aquifer incursions have proportionally increased, and water scarcity and disposal moratoriums are threatening O&G production and community survival.  Production water has now developed new societal, environmental, agricultural, and industrial challenges and commercialized business opportunities. Highest quality recycled production water is necessary to eliminate 99% freshwater usage, create new freshwater resources, prevent current O&G production decreases and support expanding O&G operations.

 

Brian Ward functions as Director of North & South Americas Business Development for APATEQ, member of the BOLL GROUP.  Brian began his technology career as a U.S. Navy Missile Fire Control Specialist  in high energy target acquisition platforms.  Brian advanced into the Navy Officer Training studying geological engineering and included shipboard management and desalination technologies.  Brian later transitioned his education and career path into a Clinical Engineer in both architectural medical equipment consulting and clinical engineering in healthcare spaces.  He gained experience in biological hazardous wastewaters, laboratory and dialysis water ultra-filtration.  In the Bakken Play, Brian’s current O&G career started with the APATEQ team in 2013.  He markets various innovative water stewardship solutions in a variety of  O&G, industry and municipal wastewater markets.