The University of Tulsa’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the US Department of Energy to develop innovative methods for treating and reusing produced water, a byproduct of horizontal oil and gas drilling. This research aims to address one of the petroleum industry’s major environmental challenges by turning what was once considered waste into a valuable resource.
Since the early 2000s, horizontal drilling has significantly increased US energy production, with horizontal wells accounting for over 95% of the country’s crude oil and natural gas output by 2018. This boom has also led to a surge in produced water, with 24 billion bbl generated annually across the US. Managing and disposing of this wastewater is both costly and environmentally challenging. The University of Tulsa’s research team is working to create a sustainable solution that could reduce environmental harm while making water reuse possible across multiple industries.
Led by Ram Mohan, a professor of mechanical engineering, and Nagu Daraboina, SPE, an associate professor of chemical engineering, the research focuses on a two-step approach to treating produced water. Their project, “Produced Water Treatment Using Compact Separator System” consists of two primary studies:
- Produced Water Cleaning and Conditioning: The team is designing an integrated compact separation system that efficiently removes contaminants from produced water, preparing it for further desalination.
- Produced Water Desalination: By enhancing clathrate hydrate-based desalination technology, the researchers aim to improve water reuse potential by addressing high energy consumption, slow crystal separation, and cost-effectiveness.
The ultimate goal is to create a system that rapidly and effectively cleans produced water, making it suitable for reuse in agriculture, industry, and even potable water supplies.
Daraboina envisions the technology benefiting sectors beyond oil and gas, including metropolitan wastewater treatment, industrial water reuse, and agriculture.