Cleartron® water quality enhancement products solve many oilfield water quality problems for economical compliance with environmental obligations and regulations.

Modern oilfield operations must address many environmental and operational considerations for produced water, waterflood and subsurface disposal:

Produced water. The quality of produced water discharged overboard from offshore production systems is subject to stringent governmental regulations, as well as corporate philosophies. In U.S. waters and other offshore areas, residual oil and grease levels as low as 29 ppm are stipulated.

Waterflood and subsurface disposal. High quality water enhances reservoir life, helps maintain injectivity and reduces disposal costs for waterflooding operations and subsurface water disposal.

Sources of Poor Water Quality

Produced water quality is affected by many factors, including suspended solids and entrained or dispersed oil. Sources of these contaminants include:

• Production systems — where complex mixtures of chemicals used to treat other production or operating problems may be found.
• Equipment — where performance and operation, especially with variable production rates, can adversely affect water quality.

The use of properly designed, operated, and maintained equipment can significantly improve water quality. But under some conditions, reducing suspended solids and oils requires that equipment be supplemented with fit-for-purpose chemical treatment.

Expert Analysis

CTI experts solve water quality problems by first understanding the system—a critical step in determining the root cause of poor water quality. All factors are evaluated, including:

• System configuration
• Range of production conditions
• Presence and level of other treating chemicals

This evaluation determines whether a mechanical solution is possible and if it is economical. If a chemical approach is required, CTI experts determine the most cost-effective product and the appropriate application technology. The later is important because a potentially beneficial product may be ineffective if improperly applied. The product should work synergistically with the surface equipment to provide better water quality than either equipment or product can provide individually.

To achieve this level of synergy, Champion personnel recommend appropriate application technology as well as monitoring procedures to ensure best-in-class water quality management programs.