USING ULTRAFILTRATION FOR FLOWBACK WATER MANAGEMENT IN SHALE GAS EXPLORATION: MULTICONTAMINANT CONSIDERATION
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2019 Elsevier B.V. Water management in hydraulic fracturing is an important issue as wastewater management is the key driver of water-related costs. Selection of appropriate water management options in hydraulic fracturing involve consideration of many factors, which includes operational, environmental and economic factors. This study looks at the role of efficient scheduling framework together with low-pressure membrane technology in maximizing wastewater reuse in hydraulic fracturing with focus on ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology. The study considers detailed ultrafiltration model in order to evaluate the sustainability of the system in terms of energy consumption and associated costs. The study also looks into the feasibility of using the gas that would otherwise be flared to generate electrical energy for the membrane system via an onsite gas generator. The application of the proposed model in a case study results in 21.4 % reduction in the amount of water required for fracturing and 10.3 % reduction in the amount of energy needed by the regenerator. The system consumes 0.109 kWh/m3 of energy at an operating pressure of 3.69 bar. This indicates a very low-energy consumption compared to a typical energy requirement for wastewater reclamation which usually ranges between 0.8 and 1.0 kWh/m3 for membrane filtration. The study indicates the possibility of reducing the operating cost of the regeneration network by 61 % if the electrical energy needed is generated onsite using the gas that would otherwise be flared.
