High Saline Produced Water Treatment with Ultrafiltration

Solution Developer

Swirltex & ARC Resources Ltd.

Project Description

Produced water from oil and gas extraction is an ongoing challenge for North American energy producers. To minimize freshwater use, there is an elevated demand for water treatment options to enable the reuse of produced water at well sites.

Swirltex has developed a unique membrane system that significantly reduces total suspended solids (TSS) levels and oil content within produced water to below 5 parts per million (PPM). These levels exceed water quality specifications for reuse, meaning the water can readily be used for hydraulic fracturing operations. Using modular containerized units, the system is highly mobile and flexible to support site-specific configuration. With onsite treatment, current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to transporting wastewater offsite will be eliminated.

The Swirltex system uses a proprietary method that enhances conventional membrane treatment through a process called “Buoyancy Enhanced Membrane Filtration.” Through the process of induced gas flotation (IGF), Swirltex injects micro-bubbles at a high pressure to encapsulate solid contaminants in a gas mixture, thus increasing their buoyancy and allowing the particles to float. Next, produced water passes through a vortex-generating device which induces spinning within each tube. A portion of the produced water passes through the membrane as clean effluent, while the concentrate continues through each tube and can be recycled into a wastewater input stream.

Combining ultrafiltration and a centrifugal flow pattern ensures consistent, high-quality results regardless of influent quality variations. Water quality is predictable and stable, allowing for enhanced water recycling and decreased freshwater use in oil and gas operations.

Benefits/Outcomes

• This technology solution provides significant water reuse benefits as well as associated GHG emissions reduction opportunities.

• The technology can be adapted to serve other large markets across the economy including other industrial effluent streams and municipal wastewater.

Project Resources